CHLORIDE ATTACK

PRESENTING BY
MANOJ GOWDA
09CCTCT19
CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTION
RCPT (RAPID CHLORIDE PERMEABILITY TEST)
WATER PENETRATION
CORROSION
 INTRODUCTION

Chloride Attack is one of the most important aspects

while dealing with durability of concrete.
If the concrete is permeable to such an extend that
soluble chlorides penetrate right up to the reinforcement
and water & oxygen is also present, then the corrosion of
steel will take place.
RAPID CHLORIDE PERMEABILITY TEST
(RCPT)
 RCPT is commonly reffered as the Rapid
Chloride Permeability Test.

 Rapid Chloride Permeability Test can be a

wide range of applications and quality
control purpose.
TEST APPARATUS
Rapid Chloride Permeability Test is also
popularly known as coulomb test.

The Rapid Chloride-ion Permeability Test

(RCPT) is conducted to know to assess the
resistance of concrete to the penetration of
chloride ions, an indicator of its permeability.
 TEST METHODOLOGY

The RCPT is performed by monitoring the amount of electrical

current that passes through a sample 50 mm thick by 100 mm in
diameter in 6 hours (see schematic). This sample is typically cut as
a slice of a core or cylinder. A voltage of 60V DC is maintained
across the ends of the sample throughout the test. One lead is
immersed in a 3.0% salt (NaCl) solution and the other in a 0.3 M
sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution via the pore network offered by
the concrete disc shaped specimen. The total charge passed in
coulombs is determined and this is used to rate the quality of the
concrete according to the criteria rating mentioned in the ASTM
C1202.
 CORROSION
The attack of chloride on concrete structures can be happened
either from inside of the concrete or through the ingress of
chloride from outside to the inside of concrete structures.

The chlorides exist in concrete during the casting process

due to the following reasons:
Use of seawater for the concrete mixing process.
Use of calcium chloride as an additive to increase the setting
time.
Use of aggregates that contained chlorides which were not
washed for mixing.
Aggregates with chloride content more than the limit stated in
the specification.
The chlorides enter the concrete from the exterior environment
to concrete interior due to the following reasons:
 Exposure of concrete to seawater.
 Use of salt to melt the ice.
 Presence of chlorides in the substances placed for storage.

Comparing both the means of chlorides, the chances of

exterior chloride action are high. Most of the offshore
structures are subjected to extreme chloride attacks. This
induces reinforcement corrosion of structures.
In reality, the action of chloride in inducing corrosion of
reinforcement is more serious than any other reasons. One
may understand that Sulphates attack the concrete whereas
the chloride attacks steel reinforcements.
Prevention of Chloride Attack on Concrete Structures

Increasing the cover over the reinforcement bar. This is the simplest
way to prevent chloride attack. Studies have shown that an increase in
cover by one inch can increase the life period of the structure by double.
 The rate of deterioration of the reinforcement under extreme
conditions of chlorides can be prevented by having a rebar coated by
epoxy, having cathodic protection or by use of stainless steel-clad rebar.
 Another important way is to decrease the chloride ion ingress into the
concrete by decreasing the permeability of the concrete. This will
decrease the durability and the time, cost of expensive repairs.