Evaluation of field concrete deterioration under real conditions of seawater attack

• Study the seawater attack on concrete specimens from the wave’s repellent blocks.
• Trace the interaction of concrete with chlorides and sulfates in seawater.
• The specimens tested with XRF, SEM, EDX, and water soluble chloride test.
• SEM and EDX analyses prove that siliceous aggregate particles act as inert material.
• Mapping Technique determines the locations of cracks, voids, and capillary pipes.

In order to study the long term behavior of concrete structures under the natural exposure to aggressive seawater attack, concrete samples are taken from the wave’s repellent blocks at seashore in the north coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The samples cover a wide range of various exposure times differ from 4 years to more than 60 years. The samples composed from diverse concrete constituents and obtained from different locations along the seashore. The tests (XRF, SEM, EDX, water soluble chloride content using photometer techniques) where conducted on the extracted concretes.