Integrating Construction Practices and Weather Into Freeze Thaw Specifications
It has been suggested that the freeze-thaw behavior of concrete can be related to the rate at which the concrete absorbs water and reaches a critical degree of saturation. After the critical degree of saturation is reached and frozen the sample begins to crack and the stiffness degrades rapidly. This mechanism was suggested by Fagerlund and then expanded by research completed under pooled fund - TPF-5-297. Despite these advancements, there is still more work that is needed. Current design practices for freeze thaw durability are not based on actual weather conditions and are instead based on artificial conditions created in ASTM C 666 testing of concrete. While these conditions seem to have been conservative, a better answer could be obtained if there was more information about how concrete wetted and dried in different environments. This research will use a novel way to measure this by combining low-cost data loggers to measure the moisture and temperature changes in a concrete sent to a number of different environments. This information will be combined with new models that account for the rate that concrete reaches a critical degree of saturation. This work will create specifications that are tailored for different weather conditions and also create a useful forensic tool that could be used to determine the loss in the life of a structure if a substandard concrete is placed. Freeze thaw damage can be suppressed by casting a small and well distributed bubble system in the concrete. The Super Air Meter (SAM) is a new method to measure the size and spacing of these bubbles while the concrete is still fresh by using sequential pressures. Under pooled fund TPF-5-297 the validity of the SAM was established in the lab and the field as well as several new tools were developed to improve the accuracy of the method. Testing was then done to investigate how different construction methods impact the air void system such as pumping. This work will aim to continue to develop the SAM and how different construction practices impact the air void system in fresh concrete. The ultimate goal of this work is to build on previous research efforts to produce improved specifications and advance existing test methods; while, improve the underlying understanding of freeze thaw damage. This work will specifically focus on construction practices and the impact of weather.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Programmed
- Funding: $840000
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Contract Numbers:
TPF-5(448)
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Sponsor Organizations:
Colorado Department of Transportation
2829 W. Howard Place
Denver, CO United States 80204California Department of Transportation
1227 O Street
Sacramento, CA United States 95814Idaho Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 7129
3311 W. State Street
Boise, ID United States 83707-1129Illinois Department of Transportation
2300 S. Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, IL United States 62764Iowa Department of Transportation
800 Lincoln Way
Ames, IA United States 50010Kansas Department of Transportation
Eisenhower State Office Building
700 SW Harrison Street
Topeka, KS United States 66603-3754Minnesota Department of Transportation
Transportation Building
395 John Ireland Boulevard
St Paul, MN United States 55155Missouri Department of Transportation
1617 Missouri Blvd.
P.O. Box 270
Jefferson City, MO United States 65102Nebraska Department of Transportation
1500 Highway 2
P.O. Box 94759
Lincoln, NE United States 68509-4759North Dakota Department of Transportation
608 East Boulevard Avenue
Bismarck, ND United States 58505-0700Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Keystone Building
400 North Street
Harrisburg, PA United States 17120Wisconsin Department of Transportation
PO Box 7910
4802 Sheboygan Avenue, Room 104
Madison, WI United States 53707-7910 200 NE 21st Street
Oklahoma City, OK United States 73105New York State Department of Transportation
50 Wolf Road
Albany, NY United States 12232 -
Managing Organizations:
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
200 NE 21st Street
Oklahoma City, OK United States 73105 -
Project Managers:
Curb, Ron
- Start Date: 20231108
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 0
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Air voids; Concrete pavements; Construction; Construction management; Freeze thaw durability; Specifications; Test procedures; Weather
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Environment; Highways; Materials; Pavements;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01731884
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
- Contract Numbers: TPF-5(448)
- Files: RIP, USDOT, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Feb 25 2020 9:08PM