Too Salty? Potential for Standardization of Saltwater Intrusion Testing in Building Materials
Publication: ASCE Inspire 2023
ABSTRACT
Saltwater intrusion—where saline water is introduced to a system (i.e., aquifers, soil, buildings) via processes like sea level rise—is becoming a severe and prevalent problem among coastal communities worldwide as climate change causes sea levels to rise. The collapse of the 12-story Surfside Condominium in Miami, FL, USA, on June 24, 2021, served as an alarm to coastal zone managers of the potential implications sea level rise can have on building foundations. To improve the climate-readiness of communities, civil engineers need to identify the possible degradation mechanisms of long-term saltwater intrusion exposure in existing and new building materials to enhance the longevity of designs. This research investigates the current literature related to saltwater intrusion and infrastructure globally with a focus on experimentation on building materials. Through a systematic review utilizing the Web of Science database, 164 papers were selected and evaluated via keyword search. This material was then further narrowed for this study to reflect experimentation on infrastructure (n = 28) and finally to highlight experimental testing of building materials (n = 14). Thirty-five experiments were conducted to study decay morphologies, deterioration mechanisms, mechanical properties, or resilience potential. Results indicated a need for standardization of saltwater intrusion testing and database creation to inform designers of risks presented by saltwater intrusion. Based on the frequency of occurrence, the research team recommends mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), optical microscopy, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and water absorption capacity to determine decay morphologies from prolonged saltwater intrusion exposure. Standardization of experimental testing would allow streamlined comparison of materials both regionally and globally to inform designers and communities on how to improve resilience and climate readiness.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
ASCE Inspire 2023
Pages: 1 - 9
History
Published online: Nov 14, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Building materials
- Buildings
- Climates
- Construction materials
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Environmental engineering
- Material tests
- Materials engineering
- Materials processing
- Salt water
- Salt water intrusion
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Tests (by type)
- Water (by type)
- Water and water resources
- Water management
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