Durability of concrete with different types of cement

Abstract

Adequate measures must be taken during the determination of the concrete composition for ensuring the durability of concrete exposed to an aggressive environment. The influence of the cement type on the freeze/thaw resistance with and without de-icing salt of concrete was tested. Samples were made using five types of cement. All types of concrete made according to the recommendations of the Serbian and European norms had the required frost resistance. Besides the respected recommendations, concrete made using cement with 35% mineral additions of fly ash and lime was not freeze/thaw resistant with de-icing salt. Weathering resistance for paving units is determined according to EN 1338 and EN 1339 for freeze/thaw resistance with de-icing salt or water absorption. Taking into account previous investigations, only samples which were made in accordance with the recommendations of the Serbian Building code requirements for concrete and reinforced concrete - BAB 87 and European norms EN 206-1 were tested. Regarding water absorption, it is expected that in the case of established production all types of concrete would be integrated into class 2 according to EN. Also, for two representative types of concrete with different air content and degree of damage done by destructive test, non-destructive test by device RapidAir 457 was done (specific surface, spacing factor, void frequency and average chord length).