Influence of Old Concrete Age, Interface Roughness and Freeze-Thawing Attack on New-to-Old Concrete Structure

The bonding surface structure generated by the repair of concrete structures has been paid more attention as a weak point. The effects of old concrete age, interface roughness, and freeze-thawing (F-T) attack on adhesive interface are comprehensively investigated. In this study, six kinds of interface roughness and five different old concrete age are designed. The interfacial bonding property is mainly evaluated by splitting tensile strength (f(ts)). Fractal analysis was used to characterize the interface roughness using laser scanning data. In general, the f(ts) increased with the increasing value of interface fractal dimension. The relationship between f(ts) and fractal dimension value was further analyzed, considering the old concrete ages and the F-T cycles. The results show that the effect of roughness on the bonding property of new-to-old concrete is more significant than the age of old concrete, and the influence of the F-T cycles on the bonding surface is mainly reflected in the initial stage of the F-T deterioration process. The relative dynamic elasticity modulus decreased obviously under F-T cycles, especially for the specimens with low interface roughness. In combination with the results of two non-destructive methods (ultrasonic non-destructive test and relative dynamic elastic modulus test), the larger roughness and the smaller age of old concrete can improve the bond performance.

Automated summary

The study found that an increase in interface fractal dimension would improve the splitting tensile strength (f(ts)). The influence of interface roughness on the bonding property of new-to-old concrete is significant, while the effect of freeze-thaw cycles mainly occurs in the initial stage of deterioration.