A proposed laboratory method to evaluate the durability of concrete pavement joints against freezing in the presence of deicer salts

Abstract

Deicer salts were found to cause deterioration to the concrete pavement, particularly at joints. This paper introduces a laboratory procedure that engineers and scientists can use to evaluate the durability of joints. Concrete samples were tested under different salt concentrations and exposure conditions, including freeze–thaw cycles, wet–dry cycles, and a combination thereof. The test sample comprises a square slab measuring 200 mm × 200 mm × 120 mm and a joint running in the middle at 40 mm depth. The results showed that the test method needs to include two salts with two exposure conditions for accelerated damage. The first exposure used NaCl at a 10% concentration with 50 cycles of freeze/thaw–wet/dry alternating every 5 consecutive cycles. The second exposure used CaCl2 at a 15% concentration with 50 cycles of wetting and drying at 5 and 35 °C, respectively. Damage is assessed using the following two approaches: (1) strength loss under flexural loading and (2) visual damage.