"Plastic, Mechanical, Corrosion and Chemical Resistance Properties of Silica Fume (microsilica) Concretes"

In this paper long-term resistance in accelerated laboratory corrosion testing in sodium chloride solutions is documented. It is shown that silica fume significantly lowers chloride ingress with increasing efficency as the water-to-cementitious ratio decreases. A clear improvement in corrosion performance with the addition of calcium nitrite corrosion inhibitor became evident in this long-term test program. It is also documented that high concrete resistivities do not necessarily prevent severe corrosion from occurring. Chemical resistance of silica fume concretes to numerous acids, bases and salts is also examined. Improvements in compressive strength are documented for the mixtures used in the corrosion and chemical resistance studies.