Influence of Drying Conditions on the Durability of Concrete Subjected to the Combined Action of Chemical Attack and Freeze–Thaw Cycles

Abstract

The durability of concrete is critical for the service life of concrete structures, and it is influenced by various factors. This paper investigates the impact of the relative humidity (RH) of the curing environment on the durability of five different concrete types. The aim is to determine a suitable approach for designing concrete that is well-suited for use in the salt lake region of Inner Mongolia. The concrete types comprise ordinary Portland cement (OPC), high-strength expansive concrete (HSEC), high-strength expansive concrete incorporating silica fume, fly ash, and blast furnace slag (HSEC-SFB), steel fiber-reinforced high-strength expansive concrete (SFRHSEC), and high elastic modulus polyethylene fiber-reinforced high-strength expansive concrete (HFRHSEC). All these concrete types underwent a 180-day curing process at three distinct relative humidities (RH = 30%, 50%, and 95%) before being subjected to freeze–thaw cycles in the Inner Mongolia salt lake brine. The curing environment with a 95% RH is referred to as the standard condition. The experimental results reveal that the durability of OPC and HSEC decreases significantly with increasing relative humidity. In comparison with the control sample cured in 95% RH, the maximum freeze–thaw cycles for concrete cured in lower RHs are only 31% to 76% for OPC and 66% to 77% for HSEC. However, the sensitivity of the durability of HSEC-SFB, SFRHSEC, and HFRHSEC to variations in RH in the curing environment diminishes. In comparison with the corresponding reference value, the maximum freeze–thaw cycles for samples cured in dry conditions increase by 14% to 17% for HSEC-SFB and 21% for SFRHSEC. Specifically, the service life of HFRHSEC cured in a low RH is 25% to 46% higher than the reference value. The durability of HSEC-SFB, SFRHSEC, and HFRHSEC has been proven to be appropriate for structures located in the salt lake region of Inner Mongolia.