Investigation on the corrosion resistance of bagasse-rice husk-wood ash blended cement concrete by impressed voltage

In this study, the compressive strength, the durability to chloride penetration and the corrosion of concrete containing bagasse-rice husk-wood ash (BRWA) were tested. Normal strength concrete with water to binder ratio (w/b) of 0.45 and 0.60 were used. The Portland cement was partially replaced with BRWA at the dosage of 10% and 20% by weight of binder. For concrete with w/b of 0.60, the replacement level of 40% was also tested. The chloride penetration resistance of the concretes was evaluated using the measurement of non-steady state chloride diffusion coefficient by accelerated salt ponding. The accelerated corrosion test by impressed voltage (ACTIV) was also performed to verify the findings and to investigate the characteristics of corrosion in terms of the initial current, the time of initial crack, and the weight loss of embedded steel. From the experiment, it was found that the concrete with 20% BRWA had the highest gain of compressive strength at the ages ranging from 7 to 180 days. The results of the experiments of accelerated salt ponding were in good agreement and conformed with ACTIV. The increase of the incorporation of the BRWA reduced the chloride penetration. The diffusion coefficient was reduced by 30-40% and 65-70% for concrete containing 10% BRWA and 20% BRWA compared to control concrete. The results of ACTIV also indicated that the initial current and the weight loss of embedded steel reduced and the time of initial crack increased with the increase in the replacement level of BRWA. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.