Saline water absorption behavior and critical saturation degree of recycled aggregate concrete during freeze-thaw cycles

Abstract

For the economical and eco-environment friendly effect, the utilization of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has been widely promoted. Detailed exploration are required to better understand the durability performance of RAC. The saline solution and water absorption behavior, the variation of saturation degree, and their correlation with the freeze-thaw deterioration on RAC were investigated in this paper. The results indicated that the amount of liquid absorption and saturation degree increased with the time exposure to the liquid. The mass of liquid absorption decreased for RAC as the salt concentration increased in the solution. The experiment and study results revealed that the critical saturation degree for RAC was approximately 81%~83% in water. That was 72%~74% for RAC under 3% NaCl solution exposure. Once the critical saturation degree reached, serious internal damage and obvious strength loss initiated and developed inevitably during freeze-thaw cycles.