Magazine of Concrete Research Magazine of Concrete Research, 2012, 64(4), 351359

Volume 64 Issue 4 http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/macr.9.00153

Paper 900153
Chloride transport through unsaturated Received 14/08/2009; last revised 22/12/2010; accepted 04/05/2011
concrete: chloride profiles simulations and
Thomas Telford Ltd & 2012
experimental validation
Sleiman, Amiri, Ait-Mokhtar and Loche

Chloride transport through

unsaturated concrete: chloride
profile simulations and
experimental validation
Hassan Sleiman Abdelkarim Ait-Mokhtar
University of La Rochelle, LaSIE, La Rochelle, France; also University Blaise University of La Rochelle, LaSIE, La Rochelle, France.
Pacal, LaMI, Aubiere, France Jean-Michel Loche
Ouali Amiri University of La Rochelle, LaSIE, La Rochelle, France.
University of La Rochelle, LaSIE, La Rochelle, France.

To predict the chloride profile in unsaturated cement-based materials subjected to a saline environment, a
mathematical model is proposed and experimental validation is carried out. Chloride transport in partially saturated
concrete is coupled with moisture transport in the concrete. The model proposed in this study takes into account the
diffusion, the convection by moisture transport (vapour and liquid water), the electrostatic coupling between ions of
the pore solution and the chemical interactions considered through linear and non-linear isotherms. First, the
simulations show that all these parameters affect the chloride profile mainly in the first 2 cm of the concrete cover.
Also, it has been shown particularly that the water sorption isotherm has a great influence on the chloride profile. In
fact, the chloride concentration increases with the water/cement ratio for the three sorption/desorption isotherms
considered. For the Bradley isotherm, the chloride concentration is weaker than the GuggenheimAndersonDe Boer
(GAB) and BrunauerEmmetTeller (BET) isotherms. Second, the model shows a good agreement with the
experimental results obtained in two cases: wetting and wick action tests.

Introduction quantify the shape of the adsorption isotherm in the pluri-

According to Tuutti (1982), the corrosion evolution in reinforced
concrete can be described by two steps: the incubation and the
development stages. To obtain a good estimation of incubation
time, it is necessary to monitor the chloride profiles in concrete
cover.
In a previous study (Sleiman et al., 2009), the present authors
have established a mathematical model of chloride ingress which
depends mainly on electrostatic interaction between ions con-
tained in the pore solution, chloride binding and moisture
transport in wetting and drying phases. These two phases occur
according to an isotherm, which generally presents a hysteresis
effect.
Many studies on sorption isotherms have been published in the
available literature. Langmuir considered the adsorption as a
dynamic equilibrium state, with equality between the number of
molecules adsorbed on the surface of the solid phase of the
porous media and the number of those which are desorbed. The
monomolecular adsorption of Langmuir is generally used only
for low relative humidity (0 , RH , 20%) (Quenard, 1989).
Various theories have been developed in order to explain and
molecular adsorption case. The first model, termed BET
(BrunauerEmmetTeller) constitutes a multi-molecular general-
isation of the Langmuir model. At equilibrium, the equality
between adsorption velocity of the layers of order i and
desorption velocity of the layers of order i + 1 is checked. The
multi-molecular adsorption BET is applicable when relative
humidity (RH) varies from 0.2 to 0.5 (Brunauer et al., 1938). In
order to obtain a better fit with experimental data, Brunauer,
Skalny and Bodor modified the previous model. The second
model, called GAB (GuggenheimAndersonDe Boer) (Van
den Berg, 1984) is an extension of the BET theory because it
takes into account an adsorption heat for all the molecular layers.
Further models can be found in the literature, such as the Bradley
model which is used by Daian to describe the adsorption isotherm
of mortar (Quenard, 1989).
The effect of the sorption isotherm on chloride ingress will be
studied and discussed. From the bibliographical study, it can be
noted that a study of the sorption isotherm effect on the chloride
profile has never been conducted, so this is the first originality of
the present study. Moreover, the transport equations used are
solved numerically and simulations of chloride profiles are
carried out in order to highlight the influence of the different

351
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 Magazine of Concrete Research Chloride transport through unsaturated
Volume 64 Issue 4 concrete: chloride profiles simulations and
experimental validation
Sleiman, Amiri, Ait-Mokhtar and Loche

parameters on the kinetics of chloride ingress through the mater-
ial, mainly to show the effect of the electrostatic interaction
between ions contained in the pore solution, chloride binding,
time and conditions of exposure. In the simulations of chloride
ingress, it is important to note that the variability of the coeffi-
cient of diffusion of water and chloride according to water
content is considered. This point constitutes the second originality
of the present work, compared with the research by Wang et al.
(2005), for example.
Finally, the results given by the model are compared to those
obtained experimentally in two cases: wetting and wick action tests.
Mathematical modelling of chloride ingress in
unsaturated materials
The mathematical model used to simulate the chloride profile has
been established in a previous study (Sleiman et al., 2009). The
model is summarised by the coupled differential equations
@l
1:
= D =l 0 3:
@t
study are: chloride, sodium, potassium and hydroxide. The
chloride diffusion through concrete is accompanied by both
chemical and physical binding, reducing the concentration of free
chlorides at any depth. The chemical binding is generally stronger
than the physical one, so that this can later be neglected
(Friedmann et al., 2006). The chemical binding consists in
interactions between chloride ions and anhydrous products of
cement not having reacted at the time of the hydration, such as
the formation of chloro-aluminate hydrate (3CaO.Al2 O3 :CaCl2 :
10H2 O), commonly known as Friedels salt.
The binding of cations (Na , K ) is neglected in this study. It is
also assumed that for each chloride ion bound, one hydroxide ion
is released from the solid phase so as to keep the electroneutrality
of the pore solution.
The local electroneutrality condition is written as
X
4
z i C if 0
i1

The binding properties of a cement-based material are usually

@(l C if ) @(s C ib )
= Dei l =C if defined in the form of a binding isotherm. The concentration of
@t @t bound ions is normally expressed as a function of the concentra-
2 0X X 13
z i Dei =C if z i C if Dl =l tion of free ions and water saturation. Linear, Langmuir and
6
6 B
B i C7
C 7 Freundlich isotherms are used in the literature to describe
i
=6 Dei l z i C if B X X C7
4 @ 2 2 A5 chloride binding (Perez, 1999). This point will be discussed later
z i Dei C if z i Dei C if
in the section entitled Simulation results and discussion.
i i

2: = C if Dl =l
The two main variables are the water content and the concentra-
tion of ions contained in the pore solution. In equation (1) for the
humidity transfer, l , D are the content and the diffusivity of
water, respectively.
The ionic ingress is modelled by the extended NernstPlanck
equation (2). The two terms on the left-hand side of the equation
express the change of total chloride concentration (free and
bound) with time and the three terms on the right-hand side
represent the mechanisms of the ionic transfer: diffusion, electro-
static interactions between ions and liquid movement, respec-
tively. The parameters involved are
j the water content, , which allows the coupling between ionic
and moisture transport
j the coefficient of diffusion, Dei , of the ions considered: Na ,
K , Cl and OH 
j the bound (Cib ) and free (Cif ) chloride.
Numerical solving
The partial differential equations (1) and (2) (by taking into
account equation (3)) are solved numerically in the one-
dimensional case. The implementation of these equations in one
dimension is obtained by applying a classical linearisation proce-
dure. This procedure consists in discretising these equations in
both time and space domains by using the finite-volumes method
with an explicit scheme. For the simulations, a material with
thickness of 5 cm is considered, exposed only at one surface to a
saline solution (500 mol/m3 ). The methodology of the numerical
solution used is summarised in the Appendix (see Figure 13).
To solve the above equations, the diffusion coefficients of
moisture and ionic species contained in the pore solution are
required. The moisture diffusion coefficient is obtained from
Bazant and Najjar (1971) for isothermal conditions
2 0 13
 : 0:95
Dh Dh,ref 60 05 B  n 7
4 @ 1 h C A5
1
4: 1  hc

Given the composition of the pore solution of cementitious

materials, the components of the pore solution considered in this where Dh,ref is the humidity diffusion coefficient determined at

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Chloride transport through unsaturated
Volume 64 Issue 4 concrete: chloride profiles simulations and
experimental validation
Sleiman, Amiri, Ait-Mokhtar and Loche

"  4 #1
specified reference conditions and n is a parameter characterising
 1 h
the drop in Dh : This coefficient varies from 6 to 16. For cement- Dei Di,ref 1 ;
1  hc
based materials, n 10 is generally considered. hc is the
humidity level at which Dh drops halfway between its maximum i Cl , Na , K , OH 
7:
and minimum values, taken as 0.75.

Based on the sorption and desorption isotherm, the pore relative

humidity is expressed as (Bazant and Najjar, 1972)
Di,ref is the ionic diffusion coefficient for Cif 1 g/l. This
coefficient is obtained by Boltzmann variable analysis from
chloride profiles in the case of non-steady-state diffusion tests
l
h (see Table 1).
5: l,sat
Note that, compared to the work of Wang et al. (2005), both
humidity and ion diffusivities are considered to be variable here.
where l,sat is the water content of saturated concrete. They depend on the RH (or water content).

According to equation (5), the moisture flux is the same for the
humidity, h, or the moisture content, l : Then, the hydraulic
diffusivity, D, is obtained from humidity diffusion coefficient,
Dh, by using equation (6)
6: D = Dh =h
The effective diffusion coefficient is a function of the total open
porosity and of the water saturation degree. The importance of
concrete moisture state on the rate of ionic transport has been
recognised, but it is difficult to determine experimentally the
chloride diffusion coefficient under non-saturated conditions. To
the present authors knowledge, no experimental method exists;
only indirect methods are used.
To take into account the effect of RH on the ionic diffusion rate
in cementitious materials, the authors used the relationship
proposed by Bazant and Najjar (1971), as has been done by
previous authors (Perez, 1999; Nilsson, 2004)
Table 1 also gives the initial conditions: at t 0, at the surface
exposed to the external solution, the specimen is saturated and
has a constant ionic concentration, while at the opposite face of
the specimen, flux of water and ionic species are equal to zero.
Chloride binding is considered in the model by using linear,
Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms given by Perez (1999).
Three types of water adsorption isotherms have also been used in
this study (Figure 1), which are generally used in the case of
cement-based materials, in order to study their influence on the
chloride profiles, namely the BET, GAB and Bradley models.
Equations for these isotherms are given by Quenard (1989).
Empirical parameters of these isotherms have been assessed by
fitting of experimental data obtained from the literature (Qin et
al., 2006). These parameters are a function of the temperature, T,
hydration age, te , and the water/cement ratio, w/c. Figure 2 shows
the influence of w/c ratio on the GAB adsorption isotherm. The
GAB isotherm is frequently used in the literature for chloride
transport in porous materials. The effect of this isotherm on the
chloride transport under unsaturated conditions will then be
investigated and compared with other isotherm types.

Water Cl OH  Na K

Reference diffusion coefficients 1 3 1011 2.03 3 1012 5.26 3 1012 1.33 3 1012 1.96 3 1012
Di ,ref : m2 /s
Initial value l0 0.1 CClf0 0 mol/m3 COHf0 108 mol/m3 CNaf0 25 mol/m3 CKf0 83 mol/m3
Limit value at x 0 l 0.15 CClf 500 mol/m3 COHf 0 mol/m3 CNaf 500 mol/m3 CKf 0 mol/m3
Flux Ji at x L Jl 0 JClf 0 JOHf 0 JNaf 0 JKf 0
Porosity 0.15
Isotherm Linear, Ci b Ci f 0.06 m3 sol./m3 mat.
Langmuir, Ci b Ci f /(1 + Ci f ) 0.33 m3 sol./m3 mat.
 0.00245 m3 sol./mol
Freundlich, Ci b Ci f  7.62 m3 sol./m3 mat.
 0.36

Table 1. Inputs considered for the simulations

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Chloride transport through unsaturated
Volume 64 Issue 4 concrete: chloride profiles simulations and
experimental validation
Sleiman, Amiri, Ait-Mokhtar and Loche

Adsorption isotherm
(T 25C, te 20 days, w/c 03) (Nilsson, 2004), k 1,BRADLEY , k 2,BRADLEY are Bradley isotherm
025
constants (Bazant and Najjar, 1971).
BET
Free water (g water/g of

020
cementing materials)

GAB
Simulation results and discussion
Bradley
Several numerical simulations were carried out in order to study
015
the influence of the different model parameters (exposure time
010
and initial saturation degree) and different mechanisms involved
(ionic interactions, advection, binding and adsorption isotherm)
005 on the chloride transport.

0 Effect of ionic interactions

0 02 04 06 08 10 To take into account the electrostatic interactions between the
HR
ions contained in the pore solution, the diffusion coefficients for
Figure 1. Adsorption isotherms used the other ionic species (K , Na , and OH  ) are needed. They
are given by the following relationship

035 Adsorption isotherm GAB DeCl,sat 

i Na , K , OH 
Free water (g water/g cementing

Dei,sat Di ;
030 11: DCl
w/c 03
025 w/c 05
materials)

020 w/c 08 Di is the molecular diffusion coefficient for the ionic species i.
015
Figure 3 shows the influence of the electrostatic interaction
010 between the ionic species Na , OH  and K on the free chloride
005 concentration after 3 months exposure time to saline environ-
ment. The chloride concentration without ionic interactions is
0 shown to be gently weaker than the concentration obtained with
0 02 04 06 08 10
HR ionic interactions.

Figure 2. Influence of w/c (watercement ratio) on the GAB

Figure 4 shows the ions concentrations profiles (Cl , Na , OH 
isotherm
and K ) in the multi-species model after 3 months exposure
time. The electroneutrality condition is assumed at different
depths.
The equations of BET, GAB and Bradley isotherms are as
follows, respectively The difference in the evolution of the ionic concentration
distribution shown in Figure 4 is attributable not only to the
CBET  K BET  HR diffusion, electrostatic and advection processes, but also to the

8: m (1  K BET  HR)(1  HR CBET  K BET  HR) difference between the diffusion coefficient values, Di, of species
500
450
CGAB  k GAB  HR 400 Multi-species
Mono-species
9: m (1  k GAB  HR)(1 (CGAB  1) k GAB  HR) 350
Multi-species
ccl,f: mol/m3

300
250
200

k 1,BRADLEY k 2,BRADLEY  ln ln HR 150
10: m 100
50
0
0 001 002 003 004 005
where is the adsorbed water content, m is the adsorbed water Depth: cm
content corresponding to a complete monolayer adsorption, RH is
the relative humidity, CBET , K BET are a constant and correction Figure 3. Effect of electrostatic interactions on free chloride
factor for the BET isotherm, respectively, CGAB , k GAB are a concentration profiles
constant and correction factor for GAB isotherm, respectively

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Chloride transport through unsaturated
Volume 64 Issue 4 concrete: chloride profiles simulations and
experimental validation
Sleiman, Amiri, Ait-Mokhtar and Loche

500 Ion concentrations (multi-species model) 10

450 09
Cl SO 66%
08
400 Na
K
07 SO 80%
350

ccl,f /ccl,f,max
Na 06
ccl,f: mol/m3

300 OH 66% SO 100%

05
250 Cl 04
200 03
150 02
100 OH 01 100%
50 K 0
0 1 2 3 4 5
0 Depth: cm
0 1 2 3 4 5
Depth: cm
Figure 6. Effect of initial saturation degree on chloride profile
Figure 4. Concentration profiles of ionic species contained in the (t 3 months exposure time)
pore solution after 3 months exposure time

Effect of the binding isotherm

and to the electroneutrality condition, which must be respected
anywhere in the pore solution (Friedmann et al., 2008).
Effect of time exposure
Figure 5 shows that, as time increases, concentrations profiles
progressively become similar. After 50 years, the profile tends to
a steady state. It may be noticed that chloride ions reach 5 cm
after less than 10 years time exposure to saline solution.
Effect of initial saturation degree (advection
phenomena)
The concentration of chloride increases when the saturation
degree decreases, as shown in Figure 6. In fact, at 100% of
saturation, there is no advective movement, since the mechanism
of water absorption through capillarity is not possible. Hence,
only the diffusive movement is represented, while for s 66%
and 80%, both the diffusive and advective mechanisms occur.
The value of 66% corresponds to the irreducible saturation degree
(Francy, 1998) allowing the continuity of the liquid phase, which
is required for transport by advection.
10
09 50 Y
08
The effect of the binding isotherm type on the chloride concen-
tration profiles was studied by analysing three different cases. In
the first case, binding was neglected (no isotherm); then the linear
isotherm and non-linear (Langmuir and Freundlich) have been
considered. The binding constants used in this study were
evaluated from the work of Perez (1999).
First, it may be noted that free chloride concentration without
binding results in higher values. Second, from Figure 7, it can be
seen that the Langmuir and linear isotherms give a similar profile.
This result can be explained by a constant isotherm, which
corresponds to a weak binding. On the contrary, the Freundlich
isotherm is very strong. Consequently, the type of binding taken
into account in the modelling has a significant influence on the
free chloride profiles simulated.
Effect of the water adsorption isotherm and W/C ratio
After exposure of 3 months to the saline solution, the influence of
the water adsorption isotherm on the chloride profile occurs
mainly in the first few millimetres. In Figure 8, particularly for
the BET and GAB adsorption isotherm cases, the chloride
10
09 No isotherm
08 Linear isotherm
t 1 month
t 3 month 07
Freundlish isotherm
t 6 month
ccl,f /ccl,f,max

07 10Y 06 No isotherm
t 9 month Langmuir isotherm
ccl,f /ccl,f,max

06 t 1 year 05
05 t 10 years 04
1Y t 50 years
04 03
9M Linear isotherm
03 02
02 6M 01 Langmuir isotherm
3M
01 1M 0
0 1 2 3 4 5
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 Depth: cm
Depth: cm
Figure 7. Effect of chemical binding on chloride profiles
Figure 5. Evolution of chloride profile with time (t 3 months exposure time)

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Chloride transport through unsaturated
Volume 64 Issue 4 concrete: chloride profiles simulations and
experimental validation
Sleiman, Amiri, Ait-Mokhtar and Loche

10 Adsorption isotherm effect

saturated case. This means that the wettingdrying cycles accel-
09
Bradley erate the chloride ingress and consequently the risk of corrosion.
08
It may be noted that the use of Ficks law (generally used in
07 GAB
saturated concrete with a constant diffusion coefficient) induces
ccl,f /ccl,f,max

06 BET
BET an overestimation of the service life of buildings. Consequently
05
the diffusion coefficient must be considered as variable according
04
to the water content of the concrete.
03 Bradley
02
01 Experimental validation of the model
0 First, in the wetting case, this model is validated by using the
0 05 10 15 20 experimental results obtained by Sergi et al. (1992) on a cement
Depth: cm paste (w/c 0.5) dried until a constant weight, then immersed in
0.1 M NaCl for 100 days . The authors parameters used in this
Figure 8. Effect of water adsorption isotherm on free chloride model are the chloride diffusion coefficient measured by the
concentration profiles (3 months exposure time). migration test (DeCl,sat 4.28 3 1011 m2 ) and the binding para-
meters (Langmuir isotherm 1.67 mol/kg, 4.08 mol/l).

concentration increases with the water content. The chloride
concentration obtained with the Bradley isotherm is weaker than
that obtained with the GAB isotherm; nevertheless the water
content is higher in the first case. This result can be explained by
the effect of higher saturation (Bradley isotherm) for the water
content between 0.9 and 1. The effect of advection is weaker
when the water content is close to saturation.
On one hand, Figure 10 shows a good correlation of the model
compared to the experimental data in the case of the wetting. On
the other hand, to show the invalidity of the second Ficks law,
the chloride profile by this law has been simulated. Figure 10
shows that the chloride profile is overestimated by Ficks second
law, which is not valid because it does not take into account the
electrostatic interactions between ions.

Effect of exposure conditions
The evolution in time of the chloride concentration in the vicinity
of the reinforcement bar is simulated for one century. Two
exposure cases were considered for the evolution of the chloride
concentration for a concrete cover x 3 cm: saturated and
unsaturated concrete (Figure 9). For the unsaturated case, humidi-
ficationdrying cycles of 6 h duration of each cycle were consid-
ered in the simulation. The characteristics of the concrete
considered were w/c 0.5, porosity 0.10.
In Figure 9, it is shown that the chloride concentration is larger in
the case of the unsaturated concrete in comparison to the
09
08
07
Tidal zone
06
The second validation of the model is carried out based on
experimental results obtained by Francy (1998) on cylindrical
mortar specimens (12 cm diameter 3 2.5 cm) submitted to the
wick action test already used by Buenfeld et al. (1995) and
Puyate et al. (1998). The wick action test consists in chloride
transport by advection between two sides of a specimen which
are wetted and dried. The specimens tested by Francy were
laterally sealed then stored in a room at 4% RH. For the
imbibition cycles, the specimens were put in a saline solution
with a concentration of 20 g/l NaCl for 48 h. Then, the specimens
were placed for 1 month at 55% RH for a drying cycle.
1000
900
800 Experimental data
700 Proposed model
ccl,f: mol/m3

600 Ficks second law

Saturated zone
ccl,f /cext

05
500
04 400
03 300
x 3 cm, tidal zone
02 200
x 3 cm, saturated zone
01 100
0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 001 002 003 004
Time: years x: cm

Figure 9. Free chloride profile at 3 cm depth after 100 years Figure 10. Chloride concentration profiles predicted by the
exposure time to a tidal zone (6 h humidification and 6 h drying) model, model based on the Ficks law and the experimental data
and immersed case (squares) (Sergi et al., 1992)

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Chloride transport through unsaturated
Volume 64 Issue 4 concrete: chloride profiles simulations and
experimental validation
Sleiman, Amiri, Ait-Mokhtar and Loche

50
To simulate the chloride profile for the mortar specimen tested in
45
the wettingdrying cycles by Francy (1998), it was necessary to Experimental data
40
find out some unknown parameters. For this purpose the authors
35 Model

mct: kg m3
measurements were considered (the Freundlich isotherm for 30
chloride binding, chloride diffusion coefficient in the saturated 25
case and the intrinsic water permeability). 20
15
All parameters that were required for the simulations (effective 10
diffusion coefficient of water vapour, adsorption isotherm and 05
relative permeability) were taken from the literature (Sleiman et 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
al., 2009).
x: mm

To take into account the porosity of the material o , for the Figure 12. Total chloride profile for the mortar M2-N at 2 days of
diffusion coefficient of chlorides in the unsaturated medium, the wetting and 1 month of drying: comparison between the model
relationship proposed by Buchwald (2000) has been used and the experimental results obtained by Francy (1998)

 7=3
ql
DeCl DeCl,sat 1998) or to the hysteresis in moisture transport not taken into
12: eo account by the model.

Conclusions
Similarly to the previous simulations, concerning the other ionic A model of chloride transport in unsaturated materials was
species (K , Na and OH  ), the diffusion coefficients are given developed. This model takes into account the main mechanisms
by the following relationship involved in unsaturated materials (diffusion, advection, ionic
coupling and chemical binding isotherm). This model is detailed
and validated by using experimental data from the literature
 7=3
DeCl,sat ql (diffusion coefficients of water, chlorides, and so on). Simulations
Dei Di ; i Na , K , OH 
13: DCl eo of chloride profiles were carried out. The following conclusions
can be drawn.

j The influence of ionic interactions on the chloride profiles

Figure 11 and Figure 12 show the amount of total chlorides, mct was studied by taking into account four ionic species in the
(free and bound), for the two mortar types (M2, M2-N). It can be pore solution. The chloride concentration considering ionic
seen that the results obtained by the model are quite close to interactions is higher than the concentration obtained without
experimental results obtained by Francy (1998), mainly in the ionic interactions. Thus, the use of Ficks laws is not
depth of the material. Near the surface, a light variation can be recommended to predict chloride ingress in concrete.
observed, which could be due to a carbonation process (Francy, j The influence of the time exposure and the initial saturation
degree of the material on the chloride profiles is significant,
7 mainly in the unsteady state. This influence is also stronger in
the first few millimetres of the material.
6
Experimental data j The advection induced by moisture transport can accelerate
5 the chloride ingress through concrete. So, in the unsaturated
Model
mct: kg m3

4
case, the advection term should be considered realistically in
the modelling.
3 j The shape of the chemical binding isotherm (linear and non-
2 linear) has a great influence on the chloride profiles.
j The relative humidity, related to the water content by the
1
water adsorption isotherm, significantly affects the kinetics of
0 chloride transport in concrete. This influence varies according
0 5 10 15 20
to the nature of the considered water adsorption isotherm.
x: mm
j In unsaturated conditions, the variability of the diffusion
Figure 11. Total chloride profile for the mortar M2 after 2 days of coefficient and the shape of chemical binding isotherm (linear
wetting and 1 month of drying: comparison between the model and non-linear) have a great influence on the estimation of
and experimental results obtained by Francy (1998) the structures service life, more than in the saturated case.
j The developed model can be applied to various cases. In the

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Volume 64 Issue 4 concrete: chloride profiles simulations and
experimental validation
Sleiman, Amiri, Ait-Mokhtar and Loche

Input data:
porosity; Dh,ref; isotherm parameters
(CBET, KBET; CGAB; kGAB; k1,Bradley k2,Bradley);
Dcl,ref; DOH,ref; DNa,ref; DK,ref; ,

Initial conditions (t 0, x): Boundary conditions (x 0, t):

l,0; Cclf,0; CNaf,0; Ckf,0; COHf,0 l,1; Cclf,1; CNaf,1; Ckf,1; COHf,1

t, x

Discretisation by finite-volumes method (explicit scheme)

No

Convergence test for (x)2

each iteration t
2(A)max

OK

Output ( t, x):
l; Cclf; CNaf; CKf; COH

Figure 13. Algorithm of numerical solution

cases of wettingdrying cycles carried out on mortar, the
results obtained by the model are in agreement with the
experimental results of the literature. To validate the model
further, the authors are conducting an experimental extension
of the work, dealing with concretes submitted to a tidal zone.
Appendix
Methodology of numerical solving
See Figure 13 for the methodology of numerical solution.
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Bazant Z and Najjar L (1972) Nonlinear water diffusion in non
saturated concrete. Materials and Structures 5(25): 25.
Brunauer S, Emmett PH and Teller E (1938) Adsorption of gases
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