EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY

OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE

PROPERTIES

A MINI PROJECT REPORT

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF

MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY
in
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
of
KTU
by
AJITH K (TL19MTSE009)

(AN ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED INSTITUTION )

Department of Civil Engineering Vidya Academy of

Science & Technology
Thalakkottukara, Thrissur - 680 501
( http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in)

September 2019
 Department of Civil Engineering
Vidya Academy of Science & Technology
Thalakkottukara, Thrissur - 680 501
(http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in)

(AN ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED INSTITUTION )

Certificate
This is to certify that the Mini Project Report titled “EFFECT OF TEMPERA-
TURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES”
is a bonafide record of the work carried out by AJITH K (TL19MTSE009) of Vidya
Academy of Science & Technology, Thalakkottukara, Thrissur - 680 501 in partial ful-
fillment of the requirements for the award of Master of Technology in Structural Engi-
neering of KTU, during the academic year 2018-2019. The Mini Project report has been
approved as it satisfies the academic requirements in the respect of Mini Project work
prescribed for the said degree.

Project Guide/Supervisor Head of Department

Ms.Aswathy P Dr.Justin Jose C

Asst. Prof., Dept. of CE Prof., Dept. of CE
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Acknowledgement

During the course of our mini project work several persons collaborated directly
and indirectly with us. Without their support it would be impossible for us to finish our
work. We wish to dedicate this section to recognize their support.

We want to start expressing our thanks, to our mini project guide Ms.Aswathy P,
Asst. Prof., Dept. of Civil Engineering, because of his/her valuable advice and guidance
towards this work. We received motivation, encouragement and hold up from him during
the course of work.

We are grateful to express our thanks to all the faculty members of our department
for their support. We articulate our gratitude to all our friends for their support and help
for this work.

We are thankful to Dr.Justin Jose C, Head of Civil Engineering Department, and

our Principal Dr.Saji.CB, for their sole co-operation.

Last, but not the least we wish to express our gratitude to God Almighty for His
abundant blessings without which this effort would not have been successful.

AJITH K
M.Tech (SE) (2015 Admission)
Vidya Academy of Science & Technology
Thrissur - 680 501.

Department of Civil Engg. i VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Abstract

Concrete corrosion caused by sulfuric acid attack is a known phenomenon in sewer sys-
tems, resulting in significant economic losses and environmental problems. However,
there is a scarcity of reported laboratory simulations and experimental work investigat-
ing the contributing factors controlling the corrosion. In this investigation, funded by the
U.K.s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the effect of tem-
perature and the acidity of sulfuric acid solution on concrete specimens extracted from
brand-new concrete sewers has been investigated. In this investigation, the concrete sam-
ples are submerged in three sulfuric acid solutions (pH = 0.5, 1, and 2) for 91 days under
different temperatures (10, 20, and 30C). Mass loss and compressive strength of the con-
crete specimens were tested and recorded at 7, 14, 28, 42, 56, and 91 days, providing
interesting data for visualizing the changes taking place in the concrete samples (change
in properties) during the time of immersion. The results revealed that samples overall
mass increased at the early stages of the corrosion process. It also was observed that the
overall mass of the samples decreased significantly at the later stages of the testing pro-
cess with respect to the acidity of the solutions used. Although the change in temperature
did not have a significant effect on the compressive strength of the tested samples, the
rise in temperature, however ,had a considerable effect on the mass loss of the concrete
samples that were immersed in the most aggressive solution (i.e., pH=0.5 and temper-
ature=30C) at 91 days. This study clearly demonstrated a high correlation between the
acidity of the solution and the rate of corrosion with respect to time

Department of Civil Engg. ii VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Contents

Certificate

Acknowledgement i

Abstract ii

List of Figures iii

List of Tables iv

1 Introduction 1
1.1 Effect of temperature on concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Acid attack on concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2 SULPHURIC ACID ATTACK 3

2.1 Stages of attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5

4 CONCLUSION 6

Publications Related to this Work 7

Bibliography 8

Appendix 9

Department of Civil Engg. iii VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

List of Figures

2.1 Corrosion process in concrete sewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Department of Civil Engg. iv VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

List of Tables

2.1 Effect of sulphuric acid in different pH ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Department of Civil Engg. v VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Effect of temperature on concrete

Concrete structure is submitted to various temperature changes during its lifetime. Con-
crete containing mineral admixtures is used extensively throughout the world for Eco-
friendly, good performance and for ecological than other materials. Concrete in case of
unexpected fire, the concrete properties are changes after fire. Concrete, though not a re-
fractory material, is incombustible and has good fire-resistant properties. Fire resistance
of concrete structure is determined by three main factorsthe capacity of the concrete it-
self to withstand heat and the subsequent action of water without losing strength unduly,
without cracking or spalling ; the conductivity of the concrete to heat; and coefficient
of thermal expansion of concrete. In the case of reinforced concrete, the fire resistance
is not only dependent upon the type of concrete but also on the thickness of cover to
reinforcement. The fire introduces high temperature gradients and as a result of it, the
surface layers tend to separate and spall off from the cooler interior.The heating of rein-
forcement aggravates the expansion both laterally and longitudinally of the reinforcement
bars resulting in loss of bond and loss of strength of reinforcement. Concretes thermal
properties are more complex than for most materials because not only is the concrete a
composite material whose constituents have different properties, but its properties also
depend on moisture and porosity. Exposure of concrete to elevated temperature affects
its mechanical and physical properties. Elements could distort and displace, and, under
certain conditions, the concrete surfaces could spall due to the buildup of steam pressure.
Because thermally induced dimensional changes, loss of structural integrity, and release
of moisture and gases resulting from the migration of free water could adversely affect
plant operations and safety, a complete understanding of the behavior of concrete un-

Department of Civil Engg. 1 VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

der long-term elevated-temperature exposure as well as both during and after a thermal
excursion resulting from a postulated design-basis accident condition is essential for reli-
able design evaluations and assessments. Because the properties of concrete change with
respect to time and the environment to which it is exposed, an assessment of the effects
of concrete aging is also important in performing safety evaluations

1.2 Acid attack on concrete

Approximately 9.5 cubic kilometres of concrete is produced every year, and thus, it is the
most used human made construction material in the world. It is interesting to note that the
word concrete comes from the Latin word concretus which means compact or condensed.
This material is generally highly durable and can be made to possess superior mechanical
properties, such as high compressive and flexural strengths. It is typically made out of
Portland cement, supplementary cementitious material, water, aggregates, and depending
on its application and the requirements of a specific project, different types of chemical
and mineral additives may be used in its production.
Although most concrete structures have considerable long life expectancies, there are
also a significant number of infrastructures in the world, such as wastewater systems,
which are constantly under corrosion from different types of chemicals, such as sulfuric
acid. Unfortunately, this continuous invasion and ingression of acidic ions into concrete
can ultimately lead to serious damages to structures, which will consequently result in
costly repairs or in some cases, complete replacement of the whole structure.

Department of Civil Engg. 2 VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Chapter 2

SULPHURIC ACID ATTACK

Concrete is susceptible to attack by sulfuric acid produced from either sewage or sul-
furdioxide present in the atmosphere of industrial cities. This attack is due to the high
alkalinity of portland cement concrete, which can be attacked by other acids as well.
Sulfuric acid is particularly corrosive due to the sulfate ion participating in sulfate at-
tack, in addition to the dissolution Caused by the hydrogen ion. Since sulfur compounds
are formed as a result of the sulfuric acid-cement paste reaction, the increase in sulfur
content of concrete specimens could be used as a measure of the chemical manifestation
of deterioration. Sulphuric acid attack causes extensive formation of gypsum in the re-
gions close to the surfaces, and tends to cause disintegrating mechanical stresses which
ultimately lead to spalling and exposure of the fresh surface. Owing to the poor pene-
tration of sulphuric acid, the chemical changes of the cement matrix are restricted to the
regions close to the surfaces. However, in some cases it is observed that deterioration
process occurs accompanied by the scaling and softening of the matrix due to the early
decomposition of calcium hydroxide and the subsequent formation of large amount of
gypsum.
The chemical reactions involved in sulphuric acid attack on cement based materials
can be given as follows:

Ca(OH)2 + H2 SO4 = Ca SO4 .2H2 O

(2.1)

Department of Civil Engg. 3 VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Figure 2.1: Corrosion process in concrete sewers

2.1 Stages of attack

The following table shows the effect of sulphuric acid in different pH ranges

pH Range Effects
12.5-12 Calcium hydroxide and calcium aluminate
hydrate dissolve and ettringite is formed
11.6 -10.6 Gypsum is formed
Less than 10.6 Ettringite is no longer stable and
decomposes into aluminium hydroxide and gypsum
Less than 8.8 CSH becomes unstable/l

Table 2.1: Effect of sulphuric acid in different pH ranges

Department of Civil Engg. 4 VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Chapter 3

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Department of Civil Engg. 5 VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Chapter 4

CONCLUSION

Department of Civil Engg. 6 VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Publications Related to this Work

• Presented the paper in Conference held at VAST, Thrissur, March 2013

• Paper

Department of Civil Engg. 7 VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

Bibliography

[1] Shuai Jiang, Dong Cao, Yuan Li, Member, and Fang Zheng Peng, ”Boost-Half-
Bridge Photovoltaic Micro inverter System Using Repetitive Current Control and
Maximum Power Point Tracking,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron, VOL. 27, no.
11,pp. 4711-4722, Nov. 2012.

[2] C. Yoon, J. Kim, and S. Choi, A Review of Single-Phase Grid-Connected Inverters

for Photovoltaic Modules, IEEE Trans. Industry Applications., vol. 41, no. 5, pp.
12921306, Set/Oct. 2005.

[3] S. B. Kjaer, J. K. Pedersen, and F. Blaabjerg, Multiphase DC DC converters us-

ing a boost-half-bridge cell for high-voltage and high-power applications, IEEE
Trans. Power Electron., vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 381388, Feb. 2011.

Department of Civil Engg. 8 VAST, Thalakotukara

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND ACIDITY OF SULPHURIC ACID ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

APPENDIX

Photovoltaic (PV) power supplied to traditional energy sources like gas, oil, coal, hydro
wind, etc. .. .

Pgm Code for the IC

Datasheet of IC

Datasheet of MOSFET

Department of Civil Engg. 9 VAST, Thalakotukara

 CODE FOR THE BOOST-HALF-BRIDGE CONVERTER PULSES

LCD_BUS REG P0 ;LCD DATA BUS

H_DRIVE REG P1.0 ;
L_DRIVE REG P1.1 ;
COUNT EQU 12H
;-----------------------------------------------------------------
ORG 000H
SJMP RESET ; POWER UP RESET VECTOR
ORG 003H
AJMP EXINT0 ; EXTERNAL INTERRUPT 0 VECTOR
ORG 00BH
AJMP TIMER0 ; COUNTER/ TIMER 0 INT VECTOR
ORG 013H
AJMP EXINT1 ; EXTERNAL INT 1 VECTOR
ORG 01BH ;
AJMP TIMER1 ; TIMER 1 INT VECTOR
ORG 023H
AJMP SERIAL ; SERIAL INT VECTOR
ORG 0050H
RESET:
MOV SP,#5FH ;STACK POINTER VECTRED TO 5FH
CLR H_DRIVE ;
SETB L_DRIVE
MAIN:
ACALL DRIVE_CONTROL
SJMP MAIN
;-------------------DRIVE CONTROL--------------------
DRIVE_CONTROL:
MOV COUNT,#4 ;OFF TIME
NOP
NOP
LOOP_OFF:
CLR H_DRIVE
NOP
SETB L_DRIVE
NOP
DJNZ COUNT,LOOP_OFF
MOV COUNT,#10 ;ON TIME
LOOP_ON:
CLR L_DRIVE
NOP
SETB H_DRIVE
NOP
DJNZ COUNT,LOOP_ON
RET
;---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TIMER0:
EXINT1:
EXINT0:
TIMER1:

SERIAL:
RETI
 ® IRF830
N - CHANNEL 500V - 1.35Ω - 4.5A - TO-220
PowerMESH MOSFET
TYPE V DSS R DS(on) ID
IRF830 500 V < 1.5 Ω 4.5 A
■ TYPICAL RDS(on) = 1.35 Ω
■ EXTREMELY HIGH dv/dt CAPABILITY
■ 100% AVALANCHE TESTED
■ VERY LOW INTRINSIC CAPACITANCES
■ GATE CHARGE MINIMIZED

DESCRIPTION 3
2
This power MOSFET is designed using the 1
company’s consolidated strip layout-based MESH
OVERLAY process. This technology matches TO-220
and improves the performances compared with
standard parts from various sources.

APPLICATIONS
■ HIGH CURRENT, HIGH SPEED SWITCHING
■ SWITH MODE POWER SUPPLIES (SMPS) INTERNAL SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM
■ DC-AC CONVERTERS FOR WELDING

EQUIPMENT AND UNINTERRUPTIBLE

POWER SUPPLIES AND MOTOR DRIVER

ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS

Symbol Parameter Value Unit
V DS Drain-source Voltage (V GS = 0) 500 V
V DGR Drain- gate Voltage (R GS = 20 kΩ) 500 V
V GS Gate-source Voltage ± 20 V
o
ID Drain Current (continuous) at T c = 25 C 4.5 A
ID Drain Current (continuous) at T c = 100 o C 2.9 A
IDM (•) Drain Current (pulsed) 18 A
P tot Total Dissipation at T c = 25 o C 100 W
Derating Factor 0.8 W/ o C
dv/dt( 1 ) Peak Diode Recovery voltage slope 3.5 V/ns
o
T stg Storage Temperature -65 to 150 C
o
Tj Max. Operating Junction Temperature 150 C
(•) Pulse width limited by safe operating area (1) ISD ≤ 4.5A, di/dt ≤ 75 A/µs, VDD ≤ V(BR)DSS, Tj ≤ TJMAX
First Digit of the Datecode Being Z or K Identifies Silicon Characterized in this Datasheet

August 1998 1/8

IRF830

THERMAL DATA
o
R thj-case Thermal Resistance Junction-case Max 1.25 C/W
Rthj-amb Thermal Resistance Junction-ambient Max 62.5 oC/W
o
R thc-sink Thermal Resistance Case-sink Typ 0.5 C/W
o
Tl Maximum Lead Temperature For Soldering Purpose 300 C

AVALANCHE CHARACTERISTICS

Symbol Parameter Max Value Unit

I AR Avalanche Current, Repetitive or Not-Repetitive 4.5 A
(pulse width limited by T j max)
E AS Single Pulse Avalanche Energy 290 mJ
(starting T j = 25 o C, I D = I AR , VDD = 50 V)

ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS (Tcase = 25 oC unless otherwise specified)

OFF
Symbol Parameter Test Conditions Min. Typ. Max. Unit
V (BR)DSS Drain-source I D = 250 µA VGS = 0 500 V
Breakdown Voltage
I DSS Zero Gate Voltage V DS = Max Rating 1 µA
o
Drain Current (V GS = 0) V DS = Max Rating T c = 125 C 50 µA
I GSS Gate-body Leakage V GS = ± 20 V ± 100 nA
Current (V DS = 0)

ON (∗)
Symbol Parameter Test Conditions Min. Typ. Max. Unit
V GS(th) Gate Threshold V DS = VGS ID = 250 µA 2 3 4 V
Voltage
R DS(on) Static Drain-source On V GS = 10V I D = 2.7 A 1.35 1.5 Ω
Resistance
ID(on) On State Drain Current V DS > I D(on) x R DS(on)max 4.5 A
V GS = 10 V

DYNAMIC
Symbol Parameter Test Conditions Min. Typ. Max. Unit
g fs (∗) Forward V DS > I D(on) x R DS(on)max I D = 2.7 A 2.5 S
Transconductance
C iss Input Capacitance V DS = 25 V f = 1 MHz V GS = 0 610 pF
C oss Output Capacitance 120 pF
C rss Reverse Transfer 10 pF
Capacitance

2/8
 IRF830

ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS (continued)

SWITCHING ON
Symbol Parameter Test Conditions Min. Typ. Max. Unit
t d(on) Turn-on Time V DD = 250 V I D = 2.9 A 11.5 ns
tr Rise Time R G = 4.7 Ω V GS = 10 V 8 ns
(see test circuit, figure 3)
Qg Total Gate Charge V DD = 400 V I D = 3 A V GS = 10 V 22 30 nC
Q gs Gate-Source Charge 7.2 nC
Q gd Gate-Drain Charge 8 nC

SWITCHING OFF
Symbol Parameter Test Conditions Min. Typ. Max. Unit
t r(Voff) Off-voltage Rise Time V DD = 400 V I D = 4.5 A 7 ns
tf Fall Time R G = 4.7 Ω V GS = 10 V 5 ns
tc Cross-over Time (see test circuit, figure 5) 15 ns

SOURCE DRAIN DIODE

Symbol Parameter Test Conditions Min. Typ. Max. Unit
I SD Source-drain Current 4.5 A
I SDM (•) Source-drain Current 18 A
(pulsed)
V SD (∗) Forward On Voltage I SD = 4.5 A V GS = 0 1.6 V
t rr Reverse Recovery I SD = 4.5 A di/dt = 100 A/µs 435 ns
o
Time V DD = 100 V T j = 150 C
Q rr Reverse Recovery (see test circuit, figure 5) 3.3 µC
Charge
I RRM Reverse Recovery 15 A
Current
(∗) Pulsed: Pulse duration = 300 µs, duty cycle 1.5 %
(•) Pulse width limited by safe operating area

Safe Operating Area Thermal Impedance

3/8
 Department of Civil Engineering
Vidya Academy of Science & Technology
Thalakkottukara, Thrissur - 680 501
(http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in)