Effect of leaching on the composition of hydration phases during chloride exposure of mortar

Mortar specimens were exposed to either a 3% NaCl solution or a 3% NaCl+KOH solution for up to 180 days. Exposure to the NaCl solution provoked much more leaching than the NaCl+KOH exposure. Leaching strongly impacted the chloride ingress profiles. The extended leaching led to a maximum total chloride content almost three times higher and a deeper chloride penetration than exposure with limited leaching after 180 days. The higher maximum chloride content seems to be linked to the enhanced binding capacity of the C-S-H and AFm phases upon moderate leaching as determined by SEM-EDS. The total chloride profile appears to be governed by multi-ion transport and the interaction of chloride with the hydration phases. Service life prediction and performance testing both rely on total chloride profiles and therefore ought to take these interactions into account.