THAUMASITE NON-SULPHATE ATTACK AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE

One of the products of concrete sulphate corrosion, besides gypsum and ettringite, is thaumasite. The thaumasite is a very dangerous, non binding crystalline phase, which is forming at the expense of C-S-H phase. There was a conviction that the conditions required for the formation of thaumasite in concrete are: source of calcium silicate, sulfate ions, carbonate ions and a very wet, cold (below 15°C) environment. The corrosion of concrete caused by the external source of sulphate ions during which thaumasite is formed was called thaumasite sulphate attack (shortly TSA). While the TSA is recognized, the thau- masite non-sulphate attack (T n S A ) must be highlighted, because is also possible. The purpose of this work is to show that thaumasite, or solid solutions of Ett-Th (ettringite with thaumasite) are able to form in hardened cement paste without external source of sulphate ions, at ambient temperature and pressure (25±2°C (298.15 K) and 102±1 kPa). The experiment appeared on thaumasite formation in corroded specimen made of CEM I (Portland cement) and of CEM III (slag cement) after 4 days of immersion in saturated water solution of NH₄Cl.