PURPOSES : In this experimental study, the resistance of blended cement concrete containing air-cooled slag (AS) and water-cooled slag (WS) to freeze–thaw action was investigated. For comparison, the durable performance of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete exposed to a similar damage environment was also evaluated. METHODS : Based on the ASTM C 666 standard, the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity, mass ratio, surface electric resistivity, and compressive strength of blended cement concrete specimens were periodically measured and compared with those of OPC concrete to evaluate the durability of concrete exposed to the freezing-thawing environment. In addition, microstructural characteristics of deteriorated concrete parts were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques to detect products formed by freeze–thaw action. RESULTS : It was found that the resistance of blended cement concrete containing AS and WS to freeze–thaw action was significantly better than that of OPC concrete. Furthermore, the SEM results revealed the frost damage of OPC concrete, owing to the formation of thaumasite. CONCLUSIONS : The application of AS in concrete can effectively improve the durability of concrete, particularly in freeze–thaw environments.

PURPOSES : This paper presents the experimental results of tests conducted on concrete produced with air-cooled (AS) and water-cooled (WS) ground blast-furnace slag exposed to multi-deterioration environments of carbonation and scaling. METHODS : Carbonated and uncarbonated concrete specimens were regularly monitored according to the ASTM C 672 standard to evaluate the durability of concrete exposed to both scaling and combined carbonation and scaling conditions. Additionally, mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, flexural strength, and surface electric resistivity, were analyzed. RESULTS : It was found that concrete specimens produced with AS and WS had a beneficial effect on the mechanical properties because of the latent hydraulic properties of the AS and WS mineral admixtures. Moreover, carbonated concrete showed good scaling resistance in comparison to uncarbonated concrete, particularly for concrete produced with AS and WS. CONCLUSIONS : The improved scaling resistance of carbonated concrete showed that AS is a suitable option for binders used in cement concrete pavements subjected to combined carbonation and scaling.

PURPOSES : Durability of concrete is traditionally based on evaluating the effect of a single deterioration mechanism such as freezing & thawing action, chloride attack, carbonation and chemical attack. In reality, however, concrete structures are subjected to varying environmental exposure conditions which often results in multi-deterioration mechanism occurring. This study presents the experimental results on the durability of concrete incorporating air-cooled slag(AS) and/or water-cooled slag(WS) exposed to multi-deterioration environments of chloride attack and freezing & thawing action. METHODS: In order to evaluate durable performance of concretes exposed to single- and multi-deterioration, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity, mass ratio and compressive strength measurements were performed. RESULTS: It was observed that multi-deterioration severely affected durability of concrete compared with single deterioration irrespective of concrete types. Additionally, the replacement of cement by AS and WS showed a beneficial effect on enhancement of concrete durability. CONCLUSIONS : It is concluded that resistance to single- and/or multi-deterioration of concrete is highly dependent on the types of binder used in the concrete. Showing the a good resistance to multi-deterioration with concrete incorporating AS, it is also concluded that the AS possibly is an option for concrete materials, especially under severe environments.

The world-wide need to reduce the energy used and the greenhouse gases emitted during cement manufacture has led to the pursuit of more eco-efficient materials, such as ground granulated blastfurnace slag(GGBS) and fly ash. Especially, GGBS is a by-product generated during the manufacture of pig ions. GGBS can be divided into water-cooled slag(WS) and air-cooled slag(AS). With comparison of WS, the AS is formed by allowing the molten slag to cool relatively slowly under ambient conditions. This study presents experimental findings on the mechanical and durability performance of cement concrete pavement with replacement of cement by WS and/or AS. In order to produce concrete specimens, total replacement of cement by GGBS(WS+AS) was fixed at 40% by mass. Concrete specimens were regularly monitored for the variation of mechanical properties such as flexural strength, compressive strength and initial surface absorption. In addition, in order to assess durability of concrete pavement with WS and/or AS, the chloride ion penetration resistance and scaling resistance tests were adopted, and the corresponding results were compared to those of plain concrete pavement. The test results indicated that the performance of concrete pavement was significantly dependent on the replacement level of WS by AS. Concrete specimens incorporating 20% replacement level of AS showed a poor mechanical performance, while 5% replacement of AS showed a beneficial effect both mechanical and durability performance. Especially, the 5% AS replacement led to the higher resistance of concrete pavement against frost-salt action. Based on the experimental results, the present study would be helpful to design high-performance cement concrete pavement.