Hydraulic concrete in cold regions is necessary for good frost resistance. The utilization of finely ground PS (FGPS) in the construction of hydropower projects could solve the pollution issue and the fly ash shortage problem. In this work, the influence of FGPS and fly ash on frost resistance, pore structure and fractal features of hydraulic concretes was investigated and compared. The main results are: (1) The inclusion of 15–45% FGPS reduced the compressive strength of plain cement concretes by about 21–52%, 7–23% and 0.4–8.2% at 3, 28 and 180 days, respectively. (2) The inclusion of FGPS less than 30% contributed to the enhancement of 180-day frost resistance. At the same dosage level, the FGPS concrete presented larger compressive strengths and better frost resistance than fly ash concrete at 28 and 180 days. (3) At 3 days, both the addition of FGPS and fly ash coarsened the pore structures. FGPS has a much stronger pore refinement effect than fly ash at 28 and 180 days. The correlation between frost resistance of hydraulic concrete and pore structure is weak. (4) At 28 days, the incorporation of FGPS and fly ash weakened the air void structure of hydraulic concrete. At 180 days, the presence of FGPS and fly ash was beneficial for refining the air void structure. The optimal dosage for FGPS and fly ash in terms of 180-day air void refinement was 30% and 15%, respectively. The frost resistance of hydraulic concretes is closely correlated with the air void structure. (5) The pore surface fractal dimension (Ds) could characterize and evaluate the pore structure of hydraulic concretes, but it was poorly correlated with the frost resistance.

Cement-based materials, including cement paste, mortar, and concrete, are the most widely used construction materials in the world [...]

Concrete has always been indispensable as a material for the engineering and construction of hydraulic structures (e [...]