Characterization of Segregated Grout Promoting Corrosion of Posttensioning Tendons
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28, Issue 6
Abstract
Segregation of grout applied for the protection of posttensioning steel may cause corrosion of steel wires, leading to serious hazards to the safety of posttensioned structures. Several cases of failure of external tendons of bridges have been documented arising from heavily corrosion attacks initiated and propagated in the presence of an unhardened (soft) whitish paste generated by segregation. The reasons for this aggressive corrosion attack are not clear, and improving the knowledge on the properties of the segregated grout would help in clarifying this phenomenon. Chemical, physical, and microstructural properties of grouts collected from the ducts of a bridge where segregation occurred are investigated. Results describe the different stages of segregation of the grout and show that the aggressiveness of the whitish grout could be associated with the high content of soluble compounds produced by early hydration of cement, especially alkalis, which lead to pH values exceeding 14.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28 • Issue 6 • June 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 14, 2015
Accepted: Aug 12, 2015
Published online: Jan 7, 2016
Published ahead of print: Apr 4, 2016
Published in print: Jun 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Jun 7, 2016
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