Compartmentalized Quantitative Analysis of Concrete Sulfate-Damaged Area Based on Ultrasonic Velocity

Materials (Basel). 2023 Mar 27;16(7):2658. doi: 10.3390/ma16072658.

Abstract

The corrosion of concrete in sulfate environments is a difficult problem in the durability of civil engineering structures. To investigate the variability of deterioration damage to concrete structures by sulfate erosion under non-destructive testing and quantify the protective effect of silane coatings on concrete under the action of sulfate erosion, an accelerated erosion experiment was carried out using field sampling in a tunnel project under a sulfate erosion environment. By means of ultrasonic velocity measurement and CT scanning, the samples protected by a silane coating under the sulfate attack environment were compared with those not protected. The deterioration characteristics of concrete under the sulfate attack environment and the protective effect of silane coating on the concrete structure were analyzed. In addition, a method for evaluating the sulfate damage to concrete based on CT images and ultrasonic velocity analysis was proposed. The results show that the samples prepared in the field show a significant difference in ultrasonic velocity in the process of erosion and deterioration according to the material difference at the measuring point interface. Through the overall damage evaluation analysis of the sample, it is concluded that the damage degree of the protected group sample is light and the heterogeneity is weak, whereas the local damage to the exposed group is serious. Combined with the CT image analysis of concrete before and after loading, the distribution characteristics of the damaged area divided by the concrete sulfate damage evaluation method proposed in this paper are highly similar to the real situation. The results of the study can provide a reference for similar projects for the detection, analysis, protection and evaluation of sulfate-attacked concrete.

Keywords: CT scanning; concrete; damage assessment; sulfate erosion; ultrasonic speed measurement.

Grants and funding

The research was funded by the Initiation fund for postdoctoral research of Central South University, grant number 228697.