Seawater Damage and Concrete Durability

Seawater can damage concrete by changing its chemistry, increasing porosity, and lowering strength. In marine settings, concrete is exposed to dissolved salts and repeated wetting, so its durability depends on how much water can enter the material.

One major form of damage is the breakdown of ett...

Seawater-exposed concrete structures experience the dissolution of the needle-shaped crystals of ettringite and gypsum, increasing porosity and reducing strength.

Conversely, expansion can occur due to pressure from salt crystallization within the concrete's pores above the waterline.

However, the salt solution can ascend through t...