Abrasion Resistance of Concrete Exposed to Organic Acids

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate how exposure of concrete to organic acids affects its resistance to mechanical abrasion and to identify the most important factors contributing to its abrasion resistance under acid exposure. The abrasion resistance of both cement pastes and concrete materials with different water-to-cement ratios (w/c), coarse aggregate type, and proportions of aggregate were experimentally measured after exposure to organic acids. In addition, the effect of silica fume, latex, fibers, and chemical surface hardeners on the abrasion resistance of cement paste and concrete materials were investigated. The results indicate that in the absence or presence of an organic acid attack, the abrasion resistance of concrete is primarily a function of the hardness of the coarse aggregates and w/c plays a secondary role. While a secondary factor, the effect of w/c on the abrasion resistance is more significant in the presence of an organic acid attack.