Sulfate ions diffusion in concrete under coupled effect of compression load and dry-wet circulation

The diffusion of Sulfate ions in concrete is a complex process and affects the performance of concrete. Experiments on the time-dependent distribution of sulfate ions in concrete under the coupling of pressure load, dry-wet circulation, and sulfate attack, and the diffusion coefficient of sulfate ions with various parameters was tested. The applicability of the cellular automata (CA) theory to simulate the diffusion of sulfate ions was discussed. In this paper, a multiparameter cellular automata (MPCA) model was developed to simulate the impacts of load, immersion ways, and sulfate solution concentration for the diffusion of sulfate ions in concrete. The MPCA model was compared with experimental data, considering compressive stress, sulfate solution concentration, and other parameters. The numerical simulations verify the calculation results based on the MPCA model are in good agreement with the test data. Finally, the applicability of the established MPCA model was also discussed.