Effect of Sea Water on Frost Damage to Mortar and Cement Paste

Abstract

Serious deterioration of concrete usually occurs under the influence of both sea water and frost action in cold regions. In order to clarify the connection between pore structure and frost behavior of concrete surface as affected by sea water and freezing-thawing action, three series were carried out using small mortar and cement paste specimens. The first one was to investigate the effects of sea water on pore structure by means of mercury-intrusion porosity meter; the second one was to investigate the effects of sea water on products by means of X-ray diffraction; and the last one was to investigate the effects of sea water on freezable water by means of differential scanning calorimetry. Results obtained show that specimens immersed in sea water have many pores ranging in size of several hundred nm to thousand nm, and contain much more freezable water than those immersed in fresh water. When concrete is affected by both sea water and freezing and thawing action, the number of medium-size pores (100 nm to 1000 nm) and the amount of freezable water increase. There is good correlation between the total pore volume and the amount of freezable water. Accordingly, it is considered that marine concrete in cold regions deteriorates because the pore structure near the exposure surface becomes more porous and the amount of freezable water increases.