Abstract
Durability design for reinforced concrete increasingly relies on performance-based indicators of transport processes that govern corrosion initiation. This study evaluates concretes with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) (fly ash (FA), ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), limestone powder (LP), and limestone calcined clay cement (LC3)) using electrical resistivity and rapid chloride migration (RCM, NT Build 492) testing. Twelve mixes (w/b = 0.40 and 0.55), including binary and ternary binders benchmarked against Portland cement (PC), were tested. Resistivity was measured on cubes with embedded stainless-steel electrodes, whereas chloride diffusion coefficients were measured directly using the RCM method and compared with the values calculated from the resistivity data via the formation-factor approach. SCM concretes exhibited markedly higher resistivity and lower chloride transport than PC. LC3 and LP-ternary systems achieved the highest resistivity, while FA and GGBS mixes exhibited significant reductions in migration diffusion coefficients, with LC3 mix performing comparably to GGBS. Diffusion coefficients estimated from resistivity were in reasonably good agreement with RCM measurements, underscoring the consistency of the paired methods. Overall, the results confirm the durability benefits of low-carbon SCM binders under chloride exposure and highlight the value of combining resistivity with RCM to obtain transport parameters for performance-based design.
Keywords
SCMs, LC3, electrical resistivity, chloride migration, diffusion
DOI
10.5703/1288284318119
Recommended Citation
Malami, Salim; Val, Dimitry; and Suryanto, Benny, "Durability Assessment of Low-carbon Concretes using Electrical Resistivity, Chloride Migration and Diffusion Modelling" (2025). International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures. 12.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/icdcs/2025/tmc/12
Durability Assessment of Low-carbon Concretes using Electrical Resistivity, Chloride Migration and Diffusion Modelling
Durability design for reinforced concrete increasingly relies on performance-based indicators of transport processes that govern corrosion initiation. This study evaluates concretes with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) (fly ash (FA), ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), limestone powder (LP), and limestone calcined clay cement (LC3)) using electrical resistivity and rapid chloride migration (RCM, NT Build 492) testing. Twelve mixes (w/b = 0.40 and 0.55), including binary and ternary binders benchmarked against Portland cement (PC), were tested. Resistivity was measured on cubes with embedded stainless-steel electrodes, whereas chloride diffusion coefficients were measured directly using the RCM method and compared with the values calculated from the resistivity data via the formation-factor approach. SCM concretes exhibited markedly higher resistivity and lower chloride transport than PC. LC3 and LP-ternary systems achieved the highest resistivity, while FA and GGBS mixes exhibited significant reductions in migration diffusion coefficients, with LC3 mix performing comparably to GGBS. Diffusion coefficients estimated from resistivity were in reasonably good agreement with RCM measurements, underscoring the consistency of the paired methods. Overall, the results confirm the durability benefits of low-carbon SCM binders under chloride exposure and highlight the value of combining resistivity with RCM to obtain transport parameters for performance-based design.
