Disintegration of concrete construction induced by acid mine drainage attack

This paper presents findings from microanalytical investigation conducted on disintegrated concrete that had been used to construct a weir within a coal mine in South Africa. The concrete was in contact with polluted mine water, commonly referred to as acid mine drainage (AMD). Accordingly, the weir...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering 2016-03, Vol.58 (1), p.34-42
Main Authors: Azene, F., Ekolu, S.O., Mkhize, N., Diop, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acid attack
Acid mine drainage
Coal mines
Concrete construction
Concrete damage
Concretes
Deterioration
Disintegration
Engineering, Civil
Gypsum
Map cracking
Scanning electron microscopy
Weirs
X-rays
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Summary:This paper presents findings from microanalytical investigation conducted on disintegrated concrete that had been used to construct a weir within a coal mine in South Africa. The concrete was in contact with polluted mine water, commonly referred to as acid mine drainage (AMD). Accordingly, the weir had been exposed to AMD decant which led to disintegration of concrete due to chemical attack. Investigations were conducted by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The field samples examined consisted of soft, broken concrete chunks and a whitish powdery substance that had crystallised and formed a surface coating on certain cracked locations on the deteriorated concrete. No evidence of pyrite oxidation was found in the investigation. The observed deterioration is discussed in relation to acid attack mechanism and its possible co-existence with external sulphate attack process.
ISSN:1021-2019
2309-8775
2309-8775
DOI:10.17159/2309-8775/2016/v58n1a4