Experimental assessment of accelerated test methods for determining chloride diffusion coefficient in concrete
Félix Krolow Sell, Gustavo Bosel Wally, Fernando Ritiéle Teixeira, Fábio Costa Magalhães
Abstract
Abstract The performance of accelerated test methods to determine the chloride diffusion coefficient in concrete is an important tool in the evaluation of the durability-related properties of the material and in the service life prediction of structures. In this way, this paper presents an experimental assessment of three standardized test methods for determining chloride diffusion coefficient. The migration-based tests presented by NT Build 492 and UNE 83987 and the diffusion-based test presented by ASTM C1556 were carried out. Six concrete mixes were produced: three with different water/binder ratios (0.45, 0.55, and 0.65) and three with replacement of cement by silica fume in the levels of 5, 10, and 20%. The results indicate that the method standardized by NT Build 492 has the best correlation with the diffusion test, in addition to being the one that requires the shortest execution time and has the lowest coefficient of variation of the results.