Effect of Seasonal Characteristics of Temperature and Relative Humidity on Chloride Diffusion Process in Concrete: A Preliminary Theoretical Study

Zichao Pan, Tianhua Li and Xin Ruan
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Zichao Pan: Department of Bridge Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Tianhua Li: Xinjiang Urban Construction and Test Co., Ltd., Urumqi 830001, China
Xin Ruan: Department of Bridge Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: The chloride diffusion process can be greatly affected by the temperature and relative humidity. Annual average temperature and relative humidity are often adopted in analytical models to calculate chloride profiles. These models, however, cannot consider the seasonal characteristics of temperature and relative humidity. This paper presents a theoretical study to solve the above problem. The temperature and relative humidity in several major cities in China are first collected. Then, the governing equation of one-dimensional chloride diffusion is solved by both analytical and numerical methods using the annual and monthly average temperature and relative humidity, respectively. Based on these two methods, a parameter called “seasonal correction coefficient” is introduced into the analytical models. The values of the coefficient for major cities in China are obtained. Based on the results, it is found that: (1) the analytical solution with annual average temperature and relative humidity is questionable to calculate chloride profiles for typical cities, (2) the seasonal correction coefficient is independent on the apparent chloride diffusivity, affected slightly by the activation energy of chloride ions during diffusion and greatly by the critical relative humidity for common water-to-cement ratios of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) mortar and concrete.

Keywords: concrete; chloride diffusion; temperature; relative humidity; Fick’s law; numerical simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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