Frost Durability of Very High Performance Cement-Based Materials

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study on the freeze-thaw durability and deicer salt scaling resistance of particular non-air-entrained very high strength cement-based materials. Variables investigated were the microsilica content (0, 10, and 20% by weight), as replacement of an equal amount of cement, and a different quantity of randomly dispersed steel microfibers (0, 2, 4% by volume). Very little research has been undertaken regarding this subject, and these materials are normally considered to be frost resistant because of their intrinsically low porosity. In addition to standard durability tests, compression and bending experiments have been conducted in order to compare the strength and the global response of both reference and freeze-thaw specimens. Tests confirmed the very good behavior of all compositions considered, even those containing high percentages of microsilica and high volume contents of steel microfibers.