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Procedia Engineering 190 (2017) 21 – 26

Structural and Physical Aspects of Construction Engineering

Chemical Analysis of Concrete Samples from an Aggressive

Environment in Terms of Their Chloride Load
Iveta Hegedüsováa*, Sergej Priganca
a
ÚIS SvF TUKE, Vysokoškolská 4, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia

Abstract

This paper presents partial results of chemical analysis of concrete structures exposed to a long-term aggressive environment.
The results characterize chloride load of the concrete elements. As the samples for analysis, fragments of the existing concrete
ceiling panels and beams stored in a skylight of one of the monitored structures for a long time were used.
©©2017
2017TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier Ltd. is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Ltd. This
Peer-review under responsibility of the issue editors.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of SPACE 2016
Keywords: ceiling panels; beams of concrete; chemical analyse; aggressive environment

1. Introduction

Agricultural structures are important parts of rural architecture in Slovakia and were usually built outside village
residential areas during the 1960s. They had their own architectural and structural design which has co-created and
is still contributing to the landscape character. The most commonly built structures were one-storey shed-type
buildings. Typical structures designed for cattle breeding included cow barns marked K-174 (Fig.1). The age of
these structures ranges between 50 and 60 years and nowadays their load-bearing system shows a high degree of
degradation which is described in [6]. The most damaged load-bearing system elements are roof panels. Since the
cow barn indoor environment is extremely aggressive, it is inevitable to carry out tests to examine the crucial
concrete structure load-bearing elements resistance on multiple structures of this type. To achieve as informative
values of the static tests as possible, it was necessary to analyze concrete degradation in advance by means of a
chemical analysis which includes detection of chloride ions content in concrete.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +421 55 602 4244; fax: 055 623 32 19

E-mail address: iveta.hegedusova@tuke.sk

1877-7058 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of SPACE 2016
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2017.05.302
22 Iveta Hegedüsová and Sergej Priganc / Procedia Engineering 190 (2017) 21 – 26

Fig. 1. Example of an existing object K- 174.

2. Chloride load detection

To detect chloride load in concrete, samples withdrawn from damaged roof panels and concrete beams stored in
the past in a skylight in one of the monitored structures were used. The aim of their storage was their long-term
exposure to an aggressive environment. Chloride ions content was examined from a long-term point of view. Test
results showed a content of chemical substances in the structure after 53 years in service and the detected content of
the monitored chemical substance was compared with standard values in accordance with [3].

2.1. Test samples

Chemical analysis to determine the chloride content was carried out on samples withdrawn from K-147 structures
in Hrabušice (panel fragments) and Liptovský Ondrej (beams). Fragments from actual exposed panels and samples
of both reinforced and non-reinforced concrete beams were transported from the above mentioned structures (Fig.2).

Fig. 2. Panel fragments and a concrete beam sample.

Sample dimensions, their sorting and preparation for the analysis are described in details in [1, 6]. Concrete beam
samples and panel fragments were crushed in a laboratory in a crushing mill of BCD 32 type and subsequently, on a
sieve set, a necessary grain size was obtained. On digital scales, powder samples of approximately 2 g were
gradually weighed and poured into test tubes and each sample was poured on by 100 ml of deionised water (Fig. 3).
 Iveta Hegedüsová and Sergej Priganc / Procedia Engineering 190 (2017) 21 – 26 23

Each test tube was labelled in the following way: solutions of beam samples without reinforcement were marked
No. 1-7 and 12, beam samples with reinforcement were marked No. 8-11, and solutions of panel fragments samples
were marked No. 1-5. The prepared solutions stayed in the laboratory for 24 hours to let substances contained in the
concrete powder extract. Thus, infusion prepared for measuring was made.

2.2. Laboratory tests

Chloride ion determination in tested samples was carried out in a standard way. A potentiometric method was
used where the chloride content was measured by means of a device marked as pH meter MS 22 (Fig.2). By chloride
profile determination, it is possible to show whether or not the detected chloride ions content exceed the critical
amount, determined by a standard, which is firmly bound in hardening or hardened concrete. The standard requires
chloride content in concrete, expressed by a percentage ratio of (-Cl-) ions and cement weight (%-Cl-/cw), not to
exceed the values for the required category, as stated in Tab. 10 of the standard [3]. For steel reinforced concrete, the
relevant category is Cl 0.4 for which the limit value is 0.4 % (-Cl-). For mass concrete, the relevant category is Cl
1.0 for which the limit value is 1.0 % (-Cl-). As the original formulations for the concrete mixtures either for ceiling
panels or for concrete beams were not available, percentage ratio of chloride ions and cement mass was calculated
based on a stated amount of cement added to concrete mixtures in prefabricated elements at the time of their mass
production. This amount ranged from 270 to 420 kg/m3, depending on an element type, type of aggregates, etc. For
the tests, three values of cement content in concrete were chosen, namely the minimum, the maximum and the
average of the mentioned values to obtain an informative value of chloride ions (-Cl-) content percentage in relation
to the cement weight for at least three different possible mixtures.

Fig. 3. Measuring pH and chloride ions content.

Average values were calculated and related to the concrete weight (% Cl-/cow) and to the cement weight (% Cl -/cw)
and are presented in (Table 1, 2, 3).

Table 1. Percentage ratio of (-Cl- ) content and concrete and cement weight – fragments.
Sample No. % Cl-/cow min. % Cl-/cw average % Cl- /cw max. % Cl-/cw
1 0.129 1.195 0.835 0.768
2 0.044 0.407 0.319 0.262
3 0.079 0.731 0.572 0.470
4 0.035 0.324 0.254 0.208
5 0.072 0.667 0.522 0.429
Average 0.072 0.665 0.520 0.423
24 Iveta Hegedüsová and Sergej Priganc / Procedia Engineering 190 (2017) 21 – 26

Table 2. Percentage ratio of (-Cl- ) content and concrete and cement weight – beams without reinforcement.
Beam group No. % Cl- /cow min. % Cl-/cw average % Cl-/cw max. % Cl-/cw
1 0.109 0.969 0.758 0.623
2 0.372 3.307 2.588 2.126
3 0.289 2.569 2.010 1.651
4 0.274 2.436 1.906 1.566
5 0.299 2.658 2.080 1.709
6 0.726 6.453 5.050 4.149
7 0.464 4.124 3.228 2.651
12 0.952 8.462 6.623 5.440
Average 0.564 3.872 3.030 2.294

Table 3. Percentage ratio of (-Cl- ) content and concrete and cement weight – reinforced beams.
Beam group No. % Cl-/cow min. % Cl-/cw average % Cl-/cw max. % Cl-/cw
8 0.106 0.982 0.768 0.631
9 0.121 1.120 0.877 0.720
10 0.640 5.926 4.638 3.810
11 0.915 8.472 6.630 5.446
Average 0.446 4.125 3.228 2.652

3. Chemical Tests Results

For the elements built in a cow barn environment, it is possible to unambiguously state that the content of
chloride ions in the concrete structure (both panels and beams) exceeds limit values almost in each sample group,
even at the maximum cement amount ratio. It is interesting that higher concentrations of chloride ions were
measured in the beams which can be explained by the fact that the ceiling panels were partly maintained by painting
during their lifetime which could slow down chloride ions penetration into the structure. On the contrary, the beams
were left in their original condition while being stored in the skylight. The values measured are presented in
diagrams in Fig. 4, 5, and 6.

1,4
min.
Min.%Cl/mc
% Cl-/cw
1,2
-
priemer
Average%Cl/mc
% Cl /cw
1 -
Max. % Cl /cw
max. %Cl/mc
0,8
Cl [%]

limit value
0,6 0.4 % Cl-/cw

0,4

0,2

0
1 2 3 4 5
Panel fragments samples - Hrabušice

Fig. 4. Percentage ratio of Cl- content and cement weight – fragments.

 Iveta Hegedüsová and Sergej Priganc / Procedia Engineering 190 (2017) 21 – 26 25

Min. % Cl-/cw
Average % Cl-/cw
Max. % Cl-/cw

limit value
1.0 % Cl-/cw

Beams without reinforcement – Liptovský Ondrej

Fig. 5. Percentage ratio of Cl- content and cement weight – beams without reinforcement.

Min. % Cl-/cw
Average % Cl-/cw
Max. % Cl-/cw

limit value
0.4 % Cl-/cw

Reinforced beams – Liptovský Ondrej

Fig. 6. Percentage ratio of Cl- content and cement weight – reinforced beams.

4. Conclusion

It is known that chloride ions presence in concrete is not a positive phenomenon as they cause spot corrosion
even in an alkaline environment [5]. Their higher concentration means a risk of a significant reinforcement cross-
section reduction as the ions migrating towards the reinforcement increase its electrochemical corrosion and, at the
same time, they cause concrete degradation due to crystallizing pressure. They do not cause surface damage to a
reinforcement bar but depth release of iron [4, 7]. That means that the measured chloride ions content means a risk.
For the examined structures, it is therefore necessary to prepare a reconstruction plan because of, besides others, an
excessive chloride load. As presented in [5], during a reconstruction, it is acceptable for concrete with up to 1 %
(-Cl-) content to be preserved in the reinforcement area, provided that no significant reinforcement cross-section
reduction was found, and it is secured that chlorides bound in non-carbonated concrete will not be released during
ongoing carbonation. Moreover, a potential reconstruction [8] must guarantee a positive impact on parameters
securing anti-corrosion protection (humidity, chloride content, oxygen input).
26 Iveta Hegedüsová and Sergej Priganc / Procedia Engineering 190 (2017) 21 – 26

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of Slovak Republic under
Project VEGA 1/0661/16.

References

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