Volumetric stability and elastic properties of concrete subjected to simulated service exposure conditions on road pavements

Expressway and highway pavements are exposed to intensive impacts of exploitation, including heavy vehicle traffic and environmental factors such as temperature and moisture along with the aggression of de-icing agents. Proper selection of mineral aggregates and design of the concrete mixture composition are important for the durability of the concrete pavement. Experimental tests were conducted on concrete under simulated service exposure conditions with external exposure to a 3% sodium chloride solution. The subject of the research was the expansion and elastic properties of air-entrained concrete made with siliceous aggregates from rocks containing moderate amounts of reactive minerals. The category of reactivity of coarse aggregates was uncertain, and in the fine aggregate was moderately reactive quartz sand. Under simulated service exposure conditions on road pavements, the significant expansion of concrete specimens and a significant decrease in the resonance elastic modulus up to 12.5% were observed. The tendency of concrete to expand was related to the presence of reaction products of reactive silica in the aggregate grains with sodium and potassium hydroxides in the cement paste [ASR], confirmed by microscopic observations. Replacement of Portland cement with CEM II/A-V 42.5 N cement and CEM II/B-S 42.5 N cement significantly reduced concrete expansion and improved the stability of elastic properties. In two of the nine concrete mixtures, the selected content of siliceous fly ash and granulated blast furnace slag, 18% and 30%, respectively, turned out to be sufficient to counteract the deleterious effects of the ASR under conditions of external contact with sodium chloride solution. A practical method for predicting the durability of concrete in the conditions in which the reactivity category of the aggregate from local natural resources is uncertain was established.