Effect of Mineral Oil on Reinforced Concrete Structures Part I. Deterioration of Compressive Strength

This paper is the first part of general study started at Assiut University dealing with effects of mineral oil on reinforced concrete structures. This study focused on the impact of used engine oil on the compressive strength of concrete. Compressive strength of concrete cubes soaked in used mineral oil for six months were compared with that of oil-free concrete cubes. Five different concrete mixes were adopted to investigate the aggressiveness of mineral oil on low and high strength concrete. Furthermore, this paper describes an investigation into the effect of oil saturation on concrete frame foundations used for large machines of Cement Assiut factory-CEMEX. It is concluded that evaluation of the aggressive effect of mineral oil on concrete by comparing the strength on oil-free concrete and oiled concrete at the same age experimentally is the optimal and most reliable of the existing method. The aggressiveness of oil is very clear for low and high strength concrete and the reduction in compressive strength is 17, and 11.8 percent respectively. Additionally, based on the field study, degree of oil saturation in concrete plays an important role in compressive strength.