FIRST SEMESTER PhD RESEARCH PROPOSAL PRESENTATION

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TOPIC: CORROSION RESISTANCE AND ELECTROCHEMICAL BEHAVIOUR OF REINFORCED CONCRETE WITH NANOSILICA BY YUSUF, TALIAT OLA FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA SUPERVISOR 22

1.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT 1.1 Introduction Corrosion of reinforcement bars is major cause of deterioration in concrete (LizarazoMarriaga and Claisse 2009), (Topu, Boa and et al. 2009) and (Zheng and Zhou 2008) It has attracted attention with a view to ameliorating the problem. Deterioration of Jetty 15years after construction (Moradi-Marani, Shekarchi et al. 33 2010)

1.2 The ultimate consequences of corrosion fractured concrete arising from cracking, delaminating and spalling of the concrete cover, loss of bond between the reinforcement and concrete, reduction in strength and ductility All these lead to impaired safety and serviceability requirement (Koleva, Copuroglu et al. 2008).

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The propensity to corrode is a major drawback to durability performance of reinforced concrete structures. (LizarazoMarriaga and Claisse 2009).

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1.3 Extending Time to Corrosion:

The main approaches are

Providing tighter quality control on materials and construction practices Design modifications, such as increased concrete cover and increase in area of reinforcement steel provision

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Use of epoxy , fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) and galvanized coatings of reinforcement steel

Cathodic protection systems the use of corrosion inhibitors as admixture in concrete to prevent or delay corrosion occurrence.

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Materials that improve quality and durability of concrete could also provide resistance to corrosion of reinforcement. (Lizarazo-Marriaga and Claisse 2009), (Topu, Boga et al. 2009), (Morris, Vico et al. 2004) (Angst, Elsener et al. 2009)

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1.3.1 Appropriateness of Silica Admixture: Addition of micro silica to cement has improved the strength and durability of concrete through filling of the pores spaces to reduce porosity and pozzolanic reactions that contribute to calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) formation Nano silica is reported to have improved porosity and permeability of concrete (Belkowitz and Armentrout 2010).
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1.3.2 Need To Establish Suitability of Nano Silica: if nano silica can improve the strength and durability properties of concrete, it will also be a good corrosion resisting material. It would therefore be appropriate to establish the significance of nano silica admixture towards contribution to corrosion resistance behavior of reinforced concrete.
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1.4 Research Questions:

Is addition of nano silica to concrete significant in the resistance of reinforcement corrosion? What is the effect of nano silica on concrete pores, capillary actions, ionic diffusion and pH of concrete? What are the impacts of nano silica on chloride concentration, resistivity of concrete and corrosion rate? What is the level of nano silica addition tolerable to provide corrosion resistance without impairing on strength requirements of the concrete?

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2.0 Aim and Objectives The research seeks to find ways of improving the performance of reinforced concrete with respect to corrosion resistance through the use of nano silica as admixture. The potentials of nano silica in the mitigation of occurrence of corrosion will be assessed through comprehensive study of its effects on agents of concrete deterioration and resulting corrosion.
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2.1 The specific objectives of the research To assess the ability of reinforced concrete produced with nano silica to improve concrete quality through evaluation of effects on porosity, capillary action, ionic diffusion and pH level within the concrete. To investigate the impact nano silica will exert on chloride ion diffusion, resistivity of concrete and corrosion rate and to draw empirical conclusions from experimental results 1313

To determine the level of nano silica admixture that will satisfy strength requirement, provide good resistivity as well as corrosion resistance from empirical considerations. To recommend appropriate usage of nano silica in reinforced concrete construction

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2.2 Scope of the work Corrosion of concrete reinforcement could result from influence of carbonation of the concrete or chloride ion ingress into the concrete resulting in de-passivation of the reinforcement bars and eventual initiation of corrosion. The research will focus on investigation of influence of Nano-silica on concrete deteriorating agents (porosity, capillary action, ionic diffusion, and PH level), resistivity of the concrete, corrosion detection and corrosion 1515

3.0 Rational for carrying out the study Extension of operational life of structures is of enormous concern to structural engineers (Tamimi, Abdalla et al. 2008). Reinforced concrete if properly constructed would be a durable material that provide a prolong service life (Song and Saraswathy 2007). The characteristics of reinforced concrete is the reason for it wide acceptability.
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The material is faced with durability problems (Topu et al 2009), (Tamimi et al 2008). Corrosion of embedded steel rebar is a major problem. The critical structures affected are those exposed to

marine environments. where de-icing salts are used.

The concrete cover is expected to give the protection (Ismail, Hamzah et al. 2010).
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effective corrosion resistance. The use pozzolanic materials to blend Portland cement such as Fly ash, GGBF and silica fume or micro silica have helped to improve durability of concrete . Nano modifications of concrete is also possible through the use nano materials . Cause of Concrete deterioration leading to corrosion is by ingress of harmful substances due to micro structure and ambient conditions 1818 of concrete.

Corrosion as a major cause of concrete deterioration (Melchers and Li 2009), (Angst, Elsener et al. 2009) and (Morris, Vico et al. 2004) . The economic loss due to corrosion defects (Yu, Shi et al. 2010). The implication of corrosion occurrence in terms of economic loss is huge. A full scale knowledge is required to address the subject of corrosion . 1919 Major cause of concrete reinforcement

Two major ways by which concrete can initiate corrosion processes are:

carbonation ingress of chloride ions (Ahmad 2003).

Corrosion of reinforcement can result from carbon dioxide diffusion. The ingress of chloride ion into the permeable concrete structure induces corrosion. Corrosion from chloride ion ingress is the most critical.
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Methods to extend the time to corrosion damage

tighter quality control on materials usage and construction practices design modifications to increase concrete cover over reinforcement provision galvanized coating of reinforcement steel active and passive cathodic protection systems use of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP) Use of corrosion inhibitors
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Limitations of

barrier coatings and galvanization Inhibitors

Use of Silica to improve the quality of concrete

Silica fume or Micro silica Nano Silica

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In conclusion the use of nano silica in concrete formulation will further be justifiable if its use for strength and durability improvement as well as corrosion resistance of the concrete is significantly ensured.

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Brief Literature Review

Author/Year of Publication
(Topu, Boga et al. 2009)

Title/Journal

Highlight/finding

Modelling corrosion currents of Reinforced concrete is a durable and cost effective material. reinforced concrete using ANN/ Durability is influenced by environmental conditions and exposure to factors causing Automation in Construction carbonation, corrosion, alkali-silica reaction and freezing/thawing. Corrosion of the reinforcing steel resulting from chloride ingress is a major issue in durability of reinforced concrete. This can be prevented through the use of high quality concrete and concrete cover at design stage. They concluded that the use of composite cement with fly ash as against corrosion of reinforcing steel.

(Melchers and Li 2009) Reinforcement corrosion initiation and activation time in concrete structures exposed to severe marine environment/ Construction and Building Materials (Bertolini, Vennnesland Chloride threshold for rebar et. al 2008) corrosion in concrete with addition of silica fume

Aggressive nature of chloride is responsible for corrosion of steel reinforcement in marine environment. They found out that data overviewed from reported cases of corrosion investigations suggest that concrete made from blast furnace cements have better corrosion durability properties

Laboratory tests were conducted on concrete specimen made with ordinary Portland cement and 10% of silica fume. A lower chloride threshold was observed in the bars which were embedded in concrete with silica fume compared to those embedded in concrete with ordinary Portland cement .

Author/Year of Publication (Angst, Elsener et al. 2011)

Title/Journal

Highlight/finding

Chloride induced corrosion: Chloride threshold values are affected by properties of the steel/concrete Electrochemical Monitoring of interface, pore solution chemistry and the potential among others. initiation stage and chloride Above factors are in turn affected by concrete characteristics such as the water/ threshold values / Corrosion binder ratio or binder type. Science Apart from critical chloride content, concrete structures are also affected by the thickness and quality of the concrete cover The denser the concrete, the longer it will take to reach the chloride threshold . Corrosion rate is also reduced by the use of pozzolanic materials such as fly ash,

(Tamimi, Abdalla et al. 2008

Prediction of Long term Chloride diffusion is one f the main factors that affect concrete durability. chloride diffusion of concrete Diffusion of chloride is influenced by many factors including the composition of in harsh environment/ the concrete and its porosity. High performance concrete showed less diffusivity as compared to normal concrete of the same type. The improved concrete durability in the high performance concrete could be due to the improved homogeneity of the interface between aggregate and cement paste. Critical chloride content in They presented a review summarising the concept of critical chloride content reinforced concrete A discussing the influencing factors and assessment of available techniques. review/Cement and Concrete Parameters affecting the value of critical chloride value are steel-concrete interface Research concentration of hydroxide ions in the pore solution Electrochemical potential of the steel Binder type Surface condition of the steel type

(Angst, Elsener et al. 2009)

Author/Year of Publication

Title/Journal

Highlight/finding Oxygen availability at the steel surface Water/ binder ratio Electrical resistivity of the concrete Degree of hydration Chemical composition of the steel Chloride source Temperature Presence of other substances like inhibitors

(Shih, Chang et al. 2006)

Effect of nanosilica on They opined that filling effect and pozzolanic reaction make siliceous characterisation of portland cement materials a major ingredient of high performance cement based composite. composites. It enhances strength and abrasion resistance while reducing permeability and shrinkage. Siliceous materials of higher purity are and finer size are used to further improve Portland cement base composites. Addition of nanosilica in liquid form to cement was done to investigate the characteristics of corresponding cement composites. The optimal mix proportion of cement:water:nanosilica= 1:0.55:0.006 has the highest compressive strength of 65.62MPa at age 56 days which was 43.8% greater than that without nanosilica. Both the surface area and fractal dimension from BET experiment confirm a dense microstructure for the hardened cement composite with addition of nanosilica. NMR analyses showed that the microstructure of Portland/nanosilica blended cement become more stable and stronger bonding

Author/Year of Publication

Title/Journal

Highlight/finding

(Roy, Moelders et al. 2006)

Role of an Amorphous silica in They replaced Portland cement with 10% of Amorphous silica (AS) by weight. Portland cement concrete/ Journal of AS has a wide range grain size from tens m to tens of nm. Materials in civil Engineering It was found that the concrete behaved partly as a traditional pozzolan, partly crystalline to quartz and the rest underwent structural reorganization without morphological changes. The presence of AS changed the concrete micro-structure, aggregate- paste interface, and pore size distribution. An investigation of nanosilica in They validated proposition that as the silica decreases in size and increases in cement hydration process / Concrete size distribution, a number of properties begin to improve. Sustainability Conference As silica diameter increases , the rate of early pozzolanic reaction decreases. The nano silica was found to be more effective than the micron silica due to exposed surface area . It was highlighted that the use of nano silica with a wide distribution can generate a micro structure that can support a greater compressive load. Mortars with nano-SiO2 and Micron- They reported the effect of nano Silica nS and Silica fume SF on rheology, SiO2 investigated by experimental spread on flow table, compressive strength, water absorption, apparent design. porosity, unrestrained shrinkage and weight loss of mortar up to28days. Mortar with 7% nS showed faster structures formation in the rheological test. The results of compressive strength, water absorption and apparent porosity was significant when the composition ranges were 0-7%, nS 0-20% SF and 0.35- 0.59W/B

(Belkowitz and Armentrout 2010)

(Senff, Hotza et al. 2010)

Lizarazo-Marriaga and Materials that improve quality and durability of concrete could provide resistance to Claisse 2009), (Topu, Boga et al. 2009), (Morris, corrosion of reinforcement since these have been linked to influence the occurrence of Vico et al. 2004) (Angst, corrosion in reinforced concrete to a large extent Elsener et al. 2009) (Shih, Chang et al. 2006) , Addition of micro silica to cement has improved the strength and durability of concrete through (YazIcI 2007) and (Azari, filling of the pores spaces to reduce porosity and pozzolanic reactions that contribute to calcium Mangat et al. 1993). silicate hydrates (C-S-H) formation

(Bitaraf and Mohammadi

2008), (Manera, Vennesland et al. 2008), (Melchers and Li 2009), (Angst, Elsener et al. 2011), (Yu, Shi et al. 2010) and (Yildirim, Ilica et al. 2011).

Corrosion of embedded steel rebar is a major problem facing the use of reinforced concrete material. The critical structures affected are those exposed to marine environments and wherede-icing salts are used

(Bola and Newtson 2005), Corrosion of reinforcement in concrete can be mitigated through the use of corrosion inhibitors (Tamimi, Abdalla et al. 2008). The need to extend operational life of structures is of enormous concern to structural engineers

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4.0 Methodology The experiments will be set up to determine

strength, chloride content, chloride ion diffusivity, PH levels, porosity, concrete resistivity, corrosion rates of reinforced concrete specimens with varied nano silica contents, water/binder ratio,
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sodium chloride content and environmental conditions. 4.1 Materials Ordinary Portland cement processed nano silica, natural river sand, crushed stone aggregates sodium chloride super plasticizers 3030 high yield reinforcement bars

4.1 Materials Ordinary Portland cement processed nano silica, natural river sand, crushed stone aggregates sodium chloride super plasticizers high yield reinforcement bars

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4.2 Testing The ordinary Portland cement binder blended with 0% to 0.5% nano silica (Shih, Y. J. et al (2006)) will be used to cast 100200mm cylinders in accordance with ASTM C39. The cylindrical specimens will be de-molded after 24 hour and cured for 28days and 180 days after which they will be cut into 50mm slices. They will be cut into 100mm dia. 50mm. The slices will be epoxy coated
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Concrete prisms will be produced, conditioned and tested for rapid chloride penetration in accordance with the ASTM C1202 method. The electrical resistivity of the specimens will also be measured using the two-electrode method. These tests will be carried out on saturated surface dried specimens. Samples for mercury intrusion porosimetry test will be taken from the cured concrete 3333 specimens. This test will be used to measured

Electrochemical measurements on the specimens will be carried out to assess the corrosion condition of embedded steel reinforcement. Half-cell potential as describe by ASTM C876 will be use to detect the potential of corrosion in the specimens. Polarization resistance measurements will also be performed using potentiostat and values use to estimate the estimate the corrosion density. The electrical conductance of concrete will 3434

50mm cube specimens will also be prepared from same mix proportions as above in accordance with ASTM C109 to test the concrete cube strength at age of 7, 28 and 90 days. SEM, XRD, NMR and AFM tests will be used to analyze the micro structure of mortar specimen to see the effect of nano silica on the micro structure which might explain the electrochemical behaviors.
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6.0 Expected Outcome of Studies and Contributions It is expected that replacement of Portland cement with nano silica will enhance corrosion resistance of reinforcement in concrete through reduction in permeability, porosity, oxygen and carbon dioxide diffusion and chloride ion penetration. The corrosion resistance will be comparable to conventional corrosion inhibitor and if so the use of nano silica will be better because nano 3636

The results of the study will elucidate ways of blending cement with nano silica to achieve better physical and durability requirements of reinforced concrete. The result will contribute to evolving a methodology for an application of nano silica to practical use on construction. A reduction in the use of Portland cement resulting from its replacement with some quantities of nano silica will reduce carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere thereby making the environment better. 3737

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