Assessing condition of concrete pier after three decades of exposure to sea water

Abstract

This paper presents the effects of long-term exposure of concrete structures to marine environment using as an example concrete blocks of a pier exposed to seawater for more than three decades. The blocks were tested to determine their mechanical characteristics (compressive strength), durability (gas permeability and capillary absorption), and chemical properties (quantity of chloride and sulphate ions). In addition, concrete behaviour in sea water was modelled using software packages Stadium and Conclife.