Enhancement of alkali-activated slag cement concretes crack resistance for mitigation of steel reinforcement corrosion

Abstract

The paper is devoted to mitigation of steel reinforcement corrosion in alkali-activated slag cement (further, AASC) concretes, based on soluble sodium silicates (further, SSS’s), obtained from high consistensy concrete mixes. Enhancement of AASC fine concretes crack resistance due to modification by complex shrinkage-reducing additives (further, SRA’s) based on surfactants and trisodium phosphate Na3PO4.12H2O (further, TSP) was proposed for mitigation of steel reinforcement corrosion. SSS’s were presented by sodium metasilicate (silica modulus 1.0, dry state) and water glass (silica modulus 2.9, density 1400 kg/m3). In case of sodium metasilicate the application of SRA composition “ordinary portland cement clinker – TSP – sodium lignosulphonate – sodium gluconate” provides enhancement of crack resistance starting from early age structure formation with restriction of drying shrinkage from 0,984 to 0,713 mm/m after 80 d. The effect is caused by reduction of water and by higher volume of crystalline hydrates. In turn, SRA presented by compositions “TSP – glycerol” and “TSP – glycerol – polyacrylamide” provide enhancement of AASC fine concretes fracture toughness during late structure formation with increasing ratio of tensile strength in bending to compressive strength up to 37 – 49 % if compare with the reference AASC when water glass is used.