Multi-scale thermo-poro-mechanical simulation of the frost resistance of low-heat and moderate-heat hydraulic concrete considering the aging microstructure

Hydraulic concrete structures in cold regions are vulnerable to freeze-thaw damage. This paper proposes a multi-scale simulation analysis approach to investigate the mechanical properties and frost resistance of Low-heat Portland (LHP) cement, Moderate-heat Portland (MHP) cement, and Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. The hydration heat, hydration degree, pore size distribution, and compressive strength of LHP, MHP, and OPC concrete at different curing ages, as well as the ice amount, expansion strain, and mechanical properties under different freeze-thaw cycles are calculated and compared. Due to the lower early-hydrated C₃S content of LHP and the higher later-hydrated C₂S content, the porosity of LHP after 90d curing is lower than that of MHP and OPC, resulting in better mechanical properties and frost resistance. On this basis, the evolution model proposed in this paper can quantitative analysis the frost resistance of cement paste based on different content of C₃S and C₂S, which provided a feasible method for predicting the frost resistance of hydraulic concrete structures in cold regions.