Influence of freezing rate on the cryo-deformation and cryo-damage of cement-based materials during freeze-thaw cycles

The specimen deformations of two mortars(M35,M50) were measured for different freezing rates to study the freezing rate influence on the material cryo-behavior.The hydraulic pressure,crystallization pressure as well as the effective pore pressure during the freezing phase are calculated based on the porosity distributions.The material damage process is quantified by the material matrix modulus loss.The results show that for more the viscous material M35,lower freezing rates create more damage due to longer freezing times,while for the more brittle material M50,higher freezing rates induce more damage due to higher hydraulic pressures.