10/11/2018 What are Different Chemical Tests on Concrete Structures?
What are Different Chemical Tests on Concrete
Structures?
Chemical analysis of concrete can provide extremely useful information regarding the
causes of failure of concrete.
The tests most frequently carried out chemical tests on concrete structures are:
1. Depth of carbonation
2. Chloride content
3. Cement content
4. Sulphate content
5. Type of cement
6. Alkali content
Carbonation Test on Concrete Structures
This test is carried out to determine the depth of concrete affected due to combined attack
of atmospheric carbon dioxide and moisture causing a reduction in level of alkalinity of
concrete. A spray of 0.2% solution of phenolphthalein is used as pH indicator of concrete.
The change of colour of concrete to pink indicates that the concrete is in the good health,
where no changes in colour takes place, it is suggestive of carbonation-affected concrete.
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The test is conducted by drilling a hole on the concrete surface to different depths upto
cover concrete thickness, removing dust by air blowing, spraying phenolphthalein with
physician’s injection syringe and needle on such freshly drilled broken concrete and
observing change in colour.
The depth of carbonation is estimated based on the change in colour profile. The pH value
can also be determined by analysing samples of mortar collected by drilling from the site,
dissolving the same in distilled water and thereby titrating in laboratory.
Chloride Content Test on Concrete Structures
Chloride content can be determined from broken samples or core samples of concrete.
Primarily the level of chloride near the steel-concrete interface is of prime importance.
Chloride present in concrete are fixed (water insoluble) as well as free (water soluble).
Though it is the water soluble chloride ions, which are important from corrosion risk point of
view, yet total acid soluble (fixed as well as free) chloride contents are determined and
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10/11/2018 What are Different Chemical Tests on Concrete Structures?
compared with limiting values specified for the concrete to assess the risk of corrosion in
concrete.
The total acid soluble chloride are determined in accordance with IS:14959 Part – III –
2001, whereas for assessment of water soluble chlorides the test consists of obtaining the
water extracts, and conducting standard titration experiment for determining the water
soluble chloride content and is expressed by water soluble chloride expressed by weight of
concrete or cement.
The method gives the average chloride content in the cover region. Further a chloride profile
across the cover thickness will be a more useful measurements as this can help to make a
rough estimate on chloride content diffusion rate.
One recent development for field testing of chloride content includes the use of chloride ion
sensitive electrode. This is commercially known as “Rapid Chloride test kit-4”.
The test consists of obtaining powdered samples by drilling and collecting them from
different depths (every 5mm), mixing the sample (of about 15.g weight) with a special
chloride extraction liquid, and measuring the electrical potential of the liquid by chloride-ion
selective electrodes.
With the help of a calibration graph relating electrical potential and chloride content, the
chloride content of the samples can be directly determined.
Based on the chemical analysis, corrosion-prone locations can be identified as per the
guidelines given in table-1.
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Table-1: Guidelines for Identification for Corrosion Prone Locations based on
Chemical Analysis
Sl.
Chemical Test Results Interpretations
No.
1 High pH values greater than 11.5 and very low chloride content No corrosion
High pH values and high chloride content greater than threshold
2 Corrosion prone
values (0.15 % by weight of cement)
Low pH values and high chloride content (greater corrosion prone than Increased risk of
3
threshold values of chloride 0.15% by weight of cement. corrosion
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10/11/2018 What are Different Chemical Tests on Concrete Structures?
Gopal Mishra
https://theconstructor.org/
Gopal Mishra is a Civil Engineer from NIT Calicut and has more than 9 years of experience in Civil Engineering and
Construction. He is the founder of The Constructor.
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