Comparison of test methods to determine resistance to chloride penetration in concrete: Sensitivity to the effect of fly ash

Abstract There are several methodologies for assessing the entry of chlorides into the concrete. This article aims to compare four test methods to determine the concrete resistance to chloride penetration. The sensitivity of these methods to the effect of three levels of fly ash was investigated. Besides, three ranges of compressive strength were evaluated. The sensitivity of the fly ash effect was different in each test. The physical effect of pore refinement caused by fly ash was identified in all tests, while the chemical effect was suppressed in the accelerated C1202 migration procedure. This reduced the correlation of this last test with the other procedures. The chloride depths between the different tests are closer as the fly ash content increases. New ranges of chloride penetration for each test from the silver nitrate spray were suggested, using the charge passed or the non-stationary chloride diffusion coefficient as reference.