Experimental and numerical determination of the chloride penetration in cracked concrete

One of the major causes of deterioration of reinforced concrete structures is chloride-induced corrosion of the reinforcing steel. This phenomenon is significantly influenced by the presence of cracks. This paper presents the experimental and numerical results on the influence of cracks on chloride penetration in concrete structures. The experimental results were obtained with the non-steady state migration test, described in NT BUILD 492, using an electrical field and artificial cracks. The numerical simulation results were obtained using a transient finite element analysis. A variable diffusion coefficient with total chloride concentration was considered in the simulation. A good agreement between experimental and the numerical chloride penetration results was obtained.