Effect of accelerated aging by temperature and moisture variation cycles on the durability of concrete

Abstract

PurposeMorocco is facing climate change, as shown by national studies conducted to date. The purpose of our research work is, on one hand, to develop an experimental protocol; simulating the Moroccan climate, through exposing concretes to accelerated aging in different cycles of temperature variation (+5 to +40 C°) and humidity (60–98% RH) and on another hand, to determine the effect of exposure to temperature and humidity variation cycles on the durability indicators (of concrete [with and without thermal cure]).Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, three classes of concrete were studied (C35, C40 and C55). Each class of concrete was considered first with no addition of silica fume (SF) and then with a 10% addition of SF. The concrete samples underwent three types of conditioning before performing the tests. The control concretes (Ct) were demoulated after 24 h and stored under stable temperature and humidity conditions (20 ± 2 °C and 80% ± 5 RH). Treated concretes (CV) demouled after 24 h and exposed to 300 cycles of 12 h of temperature and moisture variation in a climate chamber. And finally, concretes that have undergone a heat cure (CTV) for 5 h at 90 °C, were then removed from the mold and exposed to temperature and moisture variations cycles identical to treated concrete (CV).FindingsThe results obtained show that aging accelerated by temperature change, and humidity improves durability indicators compared to Ct. Concretes that have undergone a thermal cure, followed by accelerated aging, show an improvement in durability indicators between 50 and 200 cycles, but the performance of concrete decreases after 200 exposure cycles. The addition of SF plays a beneficial role in the durability of concrete in the three exposure environments.Originality/valueThe originality of the work is, to develop an experimental protocol, simulating the Moroccan climate, through exposing concretes to accelerated aging in different cycles of temperature variation (+5 to +40 C°) and humidity (60–98% RH) and on another hand, to determine the effect of exposure to temperature and humidity variation cycles on the durability indicators of conventional concrete (with and without thermal cure).

Guest editorial: “Building pathology: the past, new approaches and opportunities”

“…Ayoub Abou Houraira, Abdellah Ouali, Ouafa Elhammoumi and Ahmed Fekri contributed with a paper entitled “Effect of accelerated aging by temperature and moisture variation cycles on the durability of concrete” (Abou Houraira et al , 2023). According to the authors, Morocco is facing climate change, as shown by national studies conducted to date.…”

Experimental study on effect of temperature and moisture on piezoresistive effect of carbon nanotube concrete

“…However, when these structures are exposed to long-term working environments, they are not only subjected to external loads but also continuously influenced by various environmental factors. Temperature and humidity in the environment are important factors affecting the strength and durability of concrete [3][4][5], the change of temperature can cause the change of physical and chemical properties of concrete [6,7]. Considering that concrete is porous material, humidity will directly affect the moisture content of concrete material, and it also has an impact on the mechanical properties of concrete structures [8].…”

Research on improving the durability performance of damaged concrete with mineral admixtures

“…28 Some researchers also measured the concentration distribution of chloride ions in concrete by x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) to study the transmission law of chloride ions in different dimensions. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Therefore, exploring the multidimensional transport mechanism of chloride ions under the coupling of multiple factors and mastering the migration law of chloride salts inside concrete is of great significance for improving the durability of concrete.…”

“…Some researchers have studied the chloride ion transmission law in different dimensions and the distribution of chloride ion in concrete through the electrochemical test and analysis of concrete specimens, 26,27 while others have used linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and alternating impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to study the chloride ion transmission law in concrete under one‐dimensional diffusion conditions 28 . Some researchers also measured the concentration distribution of chloride ions in concrete by x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) to study the transmission law of chloride ions in different dimensions 29‐35 …”