Role of ITZ in the Degradation Process of Blended Cement Concrete under Magnesium Sulfate Attack
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 9
Abstract
Although the importance of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) to sulfate attack is obvious, the relation between the ITZ and the rate of degradation is still unclear. The impact of ITZ volume content on the degradation of concrete, including length, mass, and elastic dynamic modulus () variation, fully immersed in magnesium sulfate solution were investigated in this work. The microstructure was analyzed by backscattered electron imaging (BSE) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping analysis. The performance of concrete exposed to magnesium sulfate highly depended on the aggregate and the composition of raw materials. There was a trend toward more serious deterioration with increasing ITZ in the reference and limestone filler blended group after 12 months of exposure. The degradation of specimens made with slag was independent of the variation of ITZ content. Gypsum tended to precipitate in the ITZ under magnesium sulfate attack. The EDX analysis confirmed the decomposition of C-S-H, accompanied by the formation of degradation products M-S-H.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time due to technical or time limitations.
Acknowledgments
The research leading to these findings has received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51978505), the National Key Technology R&D Programs (2016YFC0700802), the State Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Reuse for Building Materials (SWR-2017-003), the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2019YFSY0018), the State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures (Wuhan University of Technology) (SYSJJ2016-01), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. Dr. Yun Gao, Dr. Yong Zhang, Dr. Yang Lv, Dr. Zhijun Tan, Dr. Jeroen Dils, and Nicolas Coppieters are greatly acknowledged for their precious assistance in performing experiments.
References
Al-Dulaijan, S. U. 2007. “Sulfate resistance of plain and blended cements exposed to magnesium sulfate solutions.” Constr. Build. Mater. 21 (8): 1792–1802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2006.05.017.
Al-Dulaijan, S. U., M. Maslehuddin, M. M. Al-Zahrani, A. M. Sharif, M. Shameem, and M. Ibrahim. 2003. “Sulfate resistance of plain and blended cements exposed to varying concentrations of sodium sulfate.” Cem. Concr. Comp. 25 (4–5): 429–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0958-9465(02)00083-5.
ASTM. 2013. Standard test method for length change of hydraulic-cement mortars exposed to a sulfate solution. ASTM C1012. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Barnes, B., S. Diamond, and W. Dolch. 1979. “Micromorphology of the interfacial zone around aggregates in portland cement mortar.” J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 62 (1–2): 21–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.1979.tb18797.x.
Biricik, H., F. Akoz, F. Turker, and I. Berktay. 2000. “Resistance to magnesium sulfate and sodium sulfate attack of mortars containing wheat straw ash.” Cem. Concr. Res. 30 (8): 1189–1197. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(00)00314-8.
Bonakdar, A., and B. Mobasher. 2010. “Multi-parameter study of external sulfate attack in blended cement materials.” Constr. Build. Mater. 24 (1): 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2009.08.009.
Bonen, D. 1994. “Calcium hydroxide deposition in the near interfacial zone in plain concrete.” J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 77 (1): 193–196. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.1994.tb06976.x.
Bonen, D., and M. D. Cohen. 1992. “Magnesium-sulfate attack on portland cement paste. I: Microstructural analysis.” Cem. Concr. Res. 22 (1): 169–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(92)90147-N.
Bonen, D., and S. L. Sarkar. 1993. “Replacement of portlandite by gypsum in the interfacial zone and cracking related to crystalization pressure.” In Proc., of 95th Annual Meeting, Cemet-Based Materials: Present, Future, and Environmental Aspects, 49–59. Westerville, OH: ACI.
Breton, D., A. Carlesgibergues, G. Ballivy, and J. Grandet. 1993. “Contribution to the formation mechanism of the transition zone between rock-cement paste.” Cem. Concr. Res. 23 (2): 335–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(93)90099-U.
Cefis, N., and C. Comi. 2017. “Chemo-mechanical modelling of the external sulfate attack in concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 93 (Mar): 57–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2016.12.003.
Chen, H., W. Sun, P. Stroeven, and L. J. Sluys. 2007. “Overestimation of the interface thickness around convex-shaped grain by sectional analysis.” Acta Mater. 55 (11): 3943–3949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2007.03.009.
Chen, H., Z. Zhu, J. Lin, W. Xu, and L. Liu. 2018. “Numerical modeling on the influence of particle shape on ITZ’s microstructure and macro-properties of cementitious composites: A critical review.” J. Sustainable Cem. Based Mater. 7 (4): 248–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/21650373.2018.1473818.
Cohen, M. D., and A. Bentur. 1988. “Durability of Portland cement-silica fume pastes in magnesium-sulfate and sodium-sulfate solutions.” ACI Mater. J. 85 (3): 148–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73316-1_31.
El-Hachem, R., E. Roziere, F. Grondin, and A. Loukili. 2012a. “Multi-criteria analysis of the mechanism of degradation of Portland cement based mortars exposed to external sulphate attack.” Cem. Concr. Res. 42 (10): 1327–1335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2012.06.005.
El-Hachem, R., E. Roziere, F. Grondin, and A. Loukili. 2012b. “New procedure to investigate external sulphate attack on cementitious materials.” Cem. Concr. Comp. 34 (3): 357–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2011.11.010.
Gao, Y., G. D. Schutter, G. Ye, H. Huang, Z. Tan, and K. Wu. 2013. “Characterization of ITZ in ternary blended cementitious composites: Experiment and simulation.” Constr. Build. Mater. 41 (2): 742–750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.12.051.
Gao, Y., G. D. Schutter, G. Ye, Z. Tan, and K. Wu. 2014. “The ITZ microstructure, thickness and porosity in blended cementitious composite: Effects of curing age, water to binder ratio and aggregate content.” Comp. Part B: Eng. 60 (4): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2013.12.021.
Garboczi, E. J., and D. P. Bentz. 1998. “Multiscale analytical/numerical theory of the diffusivity of concrete.” Adv. Cem. Based Mater. 8 (2): 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1065-7355(98)00010-8.
Girardi, F., W. Vaona, and R. Di Maggio. 2010. “Resistance of different types of concretes to cyclic sulfuric acid and sodium sulfate attack.” Cem. Concr. Comp. 32 (8): 595–602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2010.07.002.
Gollop, R. S., and H. F. W. Taylor. 1992. “Microstructural and microanalytical studies of sulfate attack. I: Ordinary portland cement paste.” Cem. Concr. Res. 22 (6): 1027–1038. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(92)90033-R.
Gollop, R. S., and H. F. W. Taylor. 1994. “Microstructural and microanalytical studies of sulfate attack. II: Sulfate-resisting Portland cement: Ferrite composition and hydration chemistry.” Cem. Concr. Res. 24 (7): 1347–1358. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(94)90120-1.
Gollop, R. S., and H. F. W. Taylor. 1996. “Microstructural and microanalytical studies of sulfate attack. IV: Reactions of a slag cement paste with sodium and magnesium sulfate solutions.” Cem. Concr. Res. 26 (7): 1013–1028. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(96)00089-0.
Gonzalez, M. A., and E. F. Irassar. 1997. “Ettringite formation in low Portland cement exposed to sodium sulfate solution.” Cem. Concr. Res. 27 (7): 1061–1071. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(97)00093-8.
Hekal, E. E., E. Kishar, and H. Mostafa. 2002. “Magnesium sulfate attack on hardened blended cement pastes under different circumstances.” Cem. Concr. Res. 32 (9): 1421–1427. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)00801-3.
Hossack, A. M., and M. D. A. Thomas. 2015. “The effect of temperature on the rate of sulfate attack of Portland cement blended mortars in solution.” Cem. Concr. Res. 73 (7): 136–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2015.02.024.
Huang, Y., H. Li, Z. Jiang, X. Yang, and Q. Chen. 2018. “Migration and transformation of sulfur in the municipal sewage sludge during disposal in cement kiln.” Waste Manage. 77: 537–544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.05.001.
Irassar, E. F., V. L. Bonavetti, and M. Gonzalez. 2003. “Microstructural study of sulfate attack on ordinary and limestone Portland cements at ambient temperature.” Cem. Concr. Res. 33 (1): 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)00914-6.
Jin, Z., W. Sun, Y. Zhang, J. Jiang, and J. Liu. 2007. “Interaction between sulfate and chloride solution attack of concretes with and without fly ash.” Cem. Concr. Res. 37 (8): 1223–1232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2007.02.016.
Khatri, R. P., V. Sirivivatnanon, and J. L. Yang. 1997. “Role of permeability in sulphate attack.” Cem. Concr. Res. 27 (8): 1179–1189. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(97)00119-1.
Lawrence, C. 1990. “Sulphate attack on concrete.” Mag. Concr. Res. 42 (153): 249–264. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.1990.42.153.249.
Lee, S. T., R. D. Hooton, H. S. Jung, D. H. Park, and C. S. Choi. 2008. “Effect of limestone filler on the deterioration of mortars and pastes exposed to sulfate solutions at ambient temperature.” Cem. Concr. Res. 38 (1): 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2007.08.003.
Lee, S. T., H. Y. Moon, R. D. Hooton, and J. P. Kim. 2005. “Effect of solution concentrations and replacement levels of metakaolin on the resistance of mortars exposed to magnesium sulfate solutions.” Cem. Concr. Res. 35 (7): 1314–1323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2004.10.035.
Leemann, A., R. Loser, and B. Munch. 2010. “Influence of cement type on ITZ porosity and chloride resistance of self-compacting concrete.” Cem. Concr. Comp. 32 (2): 116–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2009.11.007.
Li, H., H. Zhang, L. Li, Q. Ren, X. Yang, Z. Jiang, and Z. Zhang. 2019. “Utilization of low-quality desulfurized ash from semi-dry flue gas desulfurization by mixing with hemihydrate gypsum.” Fuel 255 (Nov): 115783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2019.115783.
Lin, J., and H. Chen. 2018. “Effect of particle morphologies on the percolation of particulate porous media: A study of superballs.” Powder Technol. 335 (Jul): 388–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2018.05.015.
Lin, J., H. Chen, and W. Xu. 2018. “Geometrical percolation threshold of congruent cuboidlike particles in overlapping particle systems.” Phys. Rev. E 98 (1): 012134. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.98.012134.
Lin, J., W. Zhang, H. Chen, R. Zhang, and L. Liu. 2019. “Effect of pore characteristic on the percolation threshold and diffusivity of porous media comprising overlapping concave-shaped pores.” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 138 (Aug): 1333–1345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2019.04.110.
Liu, T., S. Qin, D. Zou, W. Song, and J. Teng. 2018. “Mesoscopic modeling method of concrete based on statistical analysis of CT images.” Constr. Build. Mater. 192 (Dec): 429–441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.10.136.
Liu, T., Z. Wang, D. Zou, A. Zhou, and J. Du. 2019. “Strength enhancement of recycled aggregate pervious concrete using a cement paste redistribution method.” Cem. Concr. Res. 122 (Aug): 72–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2019.05.004.
Lothenbach, B., B. Bary, P. L. Bescop, T. Schmidt, and N. Leterrier. 2010. “Sulfate ingress in Portland cement.” Cem. Concr. Res. 40 (8): 1211–1225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2010.04.004.
Lu, B. L., and S. Torquato. 1992. “Nearest-surface distribution-functions for polydispersed particle systems.” Phys. Rev. A 45 (8): 5530–5544. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.45.5530.
Mangat, P. S., and J. M. Elkhatib. 1992. “Influence of initial curing on sulfate resistance of blended cement concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 22 (6): 1089–1100. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(92)90039-X.
Meeks, K., J. Tencer, and M. L. Pantoya. 2017. “Percolation of binary disk systems: Modeling and theory.” Phys. Rev. E 95 (1): 012118. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.95.012118.
Mehta, P. 1973. “Mechanism of expansion associated with ettringite formation.” Cem. Concr. Res. 3 (1): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(73)90056-2.
Mehta, P. K., and P. J. M. Monteiro. 2006. Concrete: Microstructure, properties, and materials. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Monteiro, P. J. M., and K. E. Kurtis. 2003. “Time to failure for concrete exposed to severe sulfate attack.” Cem. Concr. Res. 33 (7): 987–993. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)01097-9.
Müllauer, W., R. E. Beddoe, and D. Heinz. 2013. “Sulfate attack expansion mechanisms.” Cem. Concr. Res. 52 (10): 208–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2013.07.005.
Najjar, M. F., M. L. Nehdi, A. M. Soliman, and T. M. Azabi. 2017. “Damage mechanisms of two-stage concrete exposed to chemical and physical sulfate attack.” Constr. Build. Mater. 137 (Apr): 141–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.01.112.
Nielsen, J. 1966. “Investigation of resistance of cement paste to sulfate attack.” Highway Res. Rec. (113): 114–117.
Prasad, J., D. Jain, and A. Ahuja. 2006. “Factors influencing the sulphate resistance of cement concrete and mortar.” Asian J. Civ. Eng. (Build. Hous.) 7 (3): 259–268.
Rozière, E., A. Loukili, R. El Hachem, and F. Grondin. 2009. “Durability of concrete exposed to leaching and external sulphate attacks.” Cem. Concr. Res. 39 (12): 1188–1198.
Santhanam, M., M. D. Cohen, and J. Olek. 2001. “Sulfate attack research: Whither now?” Cem. Concr. Res. 31 (6): 845–851. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(01)00510-5.
Santhanam, M., M. D. Cohen, and J. Olek. 2002. “Mechanism of sulfate attack: A fresh look. Part 1: Summary of experimental results.” Cem. Concr. Res. 32 (6): 915–921. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)00724-X.
Santhanam, M., M. D. Cohen, and J. Olek. 2003a. “Effects of gypsum formation on the performance of cement mortars during external sulfate attack.” Cem. Concr. Res. 33 (3): 325–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)00955-9.
Santhanam, M., M. D. Cohen, and J. Olek. 2003b. “Mechanism of sulfate attack: A fresh look. Part 2: Proposed mechanisms.”” Cem. Concr. Res. 33 (3): 341–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)00958-4.
Schmidt, T., B. Lothenbach, M. Romer, J. Neuenschwander, and K. Scrivener. 2009. “Physical and microstructural aspects of sulfate attack on ordinary and limestone blended Portland cements.” Cem. Concr. Res. 39 (12): 1111–1121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2009.08.005.
Scrivener, K. L., A. K. Crumbie, and P. Laugesen. 2004. “The interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between cement paste and aggregate in concrete.” Interface Sci 12 (4): 411–421. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:INTS.0000042339.92990.4c.
Scrivener, K. L., and K. M. Nemati. 1996. “The percolation of pore space in the cement paste aggregate interfacial zone of concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 26 (1): 35–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(95)00185-9.
Tan, Z. 2015. “Experimental study and numerical simulation of hydration and microstructure development of ternary cement-based materials.” Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Structural Engineering, Ghent Univ.
Tian, B., and M. D. Cohen. 2000. “Does gypsum formation during sulfate attack on concrete lead to expansion?” Cem. Concr. Res. 30 (1): 117–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(99)00211-2.
Turker, F., F. Akoz, S. Koral, and N. Yuzer. 1997. “Effects of magnesium sulfate concentration on the sulfate resistance of mortars with and without silica fume.” Cem. Concr. Res. 27 (2): 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(97)00009-4.
Uysal, M., K. Yilmaz, and M. Ipek. 2012. “The effect of mineral admixtures on mechanical properties, chloride ion permeability and impermeability of self-compacting concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 27 (1): 263–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.07.049.
Wu, K., H. Shi, L. Xu, G. Ye, and G. D. Schutter. 2016. “Microstructural characterization of ITZ in blended cement concretes and its relation to transport properties.” Cem. Concr. Res. 79 (1): 243–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2015.09.018.
Yang, S., Z. Z. Xu, and M. S. Tang. 1996. “The process of sulfate attack on cement mortars.” Adv Cem Based Mater 4 (1): 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1065-7355(96)90057-7.
Yu, C., W. Sun, and K. Scrivener. 2015. “Degradation mechanism of slag blended mortars immersed in sodium sulfate solution.” Cem. Concr. Res. 72 (6): 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2015.02.015.
Zelic, J., R. Krstulovic, E. Tkalcec, and P. Krolo. 1999. “Durability of the hydrated limestone-silica fume Portland cement mortars under sulphate attack.” Cem. Concr. Res. 29 (6): 819–826. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(99)00049-6.
Zheng, J., X. Zhou, and X. Jin. 2012. “An -layered spherical inclusion model for predicting the elastic moduli of concrete with inhomogeneous ITZ.” Cem. Concr. Compos. 34 (5): 716–723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2012.01.011.
Zhu, Z., J. L. Provis, and H. Chen. 2018. “Quantification of the influences of aggregate shape and sampling method on the overestimation of ITZ thickness in cementitious materials.” Powder Technol 326 (Feb): 168–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2017.12.008.
Zhu, Z., W. Xu, and H. Chen. 2019. “The fraction of overlapping interphase around 2D and 3D polydisperse non-spherical particles: Theoretical and numerical models.” Computer. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 345 (Mar): 728–747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2018.11.022.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32 • Issue 9 • September 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 28, 2019
Accepted: Feb 11, 2020
Published online: Jun 18, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 18, 2020
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.