Improving freeze-thaw resistance of alkali-activated slag by admixtures

Alkali-activated material (AAM) is one of the most attractive alternatives to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Recently, more and more research interests are devoted to durability performance. In cold areas, freeze-thaw resistance is a crucial durability factor for concrete. However, the understanding of the freeze-thaw resistance of AAMs is...

Analytical study about the expansion progress of concrete exposed to combined alkali silica reactions and freezing thawing cycles

Using numerical simulations, this study investigated the concrete expansion damage caused by the coupled action of freeze-thaw cycles (FTC) and alkali silica reactions (ASR). In the authors’ previous experiments, it was shown that a preceding ASR definitely accelerated the succeeding expansion by FTC. Further, even if the specimens have...

Assessment of freeze-thaw resistance of cement based concrete with ground glass – pozzolan through X-ray microtomography

Over the last few years, the United States has experienced a shortage of fly ash and slag that consequently created a need for an alternative material that is locally available, sustainable, and provides desirable concrete properties. Recent studies have shown that Ground Glass Pozzolan (GGP) offers favorable attributes as a supplementary...

Assessment of freeze-thaw resistance of cement based concrete with ground glass – pozzolan through X-ray microtomography

Over the last few years, the United States has experienced a shortage of fly ash and slag that consequently created a need for an alternative material that is locally available, sustainable, and provides desirable concrete properties. Recent studies have shown that Ground Glass Pozzolan (GGP) offers favorable attributes as a supplementary...

Freeze-thaw resistance and air-void analysis of concrete with recycled glass-pozzolan using X-ray micro-tomography

Recent studies have shown promising potential for using Glass Pozzolan (GP) as an alternative supplementary cementitious material (SCM) due to the scarcity of fly ash and slag in the United States. However, comprehensive studies on the freeze-thaw (FT) resistance and air void system of mixtures containing GP are lacking. Therefore, this study...

The influence of freezing-thawing cycles on the geotechnical performance of an end-bearing energy pile

Energy piles are getting more attention for their sustainable and economic potential. The fluid pipes are integrated in the foundation piles, which makes it cost-attractive, but also relatively new to the Dutch geotechnical industry. By lowering the temperature limit of the anti-freeze fluid in the pipes the heat extraction and thereby also the...

Fundamental investigation on the frost resistance of mortar with microencapsulated phase change materials

Recent studies have shown that concrete containing Phase Change Materials (PCM) with low transition temperatures may reduce the number of freeze/thaw cycles suffered by the cementitious composite in temperate climates. Nevertheless, the positive influence of such admixtures on the frost resistance of cement-based materials has not been...

Frost Damage Progression Studied Through X-Ray tomography In Mortar With Phase Change Materials

The potential of using phase change materials (PCM) in cementitious materials to mitigate damage due to thermal loadings has been recently focus of intensive research. In the case of PCM with transition temperatures near to the freezing point of water, their potential to delay frost in a cementitious matrix has been largely investigated through...

Freezing-thawing of porous media: An extended finite element approach for soil freezing and thawing

This paper introduces a thermo-hydro-mechanical computational model for freezing and thawing in porous media domains, with focus on freezing and thawing in soil. The model is formulated based on the averaging theory and discretized using a mixed discretization scheme, where the standard and extended finite element methods are simultaneously...

The influence of freeze-thaw cycles on the shear strength of Illite clay

Thermo-active structures, such as energy piles, are used to store and extract heat energy from soil. In areas with seasonal freezing and thawing, such infrastructure is subjected to changes in the soil structure and, consequently, the soil strength. This research investigated the influence of repeated freeze-thaw (FT) cycles and different...

How Thermal Fatigue Cycles Change the Rheological Behavior of Polymer Modified Bitumen?

The paper deals with the problem of thermal fatigue cycles phenomenon, which affects the performance of flexible pavement. The purpose of the paper is to extent the knowledge on the rheology of polymer modified bitumen which was affected by cycles of thermal fatigue. The aim of this research is to determine the rheological components and their...

The characterisation, improvement and modelling aspects of Frost Salt Scaling of Cement-Based Materials with a High Slag Content

Blast furnace slag cement concrete is used extensively in a number of countries. In comparison with OPC, it is particularly well known for its excellent performance in marine environments. One dis-advantage of slag cement is its vulnerability to scaling under the combined load of freezing-thawing and de-icing salts. The current investigation was...

Microstructure and properties of styrene acrylate polymer cement concrete

The paper systematically describes the evolution of the microstructure of a styrene acrylate polymer cement concrete in relation to its mechanical properties and durability. The results presented and discussed at the present paper involve the interaction of the polymer dispersion with portland cement; the effect of the polymer modification on...