An Experimental Study On Carbonation Of Plain And Blended Cement Concrete

This paper presents a laboratory investigation on the early age properties and carbonation of concrete containing Ground Granulated Blast Furnace (GGBS) in an inland environment. Properties of concrete made with GGBS blended cement was characterized in terms of physical and chemical composition at early-age. In addition, the effects of inland exposure condition on the durability performance of companion concrete were also investigated in the medium term. Concrete cubes were made using various concrete mixtures of water-binder ratios (w/b) = 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, 0.75 and binder contents = 300, 350, 400, 450 kg/m 3 . Concrete cube of 100 mm size were cast and cured in water for 3, 7, or 28 days, then characterized at early-ages in terms of its physical and chemical properties. Companion concrete samples were exposed indoor or outdoors to undergo carbonation under natural environment. At the end of the varying exposure period (6, 12, 18 and 24 months), the concrete cube samples were characterized in terms of carbonation depths. The results of the concrete early-age properties and medium-term durability characterisation were analyzed. The results show that, increased knowledge of concrete materials, concrete early-age properties and its exposure conditions are vital in durability considerations for RC structures.