Damage Assessment of Concrete by Ionic Flux Measure from Cement Paste Matrix

Deterioration and degradation of reinforced concrete infrastructures like bridges and tunnels on great communication roads take place due to numerous factors under various aspects. This work particularly studied the deterioration of cement paste matrix caused by cracks resulting from cyclic loads. For this reason, specimens similar to the composition of concrete used for the construction of viaducts between the '50s and '70s were manufactured. The specimens were subjected to compression cycles at different intensities. At the end of the loading cycles, the samples were investigated by non-destructive ultrasonic technique. The samples were then immersed in de-ionized water under dynamic leaching conditions for investigating the dissolution of salts from the cement paste and their leaching flows. Results showed that the leaching test had a good ability to describe "the history" of the material, while the ultrasonic test substantially supplied identical measurements on specimens with different damage. The best correlation was found between the flow speed to reach the steady state and the number of cyclic loads that the specimens suffered.