Chloride ingress analysis on alkali-activated slag concrete: A validated modelling framework for long-term assessment

Amidst global commitment to reduce CO2 emissions, the forthcoming decades expect to witness the prevalence of alkali-activated materials. As a predominant trigger for reinforcement corrosion, the accurate prediction of chloride ingress is paramount for the widespread application of the emerging building material. In this regard, this paper presents a novel framework tailored for analysing long-term chloride penetration into alkali-activated slag (AAS) concrete. An innovative technique for modelling chloride binding is developed and integrated into the framework. The technique can spontaneously assess time-dependent chloride binding based on the detailed phase assemblage, thereby rendering the framework applicability for the long-term analysis. The effectiveness of this model is rigorously validated against experiments. Furthermore, a series of virtual experiments are conducted by using the verified model to investigate the impact of different activators, where the distinction of resulting AAS concretes in resisting chloride ingress is elucidated. Overall, the present model is promising in delivering comprehensive understanding and robust prediction concerning long-term behaviours of next-generation AAS concrete buildings.