Extreme Cold Mechanical Properties of Concrete with Additive-Based Freeze Protection System
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 38, Issue 4
Abstract
Concrete can be cast and cured at freezing temperatures when additive-based freeze protection (ABFP) is included in the concrete mixture. However, the effects of extremely cold temperatures on the mechanical properties of concrete with ABFP have not been studied. In addition, the impact of cold temperatures on shear strength and modulus of rupture of concrete with or without ABFP have not been measured. The present study measures the effects of decreasing temperatures on the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, shear strength, and modulus of rupture of concrete with and without ABFP. Different types of aggregates and ABFP systems were used to manufacture conventional concrete (without ABFP) and concrete with ABFP. Concrete with ABFP is mixed, cast, and cured at −5°C and conventional concrete, at 20°C. Specimens are conditioned at 20°C, −5°C, −20°C, −40°C, or −60°C for 24 h and then tested. Generally, it was found that the mechanical properties of both types of concretes increased as the test temperature decreased. However, ABFP lowers the pore solution’s freezing point and lowers the relative compressive strength increase rate compared with conventional concrete. Concrete with ABFP can have a higher rate of increase in relative elastic modulus than conventional concrete. This is due to the two-phase system of an ABFP pore solution at low temperatures, where ice fills voids, and the unfrozen concentrated pore solution continues to fill capillary voids and wet calcium silicate hydrate. The increase in shear strength from the aggregates and hydration products is greater than the contributions of the pore solution’s frozen properties. Finally, the rise in rupture strength is attributed to the increase in the strength of concrete materials because there is no significant change in the tensile strength of ice with decreasing temperature.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and codes generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This study was conducted for the US Army Corps of Engineers under PE0622784, “Innovative Construction Materials to Protect National Security Interests in the Arctic Region.” The work was performed by the Engineering Resources Branch (ERB) of the Research and Engineering Division, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), and Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). At the time of publication, Dr. Melisa Nallar was the acting branch chief, and Dr. Caitlin A. Callaghan was the division chief. The acting deputy director of ERDC-CRREL was Mr. Bryan E. Baker, and the director was Dr. Joseph L. Corriveau. COL Christian Patterson was the Commander of ERDC, and Dr. David W. Pittman was the Director.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- b,d
- width and depth of the sample in shear, mm;
- E
- 28-day elastic modulus at a given temperature, Pa;
- E28
- 28-day elastic modulus at +20°C, Pa;
- fc
- compressive strength, Pa;
- 28-day compressive strength at +20°C, Pa;
- T
- testing temperature, °C;
- V
- peak shear force, N; and
- V28
- 28-day peak shear force +20°C, N.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 38 • Issue 4 • December 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 3, 2023
Accepted: Mar 27, 2024
Published online: Jul 26, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 26, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Cold regions engineering
- Compressive strength
- Concrete
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Freeze and thaw
- Freezing
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials engineering
- Measurement (by type)
- Mechanical properties
- Shear modulus
- Shear strength
- Strength of materials
- Temperature (by type)
- Temperature effects
- Temperature measurement
- Thermal properties
- Thermodynamics
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