Effects of three durability enhancing products on some physical properties of near surface concrete

Abstract

This paper investigates the influence of three fundamentally different durability enhancing products, viz. microsilica, controlled permeability formwork and silane, on some of the physical properties of near surface concrete. Microsilica (silica fume) is a pozzolan, controlled permeability formwork ( cpf) is used to provide a free draining surface to a concrete form, while silane is a surface treatment applied to hardened concrete to reduce the ingress of water. Comparisons are made between the products when used individually and used in conjunction with each other, with a view to assessing whether the use of combinations of products may be desirable to improve the durability of concrete in certain circumstances. The effect of these materials on various durability parameters, such as freeze-thaw deterioration, carbonation resistance and chloride ingress, is considered in terms of their effect on permeation properties and surface strength. The results indicated that a combination of silane and cpf produces concrete with very low air permeability and sorptivity values. The influence of microsilica was more pronounced in increasing the surface strength of concrete.