Stability of fresh concrete and its effect on late-age durability of reinforced concrete: An overview

Abstract

The stability of fresh concrete should be properly considered to ensure the quality of building engineering while requiring its high flowability. The poor fresh state stability is detrimental to the durability of reinforced concrete structures in the later period, but this issue has not yet received sufficient attention. This paper presents an overview of relevant studies on the stability of fresh concrete and its effect on the late-age durability of reinforced concrete. Firstly, the mechanism of the stability of fresh concrete is described and analysed, and then the commonly used and recently developed methods for evaluating stability are introduced in detail. After that, the effects of the properties of raw materials such as coarse aggregates and mineral admixtures, the mix design parameters including the water-to-binder ratio and water-reducing agent dosage, and the on-site construction factors on stability are comprehensively discussed. Finally, the influence of the stability of fresh concrete on the permeability of concrete cover, the interface defect between steel bars and concrete, and the initiation time of reinforcement corrosion is also systematically elaborated.