Recurrent studies of chloride ingress in uncracked marine concrete at various exposure times and - elevations

Uncracked reinforced concrete slabs were field exposed mounted on a floating pontoon and partly submerged for 5 years at the Swedish west coast. The total chloride ingress was analysed at various exposure times at 3 elevations representing a submerged, a splash, and an atmospheric exposure zone. The concrete mixtures varied in w/c ratio, type of cement, and amount and type of pozzolan used in the binder. The data is unique as it represents recurrently measured total chloride penetration profiles at various exposure ages, providing a foundation for the prediction of chloride ingress in concrete in a given environment. The results after 5 years of exposure confirmed the expected inverse relationship between water-to-binder ratio and chloride ingress. The use of 5–10% silica fume in the binder had a very positive effect on reducing the chloride ingress, but little or no benefit at all was found for concrete with fly ash in the binder as compared to the use of 5% silica fume. The chloride penetration rate as expressed by a calculated effective chloride diffusivity has a tendency to decrease over time. High- performance concrete with w/c ≤ 0.4 and a minimum of 5% silica fume added as a well dispersed slurry exhibited an effective chloride diffusivity in the range of 1 × 10−13 to 5 × 10−13 m2/s after 5 years exposure in the splash zone.