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Alkali contribution from limestone aggregate to pore solution of old concrete

From National Research Council Canada

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Affiliation
  1. National Research Council of Canada. NRC Institute for Research in Construction
FormatText, Article
SubjectCement and Concrete; Concrete
Abstract
Laboratory tests showed that the alkali contents of the pore solutions in concrete cores taken from the Saunders Generating Station, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, were higher than the estimated original value. The structure was built 30 years ago, using a marginally expansive, alkali-silica-reactive, argillaceous limestone. The excess alkali in the pore solution could possibly have been derived from the clay minerals in the limestone aggregate. This hypothesis was tested by making pastes of pulverized limestone, calcium hydroxide, and water, and storing them at 38 C for 90 days. Samples were removed periodically, and the amount of alkali in the calcium hydroxide solution was determined. The results of the determinations indicate that the amount of leachable alkali would probably be sufficient to account for the enhanced -alkali contents in the pore solution in concrete cores from the structure.
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  • ACI Materials Journal 91, no. 2 (March 1994): 173–177.
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedYes
IdentifierIRC-P-3736
NRC numberNRCC 37890
NRC-IRC-5254
NPARC number20375871
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Record identifier8f8668ca-1f01-4240-baa8-62900a211dee
Record created2012-07-23
Record modified2020-06-06
Date modified: