Damage study on service performance of early-age frozen concrete

Abstract

Abstract This research presents the test results of mechanical properties, micropore structures, and water absorption characteristics during the service period of early frost-damaged concrete to investigate the deterioration of service performance for early-age frozen concrete. The corresponding tests were conducted by considering the frost environment factors of frost onset time, frost temperature, and frost duration. The effects of these three factors on the service performance of early-age frozen concrete are discussed. The results illustrate that compared with the service performance of concrete not frozen at an early age, the performance of early-age frozen concrete degraded severely and the degradation of service performance is aggravated with decreasing frost temperature and increasing frost duration. Moreover, for the concrete that suffered from freezing at an early age with different frost onset times, the degradation of service performance caused by freezing between the initial setting and final setting time is the most critical, followed by that before the initial setting time, and it decreases gradually with increasing frost onset time after the final setting time. The study provided a set of reliable and valuable test data for researchers and engineers in structural antifreeze engineering, which is of considerable theoretical significance for revealing the damage mechanisms and objectively evaluating the damage degree of early-age frozen concrete.