Durability of Concrete in Cold Climates

This comprehensive and authoritative review of durability of concrete in cold environments will enable concrete materials specialists and practising engineers to understand the mechanisms responsible for deterioration of concrete through freeze/thaw action.

This book provides a comprehensive and authoritative review of durability of the frost resistance of concrete. It will enable both concrete materials specialists and practising engineers to better understand the deterioration processes which take place during freezing and thawing, and the effects of de-icing salts on concrete. It shows how test procedures can be used to provide worthwhile information and explains the many problems associated with their use. Durability of Concrete in Cold Climates explains how concrete can be designed and produced to be durable in cold environments, through careful selection of materials, mixture composition and proper use of air entrainment. It is fully illustrated with photographs and diagrams and contains over 250 references to sources and other publications. The main topics covered are: theories of frost ction and de-icer salt scaling mechanisms; laboratory tests; influence of materials and mix characteristics; air entrainment; field performance; and frost durability of dry concretes.