ABSTRACT
The sulphate resistance of the 100mm concrete cubes was measured according to the method established at BRE following procedures described by Steele and Harrison[14]. Cubes stored in tanks of sodium and magnesium sulphate solutions containing the equivalent of 1.5% SO3 by weight, (designated Solutions I and E), and in water as control. The normal pre-cure for the BRE tank test is 27 days in water at 20°C after demoulding at 24 hours. This provides a severe form of test, a deliberate choice as the test was intended as a relatively short-term performance test (2-3 years) for appraising and comparing concretes containing different cements to determine whether the concretes were generally sulphate resistant or not. The comparative assessment involves the visual appearance (photographs), measurement of the sulphate “attack” rating and compressive strength retention in comparison with that of water-stored control specimens at the same age, when the mean results for 3 cubes at each age are taken. The detailed procedures have been previously reported[1, 2, 4].
