Concrete deterioration in high chloride and sulfate environment and repair strategies

During the mid 1970s there was a boom in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. In order to meet the housing requirements, and to furnish the infrastructure needed for a growing industry, construction had to be carried out at a pace unprecedented in the country's history. In the absence of guidelines, concrete specifications from other industrialized countries were used. However, when the structures started to show signs of deterioration within a short fraction of their design life, it was realized that specifications developed for temperate conditions cannot be used in this region. Field and laboratory studies carried out at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, showed that concrete in this region should not only be designed for strength, but also for durability. Since permeability is one of the most important properties which control the durability of concrete, much emphasis should be given to the production of dense and impermeable concrete. This paper reports the results of an investigation carried out on a number of reinforced concrete structures exposed to underground and seawater conditions, and which showed serious signs of deterioration within less than ten years after construction. The paper recommends repair procedures for the damaged structures and future practices to extend their service life.