The carbonation process and the factors affecting concrete carbonation are
presented. A mathematical model based on carbonation process for predicting
the carbonation depth of high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete was developed
. An accelerated carbonation test was conducted on ordinary Portland cement
(OPC) concrete and HVFA concrete. The depths of carbonation predicted from
the model are compared with the test results. It is shown that the effecti
ve water/binder ratio and the cement content are the key factors affecting
HVFA concrete carbonation. The increase of curing period can improve the ca
rbonation behavior of HVFA concrete. The carbonation behavior of HVFA concr
ete with appropriate mix proportion can meet the requirements of structural
concrete. The agreement between test results and the prediction from the m
odel is good. The model can be used to predict the evolution of carbonation
depth with time. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.