Experimental investigation on the freeze-thaw durability of concrete under compressive load and with joints

This study was to experimentally investigate effects of compressive stress and construction joints on freeze-thaw durability of concrete. Accelerated freeze-thaw tests were conducted on monolithic specimens and specimens with different types of construction joints (i.e., normal wet joints, roughened wet joints, epoxied joints, and dry joints), at different compressive stress levels. The results showed that compressive stress not exceeding 0.5f(ck) could improve the freeze-thaw durability of concrete, while the higher stress of 0.5f(ck) led to more durability degradation than the normal stress of 0.3f(ck). And different types of construction joints also considerably influenced the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.