Effect of global climatic change on carbonation progress of concrete

In the recent years, global warming has dramatically increased the atmospheric carbon-dioxide (CO2) concentration and temperature. As a consequence of this, carbonation has become one of the most critical durability issues for concrete structures in urban environment. In this study, the climate scenario IS92a recommended by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is used for evaluating the effect of CO2 concentration on carbonation of concrete. A modified mathematical equation, based on Fickʹs 1st law of diffusion, is used to evaluate CO2 diffusion coefficient of concrete. The required cover depth of concrete is estimated by using the applicative methods of reliability and stochastic concepts to take microclimatic conditions into consideration. The tolerance of cover depth should be considered in order to prevent carbonation-induced corrosion. From the relationship between the weight loss of reinforcement and corrosion current density for a given time, the tolerance of cover depth to prevent carbonation-induced corrosion is suggested. It was observed that corrosion occurs when the distance between carbonation front and reinforcement bar surface (the uncarbonated depth) is <5 mm.