Deicing Salt Scaling Resistance of High-Strength Concrete

Deicing salt scaling resistance of high-strength concrete with a water-cement ratio < or = 0.40 remains clearly under the CDF (Capillary Suction of Deicing Chemicals and Freeze-Thaw Test) acceptance criterion of 1,500 g/square meters after 28 freezing and thawing cycles even if no air-entrainment is used. It was confirmed by investigations that a high-strength concrete without air-entrainment and with a low water-cement ratio and consequently almost no capillary pores may have a very high freeze-deicing salt resistance. The effect of phase transformations in hydrated cement under freeze-deicing salt attack which is practically harmless in air-entrained concretes should, however, be taken into consideration when dealing with high-strength concretes without air-entrainment.