Muthanna Journal of Engineering and Technology
Volume (2), Issue (2), Year (30 December 2013), Pages (48-60)
DOI:10.52113/3/eng/mjet/2013-02-02/48-60
Research Article By:
Riadh A. Abbas
Corresponding author E-mail: Readh_56@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Concrete is a relatively durable building Materials, it may be failed or damaged due to the effect of some properties of soil components, such as salt, sulfate and underground water, especially when the concrete used in construction of the underground structures. Sulfate and salt (which are dissolved in water) try to penetrate through the concrete and attack it. The attack effects will be on the strength characters of concrete and rebar reinforcements.
The aim of this work is to study the effect of soil components on strength of concrete (for 28 day age) when the concrete is buried in the soil. For achieving this aim of the work, the compressive strength of concrete specimens was tested before and after burying in the ground for the same concrete mix design. The specimens were grouped to be tested under the condition of different periods of burying in the soil for 5 months starting from the casting date. In addition to that, it was investigated the effect of saline degree on the compressive strength of the embedded concrete in the soil. The results of the tested specimens were compared with the reference specimens, i.e. those which had been tested without burying in the soil. The area in which the specimens were buried divided into three zones according to the degree of salinity, this area is in Samawa City (270 km south-west of Baghdad). It was found that the compressive strength of concrete specimens exposed to Sulphate attack in zone A for a period of 79 and 102 decreases from 25.7 MPa to 22.25 MPa, while the others in zones B and C showed a decrease in compressive strength from 25.7 MPa to 17.5 and 18 MPa respectively.
Keywords: Concrete, compressive strength, saline degree, sulphate attack.