The resistance of high alumina cement against corrosion of steel in concrete

The present study concerns the resistance of high alumina cement (HAC) concrete to chloride-induced corrosion, in terms of corrosion behaviour, binding of chloride ions and chloride transport. The corrosion resistance was evaluated using concrete specimens containing steel rebar exposed to a salt environment. The binding capacity of chloride ions was measured at 28, 58 and 91 days by the water extraction method. The rate of chloride transport was expressed into apparent diffusion coefficient and surface chloride content. The strength test was also performed at up to 365 days. As a result, it was found that the compressive strength for HAC concrete was always higher than for OPC, although a reduction of the strength for HAC concrete was observed at 28 days. The corrosion rate in HAC mortar and concrete indicated the lower values than OPC ones in spite of the lower chloride binding capacity of HAC paste. For chloride transport, there is only marginal difference in the diffusivity of chloride ions between in HAC and OPC concrete.