The Evolution of Concrete (Part 1): Submerged in Water and Its Compression Strength

Abstract

This paper discusses about the water-submerged concrete on the concrete basemen that has been in the gorunding for about ten years. The purpose of this study was to determine the compressive strength and microstructural changes in water submerged concrete. The research was carried out experimentally. It was a case study at the State University Hospital, Lampung University, Indonesia. The compressive strength and microstructure of the submerged concrete compared to the concrete in the protected condition. The sample for the compression test was taken with a core drill 4 samples in each condition. The test data was processed by the outlying method. The microstructure of the concrete was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). The results showed that the compressive strength of submerged concrete was similar to the compressive strength of protected concrete. The elements that dominate the submerged concrete are Si and O, and in the protected concrete are Ca and O. The conclusion and novelty of this research are that submerged concrete can evolve into ceramics with SiO₂ as the main element and heterogeneous microstructure with the same compressive strength as protected concrete. This can be used as a reference and applied to concrete buildings that are in close contact with water such as dams, ponds, and other underwater structures. This research contributes to the science of concrete and its use, especially for underwater structures.

Keywords: compressive strength, concrete, evolution, microstructure, submerged in water.

DOI: 10.7176/CER/14-4-01

Publication date:June 30^th 2022