Performance of plasticized/superplasticized concrete in the marine environment

Abstract

The use of admixtures, particularly plasticizers and superplasticizers in concrete, is gaining much attention now a days. Their use increases the workability of concrete which allows reduction in W/C ratio, resulting in reduced permeability. The major factor affecting durability of RCC in an aggressive environment like marine is the corrosion of reinforcement due to the corrosion inducing substances present in the media, which reaches its surface by ingression through concrete. Hence one can expect that the use of these admixtures can improve the performance of RCC in the marine environment provided proper W/C ratio is used. In the present study, the performance of RCC containing three indigenous admixtures namely, a plasticizer and two superplasticizers at different dosages with reduced W/C ratio was studied. The study was carried out by assessing the corrosion of reinforcement in concrete electrodes containing these admixtures by means of potentiostatic polarization technique. The results show that the corrosion resistance of reinforcement in increased by the use of admixtures.