Chloride ingress in concrete: limestone addition effects

This paper presents analysis and evaluation of experimental results of chloride ingress and chloride-induced corrosion resistance of concrete made with Portland limestone cement (PLC). The results were mined from 169 globally published studies from 32 countries since 1989, yielding a matrix of 20 500 data points. This study showed that chloride ingress in concrete increases with increasing limestone (LS) content, within the range permitted in BS EN 197-1:2011. However, this effect is less for PLC concrete mixes designed for strength equal to corresponding Portland cement (PC) concrete mixes than those designed on an equal water/cement (w/c) basis. The results also showed that Eurocode 2 specifications for chloride exposure, in terms of characteristic cube strength of concrete or w/c ratio, may need to be reviewed for the use of LS with PC. This study also investigated other influencing factors such as cement content, LS fineness, the method of producing PLC, aggregate volume content and particle size, combined chloride and sulfate environment, curing and exposure temperature. A comparison was made for the performance of PLC concrete in terms of pore structure and related properties, strength, carbonation and chloride ingress. Procedures to improve the resistance of PLC to chloride ingress in concrete are proposed.