Effect of Nuclear Radiation on Alkali-Silica Reaction of Concrete

The effect of electron beam-irradiation on the reactivity of plagioclase, one of the major minerals composing volcanic rocks, to alkali has been examined to clarify whether nuclear radiations accelerate the alkali-silica reaction of concrete containing volcanic rocks as aggregates. Irradiation of plagioclase with a 30 keV electron beam at a dose of more than 0:9 × 108 Gy converts a crystalline plagioclase to an amorphous one that is 35 times more reactive to alkali than the crystal. The high reactivity of the irradiated plagioclase indicates that the deterioration of concrete by alkali-silica reaction is possible to be induced by nuclear radiations even when the aggregates are inert to alkali before the irradiation.