Numerical Evaluation of the Durability of Metallurgical Sludge Waste Concrete Exposed to Aggressive Environment

The present study uses the results of experimental investigations of the electrical resistivity of four types of concrete mixtures for numerical analysis of the durability of concrete exposed to an aggressive environment. Two concretes are reference concretes (one without and one with chemical additives for air entrainment), and the other two concretes contain metallurgical sludge waste (MSW) as a partial replacement of fine aggregate. With the derived diffusion coefficient and maturation factor, numerical models were used to estimate the durability of an exemplary reinforced concrete structure exposed to chloride ions. The elementary model was used to estimate the corrosion initiation time of reinforcement. The model allows a general specification of the structure and material properties. The results show the effect of chemical admixtures and MSW on the structure's durability in an aggressive environment and the differences with respect to other concretes. The study extends the portfolio of numerical calculations of the durability of unconventional concretes.