Durability of Reactive Powder Concrete When Subjected to a leaching Test

The Reactive Powder Concretes (RPC) are well known for their high strength, but they also present good performances regarding durability aspect due to their very dense microstructure. Studies were made to evaluate the durability of RPC to: freeze-thaw scaling, carbonation, chloride ions diffusion, abrasion coefficient and shrinkage. Their very good performance characteristics have led to a specific research program to evaluate the long-term durability of RPC for nuclear waste containment. Several kinds of potential degradation are studied, but here only the attack by de-ionized water, a very severe leaching test, will be presented. After pre-determined periods, the material was analyzed regarding its microstructure (altered depth, composition and mineralogical changes), porosity and ion transport properties. The results of SEM, X-ray diffraction, mercury intrusion porosimetry, BET pore-size and tritium diffusion coefficient analyses are presented.