Articles
  • Improving long-term corrosion resistance of high-performance concrete through the incorporation of micro silica and chemical admixtures

  • Sivakumar Arunachalama,*, Anandakumar Subbaiyanb, Sampathkumar Velusamyc and Hema Sudhakard

  • aDepartment of Civil Engineering, Kangeyam Institute of Technology, Tirupur – 638108, India
    bDepartment of Civil Engineering, Meenakshi College of Engineering, Chennai – 600078, India
    cDepartment of Civil Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai – 638060, India
    dDepartment of Civil Engineering, Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore – 641022, India

  • This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This study investigates the long-term corrosion resistance and mechanical strength of high-performance concrete (HPC) using micro silica and chemical admixtures, including Rheobuild 1100, Glenium Ace 30, Sika Viscocrete 20 HEC, Ecmas HP-901 and Varaplast PC 100. The grade of the concrete adopted was M60 which comprises OPC 53 grade, fly ash, micro silica and fine aggregate and coarse aggregates were used. This study seeks to enhance the workability, strength in mechanics, and longevity of mixtures of concrete characterized by a low water-cement ratio. The results revealed significant improvements in compressive, tensile, flexural and bond strengths compared to control mixes. Durability tests revealed superior resistance to chloride ion penetration, salt ponding, sorptivity, water permeability, and accelerated corrosion for HPC mixes with micro-silica and chemical admixtures. Microstructural inspection using SEM and EDX revealed the densified matrix and increased C-S-H gel formation, which contributed to enhanced durability. Among all the admixtures, Glenium Ace 30 demonstrated superior performance, rendering it an exemplary selection for durable infrastructure.


Keywords: High-performance concrete (HPC), Micro silica, Chemical admixtures, Mechanical properties, SEM, EDX.

This Article

  • 2025; 26(5): 767-778

    Published on Oct 31, 2025

  • 10.36410/jcpr.2025.26.5.767
  • Received on Jul 11, 2025
  • Revised on Sep 24, 2025
  • Accepted on Oct 2, 2025

Correspondence to

  • Sivakumar Arunachalam

  • Department of Civil Engineering, Kangeyam Institute of Technology, Tirupur – 638108, India
    Tel : +91 8903486090

  • E-mail: sivadevi6224@gmail.com