Influence of Carbonation on Mechanical Properties of Concrete

As one of the most important factors that determine the lifespan of a reinforced concrete structure, carbonation not only corrodes the reinforcing steel, but also changes the mechanical properties of concrete. For better understanding the performance of carbonated concrete structure, it is necessary to study the mechanical properties of carbonated concrete. The strees strain relationship of carbonated concrete was analyzed on the basis of experiments. The specimens were made by means of accelerated carbonation and then compressed on the testing machine. Some very important characteristics of carbonated concrete were revealed by the testing results. In addition, a useful constitutive model of carbonated concrete, which proved to be suitable for analyzing carbonated concrete members, was established in this research.