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Pro089

Use of resistivity and chloride resistance measurements to assess concrete durability of new panama canal



Author(s): C. Andrade, N. Rebolledo, A. Castillo, F. Tavares, R. Pérez, M. Baz
Paper category: Workshop
Book title: RILEM International workshop on performance-based specification and control of concrete durability
Editor(s): D. Bjegović, H. Beushausen, M. Serdar
ISBN: 978-2-35158-135-3
e-ISBN: 978-2-35158-136-0
Pages: 411 - 418
Total Pages: 8
Language: English


Abstract: 
The 100-year-old Panama Canal, which connects the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is vital to international trade. At present a consortium going by the name of “Grupo Unidos por el Canal”, GUPC, whose engineering division is headed by the firm Sacyr, S.A., is building two new sets of locks that will greatly enhance capacity and accommodate vessels with much deeper draft. Each set has four lock chambers between the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean and the (almost entirely freshwater) inland lakes. Although the concrete on the existing canal is not reinforced, the design for the new structure calls for reinforcing steel as an antiseismic precaution. In its specifications, the Panama Canal Authority, ACP, requires a 100-year service life for the concrete in all members, defined to mean conformity with the 1000-coulomb electrical charge set out in ASTM 1202 and application of a reliable method for calculating service life. Present paper describes the electrical charge and resistivity findings for some of the mixes designed, as well as chloride penetration found by ponding. The results of running the LIFEPRED numerical model for calculating service life are also given. The relationship between electrical charge and resistivity values is discussed, along with the variation in these parameters over time, the chloride diffusion values obtained in parallel and the "age factor”, which proved to have an even more critical effect on predictions than the diffusion coefficient.


Online publication: 2013
Publication Type: full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00


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