PERFORMANCE OF PLAIN AND BLENDED CEMENT CONCRETES AGAINST CORROSION CRACKING

Abstract

An experimental investigation on the resistance of the plain and blended cement concretes against reinforcement corrosion was undertaken. A rapid corrosion testing technique was adopted to compare the corrosion performance of the reinforced concrete specimens. The compressive and splitting tensile strength properties of the concretes have been also evaluated. The blended cements used in this work were in conformity with the relevant European Norm (EN 197-1) and they contained a blend of portland cement clinker, blast furnace slag, natural pozzolans, and limestone powder at different proportions. Ten different concrete mixtures at 0.65 and 0.45 w/c ratios were designed and cast by using a plain and four different blended cements and subjected to three curing procedures namely, uncontrolled, controlled, and wet curing. The specimens from each mixture were tested at the ages of 28 and 180 days. The test results indicated that the specimens with blended cements had superior performance and mostly yielded longer time to corrosion cracking under the condition of well curing practice and latter age. It was also found that data obtained from corrosion test was considerably well correlated with the compressive and especially splitting tensile strength data.