Experimental and theoretical investigation of chloride ingress into concrete exposed to real marine environment

Chloride-induced corrosion is a critical issue that influences the durability and mechanical performance of reinforced concrete (RC) structures exposed to marine tidal and splash environments. This paper presents an experimental and theoretical investigation on the chloride transport behavior in concrete exposed to an aggressive marine environment for up to 720 days. Field exposure tests were performed in marine tidal and splash zones, and free chloride concentration profiles for different types of concrete after several exposure times, i.e. 90, 180, 360 and 720 days, were obtained. The effects of the water-to-cement ratio, binder type, exposure environment and exposure time on the time dependency of the chloride diffusion coefficient (D) and surface chloride concentration (Cs) were analyzed and discussed. Based on the obtained results, a modified time-dependent prediction model of chloride ingress into concrete was established and validated by considering the time-dependency effect of material and environmental factors. The results indicate that the comparisons of the predicted chloride profiles using the developed time-dependent prediction model were in good agreement with the results of the real marine exposure test. •Concrete mixtures with different binders were designed and exposed to real marine environment for 720 days.•Chloride profiles in tidal/splash zones for different exposure times were obtained.•Effect of the w/c ratio, admixture and exposure time on chloride diffusion behavior were discussed.•A time-dependent model of chloride diffusion with multiple factors was developed.•Predicted chloride profiles were compared with the real marine exposure test.