Freeze-Thaw Endurance of Strain-Hardening Cementitious Composites with Low Clinker Content

Research output: Contribution to book/Conference proceedings/Anthology/ReportChapter in book/Anthology/ReportContributedpeer-review

Abstract

This paper delves into the influence of freeze-thaw (FT) cycles on the mechanical and cracking behavior of strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC). These composites were made using a low carbon cementitious matrix – limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) – and reinforced with 2 wt.% ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (PE) fibers. Performance evaluation was conducted through uniaxial tension tests at a quasi-static deformation rate. Some specimens were preloaded to 1% strain before FT exposure, while the others were investigated without any damage (virgin). All the specimens were then subjected to standard FT cycles as per RILEM recommendations (TC 117-FDC) and exposed to both de-icing salt solution and distilled water for a total of 180 cycles. Following this exposure, further uniaxial tensile tests until ultimate failure were carried out. Analysis of mechanical properties unveiled a marginal deterioration in tensile strength post-FT cycles compared to reference samples. However, all composites sustained a reasonable strain capacity of a minimum of 2.5%, with an average crack width controlled at around 100 µm. From a physical degradation standpoint, evident scaling manifested only when specimens encountered FT cycles in de-icing salt solution. In general, SHCC made of the LC3 matrix showed exceptional resilience to such challenging environments, maintaining a level of performance deemed satisfactory.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRILEM Bookseries
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media B.V.
Pages335-343
Number of pages9
Publication statusPublished - 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

Publication series

SeriesRILEM Bookseries
Volume54
ISSN2211-0844

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-6377-8336/work/173988288

Keywords

Keywords

  • Durability, Freeze-thaw, LC, Low-carbon composites, SHCC