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2025-06-12
Carbonation of Reinforced Concrete Sections Containing Various Supplementary Cementitious Materials: A Review
Authors
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Mostafa Hassan
Construction and Building Engineering Department, Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Alexandria 1029, Egypt
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v7i4.12144Abstract
The rapid change in CO2 concentration levels, due to climate change, will lead to a significant reduction in the durability and safety of the vital reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Utilizing supplementary cementitious materials, such as low calcium fly ash (LCFA) or slag, etc., with larger percentages in concrete mixes, would lead to an increase in the carbonation depth and risk of corrosion, especially for cracked concrete sections subjected to severe CO2 concentration levels. This research aims to compare the carbonation depth values using two different mathematical models across various CO2 concentrations and crack widths, for concrete mixes composed of different percentages and types of fly ash for both uncracked and cracked RC members, at a specific time of CO2 exposure. Moreover, the main objective is to assess the probability of corrosion (PC) across various percentages and types of fly ash used in cracked RC decks subjected to a severe CO2 level. The PC would be investigated through the Montecarlo simulation method. A Crack width of 0.1 mm in the RC decks would lead to a severe impact on the PC conducted using the Al-Ameeri model compared to the Kwon and Na model, when the percentages of LCFA vary from 5% to 30% in concrete mixes. It is recommended in this research to reduce the amount of high calcium fly ash in the mixes for RC decks to a percentage below 15% instead of LCFA to inhibit the carbonation-induced corrosion and enhance the durability and serviceability of RC structures.
Keywords:
Cracked Concrete; Crack Width; Supplementary Cementitious Materials; High Calcium Fly Ash; Low Calcium Fly AshReferences
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Hassan, M. (2025). Carbonation of Reinforced Concrete Sections Containing Various Supplementary Cementitious Materials: A Review. Journal of Building Material Science, 7(4), 142–161. https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v7i4.12144
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