Study of chloride penetration in self-compacting concrete by simulation of tidal zone

By cyclic wetting and drying of concrete in the tidal zone, chloride ions are penetrating rapidly under the combined action of capillary suction of seawater followed by diffusion of chloride ions. In order to study this behaviour, a test set-up was used immersing specimens in a chloride containing solution, followed by a drying period. After distinct test durations the penetration depth is determined. This test method was applied in the framework of a project studying the durability of Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC), including an experimental program on 16 SCC and 4 traditional mixes. Four types of cement and three types of filler are implemented and the influence of the amount of powder, the water/cement ratio and the cement/powder ratio is studied. The influence of the combined action of capillary absoption and chloride diffusion on the penetration is investigated and a simplified model is proposed, leading to an accurate prediction