Effects of Sulphate in Sea Water on Mechanical Strength of Concrete under Various Environmental Conditions

Abstract? This paper investigate the effects of Sulphate compound in sea water on the mechanical strength of concrete through experimentation. Factors affecting action of Sulphate ions on concrete such as porosity, use of pozzolans, salt concentration and environmental cycles were also studied. The paper examined the mechanical properties of solid concrete in exposure to Sulphate as an individual element of sea water under some environmental conditions. The results indicate that compressive and tensile strength loss occurs as the exposure time increase; with extensive strength loss being recorded on completion of the experiment due to the continued physical as well as chemical action of Sulphate ions on concrete.