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Numerical simulation of the freeze–thaw behavior of mortar containing deicing salt solution

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Abstract

This paper presents a one-dimensional finite difference model that is developed to describe the freeze–thaw behavior of an air-entrained mortar containing deicing salt solution. A phenomenological model is used to predict the temperature and the heat flow for mortar specimens during cooling and heating. Phase transformations associated with the freezing/melting of water/ice or transition of the eutectic solution from liquid to solid are included in this phenomenological model. The lever rule is used to calculate the quantity of solution that undergoes the phase transformation, thereby simulating the energy released/absorbed during phase transformation. Undercooling and pore size effects are considered in the numerical model. To investigate the effect of pore size distribution, this distribution is considered using the Gibbs–Thomson equation in a saturated mortar specimen. For an air-entrained mortar, the impact of considering pore size (and curvature) on freezing was relatively insignificant; however the impact of pore size is much more significant during melting. The fluid inside pores smaller than 5 nm (i.e., gel pores) has a relatively small contribution in the macroscopic freeze–thaw behavior of mortar specimens within the temperature range used in this study (i.e., +24 to −35  °C), and can therefore be neglected for the macroscopic freeze–thaw simulations. A heat sink term is utilized to simulate the heat dissipation during phase transformations. Data from experiments performed using a low-temperature longitudinal guarded comparative calorimeter on mortar specimens fully saturated with various concentration NaCl solutions or partially saturated with water is compared to the numerical results and a promising agreement is generally obtained.

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Notes

  1. Certain commercial products are identified in this paper to specify the materials used and procedures employed. In no case does such identification imply endorsement or recommendation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology or Purdue University, nor does it indicate that the products are necessarily the best available for the purpose.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through PEGASAS center as Heated Airport Pavements Project (Task 1-C) and Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation (SPR-3864). The authors would like to acknowledge the support that has made its operation possible. The contents of this paper reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein, and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the FAA and JTRP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 550 Stadium Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Hadi S. Esmaeeli, Yaghoob Farnam & Pablo D. Zavattieri

  2. Materials and Structural Systems Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr., Stop 8615, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA

    Dale P. Bentz

  3. School of Civil & Construction Engineering, Oregon State University, 111 Kearney Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    W. Jason Weiss

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  1. Hadi S. Esmaeeli
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  2. Yaghoob Farnam
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Correspondence to W. Jason Weiss.

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Esmaeeli, H.S., Farnam, Y., Bentz, D.P. et al. Numerical simulation of the freeze–thaw behavior of mortar containing deicing salt solution. Mater Struct 50, 96 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-016-0964-8

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