Desempenho de argamassas com sílica ativa em ambiente marinho

Abstract

The repair of reinforced concrete structures attracts more and more attention of researchers and constructors who see an ever growing number of pathologic phenomenons on several constructions that make use of this widely accepted material. The wrong notion which claims the concrete is an eternal and unchangeable matter has been definitively substituted by the fact that it s a dynamic and complex substance, vulnerable to several aggressive compounds which modify and cause damage to its chemical and physical structure. The present work intended to gather data about the performance of silica fume as a chemical admixture to mortars under the marine atmosphere in the tidal zone, and also evaluate if the magnesium sulfate has any major role in the development of the mortar s properties. To achieve the objectives of the study two groups of mortar were made, one used silica in its composition, and the other didn t. The mortar was cast in cylindrical and prismatic molds to, later, be subjected to natural drying and wetting cycles in the sea coast of Maceió. The cylindrical specimens were 10 x 5 cm and the prismatic ones were 50 x 15 x 4 cm and had reinforcement inside. The tests were conducted in the ages of 14, 28, 91, 135 and 180 days and concerned measuring the compressive, tensile and elastic modulos of the samples and also determine the corrosion potential of the reinforced mortar using the ASTM C 876-91 method. As an addition, X-Ray diffraction tests were conducted to verify if the compounds within the mortars had change and help explain the results from the earlier experiments. Results show that the silica fume mortars developed lower compressive strength than ordinary Portland cement mortars. The tensile strength tests displayed more balanced values for both mortars, with the ordinary exhibiting less strength than its silica fume counterpart at 91 and 135 days, but catching up with it (even slightly surpassing it) at latter ages. X-ray diffraction indicates changes on the phases of the hydrated paste. The analysis of the results suggests that cement mortar with silica fume addition doesn t present the same behavior related to ordinary cement mortar