Prediction of the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete

It has been experimentally verified that the structure of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) in concrete differs from that of bulk cement paste. As such, concrete should be modeled as a three-phase material at a mesoscopic level. This paper presents a three-phase composite model for predicting the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete. Taking the inclusion as aggregate and the matrix as cement paste, the composite circle model is established by adding an ITZ layer in between the inclusion and the matrix. Solving the asymmetrical problem analytically, a closed-form solution for the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete is derived. After verifying this model with experimental results, the effects of the aggregate area fraction, the chloride diffusion coefficient of ITZ, the ITZ thickness, the maximum aggregate diameter and the aggregate gradation on the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete are evaluated in a quantitative manner. It is found that the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete decreases with the increase of the aggregate area fraction and the maximum aggregate diameter, but increases with the increase of the chloride diffusion coefficient and thickness of ITZ. It is also found that the aggregate gradation has a significant influence on the chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete.