Effects of Calcium-Based Deicing Chemicals on the Durability of Concrete Products

Abstract

Deicing chemicals have been widely used in cold regions to control snow and ice on the surfaces of concrete products. At present, the most widely used deicers are chlorides or acetates. Although the effects of the chloride- or acetate-based deicers on the durability of concrete products have been investigated, the impacts of the calcium-based deicers on the performance of concrete materials were barely discussed. In this study, the effects of calcium-based deicers on the durability of concrete materials with exposure to freeze/thaw (F/T) and wet/dry (W/D) cycles have been investigated in the laboratory. Three types of deicers, including calcium chloride (CaCl2), calcium acetate (CaAc2), and calcium formate (CaFm2), were used to compare their effects on the durability of concrete materials. The testing results show that the mechanical properties of concrete materials significantly declined after exposure to deicers along with F/T and W/D cycles. The microstructure analysis demonstrates that the reduction of the mechanical properties primarily resulted from the microstructure change after exposure to the F/T and W/D cycles in deicing chemical solutions. This study not only provides experimental results of the mechanical properties reduction regularity but also elucidates a potential degradation mechanism of the reinforced concrete products and structures from a perspective of the microstructure change.