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Frost Susceptibility of Concrete in Near-Saturated States

• ID:

  991

• ESCSI:

  4384.015

• Author:

  Enustun, B.V.; K.S. Soo; K.L. Bergeson

• Publication Name:

  Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering

• Type of Publication:

  Paper

• Publisher:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

• Dated:

  1994

• Issue/Volume:

  May, No. 20, Vol. 6

• Other ID:

• Page(s):

  290-306

• Reference List:

  Y

• Abstract:

  A two-stage freezing model is proposed for concrete at a near-saturated state. The first-stage involves a mechanism considered by Powers, while the second-stage is based on a theory due to Everett. The volumetric consequences of this model checked by dilatometry do not perfectly materialize, since the pore air is not compressible enough as assumed in Powers’ theory. Experiments qualitatively confirm the expected abrupt dependence of frost damage on degree of saturation. The role of air entrainment in minimizing the frost damage in the field is explained primarily by lowering the rate of saturation and partly by its retardation of the second-stage freezing by increasing the compressibility of the gas phase. Experiments also confirm that the dilatometric expansion on freezing is a measure of significant damage as predicted by the proposed model.