Multi-dimensional models for predicting the chloride diffusion in concrete exposed to marine tidal zone: Methodology, Numerical Simulation and Application

To circumvent the constraints of time-consuming experimental methods, numerical simulation can be one of the most effective approaches to investigating chloride diffusion behaviors in concrete. However, except for the effect of the external environments, the transport direction of the chloride cannot be neglected when the concrete is exposed to the marine tidal zone, especially in certain areas of concrete members. In this study, based on Fick's second law, considering the effects of time- varying, chloride binding capacity, concrete stress state, ambient temperature, and relative humidity on chloride diffusion coefficient, the modified one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional novel modified chloride diffusion theoretical models were established through defining the current boundary conditions. The simulated results based on the novel modified multi-dimensional model were compared with the experimental results obtained from some previous pieces of literature. The comparing results showed that the modified multi-dimensional model was well-fitted with experimental data, confirming the high accuracy of the novel modified model. The experimental results in literature showed that the chloride diffusion in the corner area of the concrete structure cannot be simulated by a simple one-dimensional diffusion model, where it is necessary to select a suitable multi-dimensional chloride diffusion model for simulation calculation. Therefore, the novel modified multi-dimensional model established in this study has a stronger applicability for practical engineering.