Statistical modelling of the resistance to chloride penetration in concrete with recycled aggregates

Steel corrosion is one of the biggest threats to the service life of reinforced concrete structures and chloride penetration favours the corrosion process. Due to sustainability and environmental issues, the use of recycled aggregate in concrete production has been growing. The aim of this study is to develop analytical models that allow predicting the performance of concrete incorporating recycled aggregates regarding chloride penetration. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to a dataset collated from the literature. The dataset comprised 942 case studies from 33 publications. The analyses allowed identifying the explanatory variables and developing two mathematical models. One of these models is intended to predict the chloride diffusion coefficient from accelerated non-steady state migration tests, while the other predicts the charge transfer in rapid chloride permeability tests. The obtained correlation coefficients and analysis of variance (ANOVA) test results evidence the adequacy of both models. Thus, it is possible to estimate the resistance to chloride penetration in concrete incorporating recycled aggregates through the proposed models.