Abstract
SULPHATE attack is a significant problem which locally affects concrete and other construction materials in the United Kingdom and overseas. The mechanisms of sulphate attack are fairly well understood, but in some instances it has proved difficult to establish the origin of the sulphate. Possible sulphate sources include soils and ground water, sea water, atmospheric pollution, contaminated ground-fill and highway de-icing salts. Here we show that stable-sulphur-isotope analysis can help to identify the causes of sulphate attack. We carried out this investigation primarily to determine whether sulphate impurities in rock salt used for winter maintenance of the roads could be responsible for higher than expected sulphate levels that have been observed in parts of some road bridges. Our sulphur isotope results indicate that this is not the case, and indicate that atmospheric sulphate sources are more important.
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Pye, K., Schiavon, N. Cause of sulphate attack on concrete, render and stone indicated by sulphur isotope ratios. Nature 342, 663–664 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/342663a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/342663a0
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