Sulfate attack on residential concrete foundations in Japan

Abstract

Deterioration of concrete structures caused by external sulfate attack was found in many residential concrete foundations in Japan. In residential concrete foundations constructed on sulfate-bearing ground, sodium sulfate solution contained in the soil penetrates the above-ground area of the concrete, and a scaling of the area occurs with white crystals of thenardite or mirabilite. The deterioration mechanism is known as “physical sulfate attack,” “physical salt attack,” “salt weathering,” and so on. The deterioration cases were usually observed in sites where the ground comprised of marine deposits that contained sulfides; these soil conditions are common in large part of Japan. This paper describes the concrete deterioration phenomenon based on field investigations and analysis results of soil and concrete samples. A rapid test method to reproduce the physical sulfate attack is proposed.

Keywords:

• Physical sulfate attack
• salt weathering
• sodium sulfate
• residential concrete foundation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.