Assessment of High Performance Concrete Containing Mineral Admixtures Under Sulfuric Acid Attack

Concrete, as a main construction material has an alkali nature which makes it vulnerable to attack by acidic solutions. Therefore, investigations on performance of various types of concretes against different kinds of acid attacks are essential to achieve durable concretes in severe environments. Considering the significant effect of durability in sustainability of concrete structures, high performance concrete (HPC) which is characterized by its high compressive strength, low permeability and fine durability in many severe environments, is increasingly utilized in civil and infrastructural constructions. This paper presents an experimental study on durability of HPC and conventional concrete (CC) containing ordinary Portland cement (PC), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and natural pozzolan (NP) under sulfuric acid attack. Compressive strength, ultra-sonic pulse velocity determination, capillary water absorption test and evaluation of electrical resistivity were utilized to investigate mechanical properties and permeability of hardened concrete. The durability properties were studied through measurement of weight and compressive strength loss, ultra-sonic pulse velocity variations and length change of mortar prisms exposed to sulfuric acid. The results indicated that concretes containing less cementitious materials and mineral admixtures were more durable in acidic solutions, and incorporating higher volume of GGBFS and NP could improve performance of concrete against sulfuric acid attack.