The effect of metakaolin on the durability of concrete hollow blocks used in masonry: evaluation of degradation caused by driving rain

Driving rain, considered one of the major factors in the degradation of external seals, may cause esthetic problems and material decomposition to facades and masonry. In the present research, the production of concrete hollow blocks for masonry underwent testing for which 20 years of exposure have been considered, taking into account the annual precipitation in the State of Paraiba. This was assessed by replacing 10, 15 and 20% of cement for metakaolin using as parameter the specimen’s mass loss at end of the test. It has was found that the concrete with metakaolin revealed values of weight loss greater than those of the reference concrete, without metakaolin, and that these values increased as the level of substitution increased. However, for mixtures with lower cement content, the use of 10% by metakaolin promoted results that have been considered similar to the reference. The test results are, therefore, consistent with those reported in literature for assessment studies on actual exposure situations; however, further studies will be developed to correlate the laboratory results obtained and from the resulting exposure to natural weather conditions.