Effect of magnesium chloride (MgCl2) on ordinary Portland cement concrete

Abstract

This paper reports the effect of Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) on Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete. The OPC concrete was produced with MgCl2 dosage of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 g/lit and deionised water was used in concrete mix (M20 & M50). In addition to this, control specimens were prepared with deionised water (without MgCl2) for comparison. The compressive and tensile strengths were evaluated for 28 and 90 days. The results show that, as the MgCl2 concentration increases, the compression and tensile strengths decrease. The X-ray diffraction analysis for concrete has been carried out at 1.5 g/lit concentration. Keywords: Portland cement, concrete