La résistance au gel des bétons à haute performance
A literature survey of the frost resistance of high-performance concrete (HPC) is presented in this paper. Various aspects of HPC behaviour to frost, such as ice formation, resistance to internal microcracking and scaling, and air entrainment were discussed. The survey clearly indicates that the volume of ice formed in the 0 to −20 °C range is significantly reduced by the low porosity of HPC. This reduction is often accompanied by a significant improvement of the scaling resistance. Some studies even reveal the existence of a critical water/binder ratio below which air entrainment would not be required as a protection against this type of deterioration. However, this critical water/binder ratio would not apply to internal cracking. In many instances, HPC with no air entrainment were resistant to scaling but susceptible to internal microcracking. The behaviour of HPC to frost is discussed from both theoretical and applied points of view. Key words: frost resistance, high-performance concrete, ice formation, internal microcracking, scaling.