Predicting concrete durability by the degree of its hydration.

A search for comprehensive criteria to predict the durability of concrete has been made. It was demonstrated that the compressive strength of concrete/ mortar for the cements examined under this project, in some cases (weight loss in frost resistance testing, carbonization of prisms from fine-grained concrete) is a sufficient parameter to assess compliance with the acceptance criteria. However, compressive strength is not a reliable indicator of other charac- teristics, in particular, resistance to chloride penetration, damage to the internal structure in the Capillary Suction, Internal Damage and Freeze-Thaw test (CIF), as well as surface peeling in the Capillary Suction of Deicing Solution and Freeze-Thaw test (CDF). The criteria for assessing the compliance of these factors of concrete durability with the required parameters were found using the figures for the degree of hydration of cement stone, and the porosity of standard mortars. To determine the parameters the tests of hardened concrete are not needed. The compressive strength of concrete is evaluated by the properties of cement stone and mortar.

Author: S. Palm, C. Mueller, A. Wolter

Section: Concrete

Keywords: concrete durability, compressive strength, frost resistance, chloride diffusion, carbonization