Chen-Mayer, H.
, Hoogerheide, S.
, Ashfaq, A.
, LaManna, J.
, Jones, S.
, Al-Sheikhly, M.
and Livingston, R.
(2025),
Feasibility Study of a Neutron-based Method for Field Measurement of Chloride in Concrete, Journal of Radioanalytical Nuclear Chemistry, [online], https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-025-10393-8, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=959008
(Accessed November 21, 2025)
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Feasibility Study of a Neutron-based Method for Field Measurement of Chloride in Concrete
Published
Author(s)
, , Aiysha Ashfaq, , , Mohamad Al-Sheikhly, Richard A. Livingston
Abstract
Chloride in concrete is known to promote corrosion of the interior metal enforcement which leads to structural degradation. Chloride content monitoring is an important task for maintaining infrastructure integrity. The current industrial practice of chloride analysis through destructive chemical processes can be augmented by non-destructive techniques for on-site analysis. Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) is a neutron-based method for quantitative composition analysis of bulk materials, employed in this work for determining the elemental Cl mass fraction. PGAA is commonly performed in a nuclear reactor, not suitable for field work. We demonstrated the feasibility of measuring Cl concentration in a large concrete slab in a laboratory using a portable neutron generator and LaBr3 detectors to simulate a field-test situation. Monte Carlo radiation transport with gamma ray spectral response was employed as a calibration for the detector response as a function of Cl concentration. Cl mass fraction in a set of 1 m x 1 m x 10 cm concrete slabs was derived based on measured prompt gamma peak count rates and the calculated calibration curve. This work serves as feasibility study for a field-deployable "chloride sensor" for concrete structures. The analysis of experimental and computational data provides useful information for future effort in improving the detection limit and in designing robust calibration methods.Citation
Journal of Radioanalytical Nuclear Chemistry
Pub Type
Journals
Download Paper
Keywords
chloride, corrosion in concrete, infrastructure monitoring, PGAA, elemental analysis
Citation
Issues
If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].
Created September 30, 2025, Updated November 20, 2025