Possibility of Radiation-Induced Degradation of Concrete by Alkali-Silica Reaction of Aggregates

Abstract

The effect of Ar ion irradiation on the reactivity of crystalline and amorphous quartz to alkali has been examined for clarifying whether radiation from nuclear reactors accelerates the degradation of concrete by inducing alkali-silica reaction of aggregates. Distorted amorphous quartz generated on the surface of quartz by irradiation of a 200 keV Ar ion beam is at least 700 times and 2.5 times more reactive to alkali than crystalline and regular amorphous quartz, respectively. The high reactivity of the distorted amorphous quartz indicates that the degradation of concrete by alkalsilica reaction is possible to be induced by nuclear radiation even the aggregates are inert to alkali before the irradiation. The critical radiation doses for the degradation of aggregates containing crystalline quartz are estimated to be 5 × 1019 n/cm2 for fast neutrons with energy >0.1 MeV, and 5×1011 Gy for beta and gamma rays. They are 1×1019 n/cm2 and 0.5tiems;1011 Gy, respectively for aggregates containing amorphous quartz.