Etude de la résistance au gel de bétons contenant un fluidifiant
There is some controversy about freezing resistance of concrete containing superplasticizers. It has been quite convincingly demonstrated that, in some cases, such admixtures can significantly alter air-void systems in concrete. Some researchers believe, however, that concrete with superplasticizers can resist frost even when the air-void spacing factor is higher than the usual limit of 200 μm. The freeze–thaw cycle resistance tests described in this paper show that with the two types of concrete tested (a plain concrete with a water/cement ratio of 0.50 and a concrete with the same water/cement ratio but containing silica fume), the critical air-void spacing factor value is not significantly affected by the presence of a superplasticizer. When regular concrete is to be exposed to freeze–thaw conditions, the air-void system should meet the usual standards even when a superplasticizer is present. Key words: concrete, freezing and thawing, durability, superplasticizer, spacing factor, silica fume, water–cement ratio. [Journal translation]