This study combined research available through literature with extensive experimental studies and substantial physical modelling to estimate the remaining ultimate life of large offshore reinforced concrete structures. Although much research has focussed on concrete degradation due to chloride ingress, corrosion of permanently submerged concrete is regarded as negligible due to the long-assumed apparent worst case of tidal or splash zone exposure. Around 350 specimens were tested with a further 200 exposed for further testing by future research groups. Specimens ranged in size from standard cubes to various beam lengths up to 1.5 metres, allowing for material and structural properties to be assessed. My original contribution to knowledge in the sector enhances the fundamental understanding of corrosion in subsea concrete, challenging the generally held belief of negligible corrosion. Results and modelling provides an improved ability to ultimately estimate the longevity of fully submerged offshore reinforced concrete. Throughout this thesis, the results from experimental works, carried out as a direct result of the lack of data or information in literature, are reported, assessed and then utilised to provide updated ultimate life estimations. With the current offshore concrete structures currently coming to the end of their service life, and the likelihood of further offshore development using concrete for the renewables sector, understanding the long-term degradation is vital in determining the most effective decommissioning and derogation options. The research carried out directly provides detailed information of the likely time-to-failure, allowing for an informed decision to be made on operational and decommissioning plans. Experimental work was carried out over four main phases; corrosion initiation due to bulk diffusion of chlorides (Phase I), corrosion propagation in low oxygen environments (Phase II), corrosion in statically and dynamically cracked sections (Phase III) and structural response of heavily corroded individual and lapped bar sections (Phase IV). Phase I work shows a marked difference between submerged exposures to seawater as opposed to NaCl solution, the unsuitability for accelerated testing with seawater and the likelihood of rapid initiation in offshore structures. Further experimental works through Phases II and III found that although exposed to low oxygen concentrations, reinforcement corrosion continued at significant rates. A variation between anode sizes on the reinforcement is noted, but critically the cross sectional area of the steel was still reduced, albeit in fewer locations. Corrosive products were visibly different, with fewer expansive products, if any, present. Additionally, this study further highlights the importance of cracking on corrosion, currently ignored by recent model codes, such as the fib Model Code 2010, up to 0.2mm crack width. A linear relationship was found between crack width and corrosion rates, with cracking above 0.1mm considered significant. The loss of cross sectional area due to propagation was determined for the given environment, and consequently further studies were initiated in an attempt to determine the relationship between this corrosion propagation and the reduced serviceability or ultimate life of concrete beams. Serviceability, defined by beam stiffness, was reduced due to bond loss along reinforcement. Most importantly, however, results prove that the loss of cross sectional area to be the critical influence on loss of ultimate life. Initial estimates on the remaining ultimate life of the large offshore structures support early rough work that the structures would last centuries. This thesis, however, has shown this is due to the ability of concrete structures with such large volumes of steel to continue to ultimately withstand loading at high corrosion percentages and not due to negligible corrosion, or long initiation periods, commonly suggested in submerged, low oxygen environments.

Chloride ion migration was studied under accelerated cathodic protection conditions using 6" x 6" x 6" mortar blocks of varying initial chloride content and water to cement ratios. An iron mesh embedded parallel to one face in the blocks acted as the cathode and zinc was thermally sprayed on the opposite face to form an anode. First, the potential response of two blocks was studied at a current density of 3 mA/ft��. One block was outfitted with a heat sink and moisture barrier while the other block was periodically wetted. Second, eight blocks were polarized at various current densities for a period of one year. In both sets of experiments, the blocks were maintained in controlled humidity and temperature. The potential across the blocks was recorded at periodic intervals and mortar samples were drilled to measure the chloride content as a function of aging. Based on observations of the first study a theoretical model was constructed which indicates that zinc based electrochemical products form at the zinc-concrete interface. The effect of the electrochemical product on raising the resistance across a cathodic protection set-up may be of consequence and should be further studied. Blocks polarized at 6 mA/ft�� exhibited similar behavior as the blocks polarized at 3 mA/ft��, but the response was twice as fast. This result indicates that studying cathodic protection under accelerated conditions is valid. The chloride content of samples obtained from one set of blocks over the course of the experiment was normalized against the initial chloride profile. The normalized profiles were calculated as a function of aging and they supported the hypothesis that chloride ions would move away from the rebar and towards the sprayed zinc anode under cathodic protection. / Graduation date: 2001

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1975.

No description available.

The precipitation and crystallization of aluminum (oxy)hydroxides from chloride solutions by neutralization appears to be quite complex and depends on several parameters, namely, temperature, the OH/Al molar ratio, aging and solution composition. The precipitation of aluminum from AlC13 solutions was found to be complete at substoichiometric OH/Al ratios (typically ~ 2.7), and resulted in the production of an amorphous material that transformed to crystalline phases upon aging at OH/Al ≥3. The predominant phases precipitated from 0.5M AlCl3 solutions at 22, 60 and 95° C at an OH/Al ratio of 3 after 24 hours of aging were pseudoboehmite, bayerite and boehmite, respectively. Increasing the OH/Al ratio and aging time at both 22°C and 60°C promoted crystallization of bayerite over poorly crystalline boehmite. At 95°C, regardless of aging time or degree of neutralization, boehmite was consistently obtained. Increasing the AlCl3 concentration to 2.0M proved to suppress the crystallization of bayerite at 22°C and 60°C, and favoured the crystallization of pseudoboehmite instead. Between the bayerite and pseudoboehmite products, the former exhibited the best settling behaviour (30% settled slurry density after 1 week), while settling did not occur at all for the latter. / Precipitates produced from mixed AlCl3-NaCl solutions exhibited an increasing tendency to form pseudoboehmite over bayerite with increasing sodium chloride concentration. Upon neutralizing mixed AlCl3-MgCl 2 systems, the final solution pH decreased significantly with increasing magnesium chloride concentration. Furthermore, increasing concentrations of MgCl2 promoted the precipitation of poorly crystalline mixed magnesium-aluminum-hydroxide hydrates, identified as Mg6Al2(OH)18·4.5H 2O by XRD. Increases in temperature (up to 125°C), aging time (48 hours) and OH/Al ratio (3.45) were unsuccessful in improving the crystallinity or transformation of these precipitates.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S. - Hydrology and Water Resources)--University of Arizona, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-149).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on May 6, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1956. / Typescript. Vita. Includes: The formation of vicinal dichlorides in the reaction of alcohols with phosphorus pentachloride / By Harlan L. Goering and Fred H. McCarron. Reprinted from Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 78, no. 10 (20 May 1956), p. 2270-2274. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.