Petrographic Examination of Concrete Cores, Chickamauga Dam Powerhouse - Unit 3, Tennessee Valley Authority.
Abstract:
Petrographic examination of eight cores from three concrete areas in the Chickamauga Dam powerhouse indicated that an expansive reaction between dolomitic limestone particles present in the coarse aggregate and minor alkalies present in the cement paste may be responsible, at least in part, for the difficulty that the TVA has had in holding generating equipment in line. The reaction, involving dedolomitization of certain types of carbonate rock by cement alaklies, has been described by Hadley, and Swenson and Gillott. In this investigation direct evidence that the reaction had taken place was found in thin sections of the concrete. The evidence was supported indirectly by length-change measurements expansion of concrete specimens made from the cores and exposed to laboratory conditions conducive to the reaction. Thin-section studies indicated that the concrete from wet and damp areas in the powerhouse had reacted more than that from dry areas, which suggests that the concrete in the wet and damp areas had expanded more than the concrete in the dry areas. However, even though an expansive reaction was evident in the cores, the relative amount of coarse aggregate involved was small when total amount of aggregate is considered. The reaction had not progressed sufficiently to cause the concrete to crack, since no evidence of cracking of any sort was seen either in the cores or in thin sections made from the cores. Author