Differentiating seawater and groundwater sulfate attack in Portland cement mortars

The study reported in this article deals with understanding the physical, chemical and microstructural differences in sulfate attack from seawater and groundwater. Portland cement mortars were completely immersed in solutions of seawater and groundwater. Physical properties such as length, mass, and compressive strength were monitored periodically. Thermal analysis was used to study the relative amounts of phases such as ettringite, gypsum, and calcium hydroxide, and microstructural studies were conducted by scanning electron microscopy. Portland cement mortars performed better in seawater solution compared to groundwater solution. The difference in performance could be attributed to the reduction in the quantity of the expansive attack products (gypsum and ettringite). The high Cl concentration of seawater could have played an important role by binding the C3A to form chloroaluminate compounds, such as Friedel's salt (detected in the microstructural studies), and also by lowering the expansive potential of ettringite. Furthermore, the thicker layer of brucite forming on the specimens in seawater could have afforded better protection against ingress of the solution than in groundwater.