Journal Published Online: 22 April 2010
Volume 38, Issue 5

The Application of Various Indicators for the Estimation of Carbonation and H of Cement Based Materials

CODEN: JTEVAB

Abstract

Carbonation decreases the pH of the concrete and breaks the passivity of reinforcing steel. Therefore, carbonation is related to potential rebar corrosion even though carbonation itself does not directly damage the integrity of the concrete. The phenolphthalein method, which is the most often used method of determining carbonation, however, has a reliability problem. Therefore, this research mainly focuses on the use of various indicators to find the possible substitutes for phenolphthalein. The early carbonation and pH of the carbonated specimen was also investigated using various indicators. It was found from the results that thymolphthalein was the best substitute for phenolphthalein, and a combination of phenolphthalein and thymolphthalein, tropaeolin O, and indigo carmine enabled us to estimate the early carbonation. This research also reported the successful application of various indicators which can be extended for the pH estimation of solid mortar specimen.

Author Information

Yu, Myoung-Youl
Research Institute of Biotechnology, Dongguk Univ., Seoul, Republic of Korea
Lee, Jae-Yong
Division of Architecture, Pukyung National Univ., Busan, Republic of Korea
Chung, Chul-Woo
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL
Pages: 7
Price: $25.00
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Details
Stock #: JTE102382
ISSN: 0090-3973
DOI: 10.1520/JTE102382