Chloride diffusion in concrete subjected to compressive loading

The influence of lateral surface microcracking on chloride diffusion in ordinary concrete (OC) and high-performance concrete (HPC) was investigated. The development of microcracks in the concretes was described by an evaluation indicator calculated from strain measurements at macroscopic level. Concrete specimens were subjected to monotonic or cyclic loading to different loading levels and then long-term chloride bulk diffusion tests were carried out on compressed specimens with only one exposed lateral surface. The effect of compressive loading on the chloride diffusion coefficient was analysed by means of the specific crack area. The results indicate that an increase in compressive loading increases the chloride diffusion coefficient and the effect is more obvious in OC than HPC. However, compared with OC, the chloride diffusion coefficient of HPC is more sensitive to microcracking in the lateral surface.