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Concrete carbonation can be visually revealed by applying a phenolphthalein solution over the fresh surface of a concrete samples (concrete core, prism, freshly fractured bar). Phenolphthalein is a pH indicator , whose color turns from colorless at pH < 8.5 to pink-fuchsia at pH > 9.5.
This reaction is accompanied by hydration and swelling of the alkali gel leading to the expansion of the affected aggregates. The pH of the fresh alkali gel is very high and it has often a characteristic amber color. The high pH of young alkali gel exudations often precludes the growth of mosses at the surface of concrete crack infilling. 2.
Phenolphthalein's pH sensitivity is exploited in other applications: concrete has naturally high pH due to the calcium hydroxide formed when Portland cement reacts with water. As the concrete reacts with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, pH decreases to 8.5–9. When a 1% phenolphthalein solution is applied to normal concrete, it turns bright pink.
Contact with wet concrete can cause skin chemical burns due to the caustic nature of the mixture of cement and water (including rainwater). Indeed, the pH of fresh cement water is highly alkaline due to the presence of free potassium and sodium hydroxides in solution (pH ~ 13.5). Eyes, hands and feet must be correctly protected to avoid any ...
Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, [1] and is the most widely used building material. [2] Its usage worldwide, ton for ton, is twice that of steel, wood, plastics, and aluminium combined. [3]
The high pH prevailing in the cement porewater (12.5 < pH < 13.5) limits the mobility of many heavy metals by decreasing their solubility and increasing their sorption onto the cement mineral phases. Nickel, zinc and lead are commonly found in cement in non-negligible concentrations.
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The most common use for portland cement is in the production of concrete. [17] Concrete is a composite material consisting of aggregate (gravel and sand), cement, and water. As a construction material, concrete can be cast in almost any shape desired, and once hardened, can become a structural (load bearing) element.