Research Brief: Modeling the Freeze-Thaw Damage Mechanism in Cement
Name
CSHub_FT_Brief19.pdf
Size
224.15 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
8f5bafa9c5b321ef2d93615959ef2195
Author(s)
Zhou, Tingtao (Edmond)
Mirzadeh, Mohammad
Pellenq, Roland
Bazant, Martin
Date Issued
January 2019
Series/Report no.
MIT CSHub Research Brief; Volume 2019, Issue 1
Abstract
Freeze-thaw (FT) damage is a significant threat to roads and pavement, yet the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Conventional thinking attributes the damage to pressure generated by expansion of water upon freezing. However, this idea fails to explain three phenomena: 1) only above a critical degree of water saturation will FT damage occur; 2) the use of de-icing salt aggravates FT damage; 3) cement mortars loaded with benzene, a fluid that shrinks upon freezing, also experience FT damage. While salt crystallization, which occurs during freezing, is correlated with damage in some instances, its role still remains unclear.
Subjects
Cement
Poromechanics
Freeze-thaw damage
Persistent DSpace Link
