Coal bottom ash is normally used as aggregate in mortars and concretes. When it is ground, its characteristics are modified. Therefore, the assessment of its long-term durability must be realized in depth. In this sense, an accelerated chloride ingress test has been performed on reinforced mortars made of Portland cement with different amounts of coal bottom ash (CBA) and/or coal fly ash (CFA). Corrosion potential and corrosion rate were continuously monitored. Cement replacement with bottom and fly ash had beneficial long-term effects regarding chloride penetration resistance. Concerning corrosion performance, by far the most dominant influencing parameter was the ash content. Chloride diffusion coefficient in natural test conditions decreased from 23 × 10-12 m2/s in cements without coal ashes to 4.5 × 10-12 m2/s in cements with 35% by weight of coal ashes. Moreover, the time to steel corrosion initiation went from 102 h to about 500 h, respectively. Therefore, this work presents experimental evidence that confirms the positive effect of both types of coal ashes (CBA and CFA) with regard to the concrete steel corrosion.
Keywords: coal bottom ash; coal fly ash; polarization; steel reinforced concrete.