Evaluation of the performances of self-compacting concretes based on byproducts subject to freeze thaw in local conditions

Abstract

The evaluation of freeze-thaw resistance of self-compacting concrete containing by-products is a major issue for the construction of durable concrete structures and raises many questions among researchers. This work aims to study the behavior of self-compacting concrete-based on local by-products subjected to freeze/thaw cycles starting at 14 days, of air and watercuring, where the concrete has reached more than half of its strength. For this purpose, a comparative study was conducted on a reference SCC with limestone’s filler (LP) which was replaced by marble powder (MP) and granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS). Freezing and thawing was performed according to ASTM C666 standard procedure B, air freezing and water thawing by adapting the freeze-thaw test to the Algerian context using a small number of cycles and without salt deicer. The test methods used to evaluate durability were weight change, length change, compressive and tensile strength loss. The results show that the curing condition and the by-product type have a combined influence on freeze-thaw resistance of self-compacting concrete. The moisture resistant mixture to freeze-thaw was the SCC obtained with granulated blast furnace slag. While SCC with marble powder present characteristics very comparable with those of SCC mixture with limestone powder. It appears that the mixture with the best characteristics is the most resistant to the freeze thaw action. Keywords : Self-compacting concrete, by-products, freeze/thaw resistance, granulated blast furnace slag, marble powder.