Experimental investigation on salt frost scaling of textile‐reinforced concrete

With the aim of reducing life cycle costs and dead weight, there are various concepts for replacing bridge pavements and sealants with high‐performance concrete. The corrosion resistance of textile reinforcements allows the realization of thin reinforcement layers that fulfill this objective. However, the textile‐reinforced concrete used as a road surface must meet the particular requirements relating to frost resistance and, specifically, scaling. An investigation on an existing structure indicated the influence of textile reinforcements on frost resistance. Therefore, the present investigations focus on the frost scaling of different combinations of a carbon reinforcement and fine‐grained concrete. For this purpose, a multistage research design is used. First, the influence of the reinforcement and the concrete mix on the capillary porosity is investigated. The capillary porosity of concrete is directly related to its resistance to freeze–thaw scaling. This resistance is examined using the slab‐test method. Finally, the influence of the frost exposure on the pull‐off strength, which is crucial for the strengthening of structures, is determined.