Sulphate Content of Soil

[Budding_SE]

How can I get the sulphate content of the soil at the site? Does the geotechnical engineer typically provide this information? If the geotech does not, how can I estimate the sulphate content?

The reason for this question is Table 4.2.1. Before specifying concrete mix design it seems important to know the sulphate content.

 

[JAE]

Table 4.2.1 of what document?

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[jayrod12]

You can ask the geotech and they will include it in their scope of work. But no they do not generally include it.

 

[Budding_SE]

JAE ACI 318

 

[BAretired]

Sulphate content was always included in soil reports in my area (mid Alberta) without having to ask for it specifically. Otherwise, how would you know whether or not sulphate resisting cement was needed in the concrete mix?

BA

 

[jayrod12]

We pretty much solely specify sulphate resistant for footing, piles and caps.

Walls we spec general use concrete unless we know we're in a sulphate area.

 

[Ron]

Unless you are in a known high sulphate soils area, then Type II cement should handle it. Most cements are blended now such that they meet the specifications for both Type I and Type II cements (US criteria...Canadian slightly different). Agree with jayrod12 that it is easy to specify for all ground contact concrete.

 

[Signious]

It is dangerous to assume with sulphate content as it can vary widely over a small area. As BA mentioned, in Alberta it is done already on probably 70-90% of the jobs I get - or we gather the test material in house and drop it off to a geotech lab we work with.

I would personally suggest contacting a few local geotech labs and finding out if you can work an arrangement with them. You bring them the dirt & pay for the test, and charge back the client. Taking the samples at excavation is easy enough to do yourself, then you drop them off to the lab. That way you know the test results and can take your slice of the pie on top of it.