Abstract
The use of repair mortars for concrete structures repair with no or limited resistance to the impact caused by freeze and thaw cycles is often the primary repair failure cause. This is particularly important in Poland. Due to the geographical location of the country, there is a large temperature difference between summer and winter. The number of passes through the threshold temperature of 0 °C throughout the year in the winter season exceeds 100. The article presents a comparison of the frost resistance results of tests of repair mortars. The first method was performed according to the Polish Guidelines (without the use of de-icing salts) and the second method according to PN-EN 1504-3 (with the use of de-icing salts). The results obtained were inconsistent in many areas. In particular, significant differences in the results for the change in compressive strength and the change in bending strength were observed. In the case of the frost resistance testing without the use of de-icing salts, a decrease in compressive strength was usually accompanied by a decrease in bending strength. In the case of frost resistance tests with the use of de-icing salts, an increase in the bending strength of mortars was observed (even by a dozen or so percent) with a decrease in the compressive strength of mortars (even by several dozen percent).
Highlights
Concrete structures are exposed to the impact of their environment through physical, chemical and biological processes
The appearance on the Polish market of the first repair mortars complying with the requirements of PN-EN 1504-3 [3], where a new test method was used to evaluate their resistance to aggression caused by cyclic freezing and thawing gave rise to the idea of comparing them in terms of the results obtained with the method that was used nationally to evaluate repair mortars
Test Methods for Repair Mortars with Regard to Frost Resistance According to National Guidelines In Poland, a frost resistance test in a climate box has been commonly used for several decades to evaluate the permanent adhesion of concrete repair materials to the substrate and the change of their strength properties
Summary
Concrete structures are exposed to the impact of their environment through physical, chemical and biological processes. In the case of the national frost-resistance testing method, the tested mortar is subjected to cyclic freezing in air and thawing in water without the use of de-icing agents. The appearance on the Polish market of the first repair mortars complying with the requirements of PN-EN 1504-3 [3], where a new test method was used to evaluate their resistance to aggression caused by cyclic freezing and thawing gave rise to the idea of comparing them in terms of the results obtained with the method that was used nationally to evaluate repair mortars. Information from construction sites about failures of repair mortars marketed with CE marking, as well as the negative results obtained by these mortars in frost resistance tests according to the national method, made it necessary to perform comparative tests
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