Assessing the protective qualities of treated and untreated concrete surfaces under cyclic wetting and drying

The cyclic wetting and drying characteristics of treated and untreated concrete substrates were studied. During the absorption cycle, specimens were exposed to both water and sodium chloride solution. The testing programme used relatively simple, non-destructive methods to quantify the efficacy of the treated surface; in particular, cumulative volume gain and surface resistivity measurements. Destructive testing was used to investigate the depth of impregnation of the surface treatment and the penetration of chlorides into the substrate.