TESTING OF CHLORIDE ION PENETRATION RESISTANCE

(USING RAPID CHLORIDE PERMEABILITY TEST)

Understanding transport phenomena in concrete at its micro-structural level has

become the topic of increasing importance in elucidating the deterioration process of
concrete such as corrosion of reinforcement embedded in concrete which is caused by
penetration of aggressive substances into concrete. The chloride resistance of concrete
is governed primarily by the pore structure and the concrete diffusivity. Therefore,
wherever there is a potential risk of chloride-induced corrosion, the concrete should
be evaluated for chloride permeability. The most important concrete characteristic,
apart from permeability, is diffusion. Usually chlorides penetrate in concrete by
diffusion along water paths or open pores. The objective of the present discussion is to
determine the chloride penetration resistance of concrete specimens at 28 days
through the rapid chloride permeability test.
Test methodology
As per ASTM C1202, in the Rapid chloride penetration test, a water-saturated, 50-mm
thick, 100-mm diameter concrete specimen is subjected to a 60 V applied DC voltage
for 6 hours. The permeability cell, which is made of Perspex glass and consists of two
parts each with a reservoir being capable of holding 250 ml of chemical solution and
copper mesh of 100 mm diameter to act as an electrode. The upstream reservoir
contains 3.0% NaCl solution of 2.4N while 0.3 M NaOH solution (chloride free) is
present in the downstream reservoir. These concentrations give the equal electrical
conductivity of both the solutions. An external voltage cell is used to apply a voltage
difference of 60V between the electrodes. The electrochemical cell, constituted by this
assembly, results in the rapid migration of chloride ions from the sodium chloride
solution to the sodium hydroxide solution, via the pore network offered by the
concrete disc shaped specimen. The total charge passed in coulombs is determined
and this is used to rate the quality of the concrete according to the criteria rating
mentioned in the ASTM C1202 as shown in Table 7.1. The total charge passing
through from one reservoir to another reservoir through centrally placed concrete
specimen in 6 hrs was measured, at an interval of 60 min, indicating the degree of
resistance of the specimen to chloride ion penetration. Sample results are shown in
Table 7.2. The following formula, based on the trapezoidal rule can be used to
calculate the average current flowing through one cell.
Q = (I0 + I1 + I2 + I3 + I4 + I5 + I6) mAh

I mAh = I x 0.001A x 3600 s

Where Q = total electrical charge passed through the specimen (in coulombs) ; I0, I6
are the initial and final currents ; I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, are the intermediate currents at each
one hr and I is the total current at the end of the test i.e., 6hrs. The test determines the
electrical conductance of the test specimen, expressed as the total electrical charge
passed through the specimen, in coulombs.
Studies on Chloride ion diffusivity
The impermeability of concrete can be represented by the rate of flow or diffusion
coefficient of chloride ions through the unit area of concrete. Chloride diffusivity in
terms of total charge passed of bacteria incorporated concrete specimen using Rapid
Chloride Penetration Test (RCPT) as per ASTM C 1202 is also investigated. The
electric charge passed, Q in coulombs, obtained from Rapid chloride ion penetrability
test was used to calculate Chloride Migration Diffusion Coefficient in steady state
conditions from Berkes empirical Equation.
DC=0.0103 x 10-12 x Q0.84 m2/s
The calculated diffusion coefficient values shown in Table 7.1, are used to classify the
concrete in terms of their permeability as per the recommendations of the Concrete
Society, United Kingdom.
Table 7.1: RCPT Criteria Ratings
Electric Charge
Permeability

Passed

Class

as per ASTM C1202

(Coulombs)

Chloride Migration Diffusion

Coefficients
as per Concrete Society, United
Kingdom
(m2/s)

High

> 4,000

>5x10-12

Moderate

2,000 - 4,000

1 to 5 x 10-12

Low

1,000 - 2,000

< 1 x 10-12

Very Low
Negligible

100 - 1,000
< 100

Cathode
Specimen
100 mm x 50
mm

Anod
e

(Source: http://darienelectricmadras.com)
Fig 7.1: Rapid Chloride Permeability Test Setup

The diffusivity of chloride through concrete therefore depends on the microstructure

of the concrete. Diffusion Coefficient (DC) of chloride ions decreases with increase in
higher grades of concrete.

It can be concluded that bacteria incorporated concrete will have the higher life compared to
conventional concrete because precipitated calcite crystals impermeable the concrete specimens
and resists the harmful solutions into the concrete there by decreasing the deleterious effects they
may cause. This property can be effectively used to improve the water tightness of the concrete in
water retaining structures.