Purpose: This paper aims to reduce the cost, limit the time and increase raw material source availability, coral aggregate seawater concrete (CASC) composed of coral, coral sand, seawater and cement can be widely used for the construction of ports, levees, airports and roads to achieve practical engineering values. However, the naturally porous coral structure and abundant Cl⁻ in the seawater and coral lead to extremely severe reinforcement corrosion for CASC. It is well known that Cl⁻ is the main cause of reinforcement corrosion in the marine environment. Therefore, it is necessary to research the reinforcement corrosion of CASC in the marine environment. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, linear polarization resistance was adopted to test the linear polarization curves of reinforcement in CASC with different exposure times. E_corr, R_p, I_corr and V_corr were calculated according to the weak electrochemical polarization theory and Stern–Geary formula. The effects of concrete cover thickness, exposure time, reinforcement types and inhibitor on reinforcement corrosion in CASC were analysed. The reinforcement corrosion degradation rule was determined, which provided theoretical support for the durability improvement, security assessment, service life prediction and service quality control of CASC structures in marine islands and reef engineering. Findings: The corrosion resistance was enhanced with increased concrete cover thickness, and the concrete cover thickness for organic new coated steel should be at least 5.5 cm to reduce the reinforcement corrosion risks in CASC structures. The corrosion resistance of different types of reinforcements followed the rule: 2205 duplex stainless steel > 316 stainless steel > organic new coated steel > zinc-chromium coated steel > common steel. In the early exposure stage, the anti-corrosion effectiveness of the calcium nitrate inhibitor (CN) was superior to that for the amino alcohol inhibitor (AA). With the extension of exposure time, the decreasing rate of anticorrosion effectiveness of CN was higher than that of AA. Originality/value: Reinforcement corrosion of CASC in a marine environment was studied. Concrete cover thickness, exposure time, reinforcement type and inhibitor influenced the reinforcement corrosion were investigated. New technique of reinforcement anti-corrosion in marine engineering was proposed. Possible applications of CASC in marine engineering structures were suggested.

The durability of concrete is critical for the service life of concrete structures, and it is influenced by various factors. This paper investigates the impact of the relative humidity (RH) of the curing environment on the durability of five different concrete types. The aim is to determine a suitable approach for designing concrete that is well-suited for use in the salt lake region of Inner Mongolia. The concrete types comprise ordinary Portland cement (OPC), high-strength expansive concrete (HSEC), high-strength expansive concrete incorporating silica fume, fly ash, and blast furnace slag (HSEC-SFB), steel fiber-reinforced high-strength expansive concrete (SFRHSEC), and high elastic modulus polyethylene fiber-reinforced high-strength expansive concrete (HFRHSEC). All these concrete types underwent a 180-day curing process at three distinct relative humidities (RH = 30%, 50%, and 95%) before being subjected to freeze–thaw cycles in the Inner Mongolia salt lake brine. The curing environment with a 95% RH is referred to as the standard condition. The experimental results reveal that the durability of OPC and HSEC decreases significantly with increasing relative humidity. In comparison with the control sample cured in 95% RH, the maximum freeze–thaw cycles for concrete cured in lower RHs are only 31% to 76% for OPC and 66% to 77% for HSEC. However, the sensitivity of the durability of HSEC-SFB, SFRHSEC, and HFRHSEC to variations in RH in the curing environment diminishes. In comparison with the corresponding reference value, the maximum freeze–thaw cycles for samples cured in dry conditions increase by 14% to 17% for HSEC-SFB and 21% for SFRHSEC. Specifically, the service life of HFRHSEC cured in a low RH is 25% to 46% higher than the reference value. The durability of HSEC-SFB, SFRHSEC, and HFRHSEC has been proven to be appropriate for structures located in the salt lake region of Inner Mongolia.

Most of the current studies rely on simulated brine corrosion environments and lack long-term investigations into concrete corrosion damage evolution under actual corrosive conditions. In this paper, high-performance concrete (HPC) with various mix ratios is designed in the context of the Qinghai Salt Lake region in China, and the evolution of corrosion damage of HPC with different water–binder ratios (W/B) and different fly ash (FA) admixtures under long-term field exposure conditions is obtained by testing the ultrasonic velocity and strengths of the HPC in the field exposure of the HPC in the Qinghai Salt Lake region. The results show that the corrosion resistance of HPC is related to its water–binder ratio and mineral admixture type and dosage under the exposure of 8 years in Qinghai Salt Lake area. HPC with a fly ash dosage of 15–35% and silica fume dosage of 10% exhibits better corrosion resistance when the water–binder ratio (W/B) is between 0.24 and 0.38. The dependence relationship between the corrosion resistance coefficient of HPC and the relative dynamic elastic modulus (E_rd) and 28 d standard maintenance strength was also established. The E_rd of HPC with a corrosion resistance coefficient of 0.80 or above was 0.73–0.93, not 0.60, which provides an important experimental basis for determining the corrosion damage index of HPC in the high-saline brine environment of the salt lake.

Salt lakes and the surrounding saline soils distributed across northwestern China and Inner Mongolia impose severe physicochemical corrosion on cement-based concrete. Understanding the corrosion products and mechanisms are crucial scientific and technological factors in ensuring the durability and service life of concrete structures in these regions. In this study, various analytical techniques—including X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric–differential thermal analysis, X-ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy—were employed to systematically analyze the corrosion products of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and high-performance concrete (HPC) specimens after eight years of field exposure in the Qarhan Salt Lake area of Qinghai. The study provided an in-depth understanding of the physicochemical corrosion mechanisms involved. The results showed that, after eight years of exposure, the corrosion products comprised both physical corrosion products (primarily sodium chloride crystals), and chemical corrosion products (associated with chloride, sulfate, and magnesium salt attacks). A strong correlation could be observed between the chemical corrosion products and the strength grade of the concrete. In C25 OPC, the detected corrosion products included gypsum, monosulfate-type calcium sulfoaluminate (AFm), Friedel’s salt, chloro-ettringite, brucite, magnesium oxychloride hydrate 318, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, and sodium chloride. In C60 HPC, the identified corrosion products included Kuzel’s salt, Friedel’s salt, chloro-ettringite, brucite, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, and sodium chloride. Among them, sulfate-induced corrosion led to the formation of gypsum and AFm, whereas chloride-induced corrosion resulted in chloro-ettringite and Friedel’s salt. Magnesium salt corrosion contributed to the formation of brucite and magnesium oxychloride hydrate 318, with Kuzel’s salt emerging as a co-corrosion product of chloride and sulfate attacks. Furthermore, a conversion phenomenon was evident between the sulfate and chloride corrosion products, which was closely linked to the internal chloride ion concentration in the concrete. As the chloride ion concentration increased, the transformation sequence of sulfate corrosion products occurred in the following order: AFm → Kuzel’s salt → Friedel’s salt → chloro-ettringite. There was a gradual increase in chloride ion content within these corrosion products. This investigation into concrete durability in salt-lake ecosystems offers technological guidance for infrastructure development and material specification in hyper-saline environments.