Effect of Sulfate Crystallization on Uniaxial Compressive Behavior of Concrete Subjected to Combined Actions of Dry–Wet and Freeze–Thaw Cycles

Abstract

This study focuses on the influence of salt crystallization from sodium sulfate on uniaxial compressive properties of concrete subjected to the coupling action of dry–wet cycles and freeze–thaw cycles. Eight groups of concrete specimens with different concentrations of sodium sulfate solution (CSSS) and different numbers of drying and wetting cycles (NDWC) were designed. Three groups of specimens with different numbers of freezing and thawing cycles (NFTC) exposed to same dry–wet cycles and same sulfate concentration were prepared to study the effects of combined environmental conditions. Salt crystallization from sodium sulfate was generated under a cyclical dry–wet time ratio of 3:1. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to analyze reaction products of sulfate and concrete matrix. The results show that under single sulfate dry–wet cycles, with the increase of CSSS and NDWC, the uniaxial compressive strength of concrete degrades as a parabola and corresponding strain increases as a parabola, except for the linear increase of CSSS strain. Subjected to the combined action of sulfate dry–wet cycles and freeze–thaw cycles, it shows that the uniaxial compressive strength of concrete decreases as a parabola with the increase of NFTC, but corresponding strains have no obvious variation. The sulfate salt attack in advance greatly accelerates the deterioration of specimens after freeze–thaw cycles. The common dimensionless predication model of stress–strain relationship of concrete subjected to the combined action of dry–wet cycles and freeze–thaw cycles has been established.