Freezing And Thawing Tests Of Concretes Of Various Strengths And Air Contents

Discussion of the behaviour of various concrete structures exposed to freezing and thawing is followed by theories regarding mechanisms which cause this behaviour, and methods of preventing concrete deterioration.

Concrete durability in climates where freezing and thawing occurs is a continuing problem. It is particularly acute for highway and bridge structures, where de-icing salts are used to combat the effects of frost, snow and ice. These salts can cause damage to concrete and accelerate corrosion of reinforcements. This book presents the latest international research on this area, with contributions from North America and Europe which were presented at an international RILEM workshop.

Freeze-thaw resistance is a key durability factor for concrete pavements. Recommendations for the air void system parameters are normally: 6 ± 1 percent total air, and spacing factor less than 0.20 millimeters. However, it was observed that some concretes that did not possess these commonly accepted thresholds presented good freeze-thaw resistance in laboratory studies. This study evaluated the freeze-thaw resistance of several "marginal" air void mixes, with two different types of air-entraining admixtures (AEA)-a Vinsol resin and a synthetic admixture. This study used rapid cycles of freezing and thawing in plain water, in the absence of deicing salts. For the specific materials and concrete mixture proportions used in this project, the marginal air mixes (concretes with fresh air contents of 3.5 percent or higher) presented an adequate freeze-thaw performance when Vinsol resin based air-entraining admixture was used. The synthetic admixture used in this study did not show the same good performance as the Vinsol resin admixture

A program of cooperative freezing-and-thawing tests of concrete specimens was conducted by thirteen laboratories using the four ASTM tentative methods of test. Three concrete mixtures were used, involving different aggregates and two different air contents.

This book forms the proceedings of the international workshop to be held in Essen, Germany. This workshop summarises the conclusion of the technical committee's investigations into the resistance of concrete to freeze-thaw attack, specific in this to resistance with or without de-icing chemicals. It presents the RILEM recommendations on testing the freeze-thaw and de-icing salt resistance of concrete.