Corrosion Performance of Nano-TiO<sub>2</sub>-Modified Concrete under a Dry–Wet Sulfate Environment

This study compared the effects of the sulfate dry–wet cycle on the properties of ordinary concrete and nano-TiO<sub>2</sub>-modified concrete, including the mass loss rate, ultrasonic wave velocity, compressive strength, and XRD characteristics. In addition, a series of compression simu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chao Xu, Hao-Hao Liao, You-Liang Chen, Xi Du, Bin Peng, Tomas Manuel Fernandez-Steeger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-10-01
Series:Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/19/5900
Description
Summary:This study compared the effects of the sulfate dry–wet cycle on the properties of ordinary concrete and nano-TiO<sub>2</sub>-modified concrete, including the mass loss rate, ultrasonic wave velocity, compressive strength, and XRD characteristics. In addition, a series of compression simulations carried out using the PFC2D software are also presented for comparison. The results show the following: (1) with an increase in dry–wet cycles, the damage to the concrete gradually increased, and adding nano-TiO<sub>2</sub> into ordinary concrete can improve the material’s sulfate resistance; (2) after 50 sulfate dry–wet cycles, the mass loss rate of ordinary concrete was –3.744%, while that of nano-TiO<sub>2</sub>-modified concrete was −1.363%; (3) the compressive strength of ordinary concrete was reduced from 41.53 to 25.12 MPa (a reduction of 39.51%), but the compressive strength of nano-TiO<sub>2</sub>-modified concrete was reduced from 49.91 to 32.12 MPa (a reduction of 35.64%); (4) after a sulfate dry–wet cycle, the nano-TiO<sub>2</sub>-modified concrete surface produced white crystalline products, considered to be ettringite based on the XRD analysis; (5) when considering the peak stress and strain of the concrete samples, the numerical results agreed well with the test results, indicating the reliability of the method.
ISSN:1996-1944