Moisture evaluation of concrete pavement treated with hydrophobic surface impregnants

Abstract

Despite excellent service history, concrete pavement faces accelerated deterioration due to water and chemical ingress through micro cracks and surface voids. Surface protection could be an inexpensive way of enhancing the durability of concrete pavement. This research focuses on evaluating the performance of three surface applied hydrophobic materials with different chemistries; fluoropolymer, silicate resin and sodium acetate crystallising material. Tests consisted of a microscopic study to assess the mechanism of treatment, contact angle and pendulum tests to evaluate the hydrophobicity and frictional properties of treatment respectively. Also, surface absorption and water intake tests were conducted to appraise the resistance of treatment to absorb water. It was found that all three materials are capable of developing a hydrophobic effect in concrete, but with different efficacy in reducing water absorption. The rate of water absorption was minimum for sodium acetate compared to fluoropolymer and silicate resin treatments. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis revealed different interaction approaches for the three materials with concrete.

Basic Chemical Tests of Concrete during the Assessment of Structure Suitability—Discussion on Selected Industrial Structures

“…If a structure is continuously exposed to aggressive chemical factors, this process becomes progressive. Corrosion processes can be significantly delayed by using various types of concrete surface protection against the penetration of aggressive factors [3][4][5] or the use of low absorption concrete [6].…”

Resistance of hydrophobic concrete with different moisture contents to advanced freeze–thaw cycles

“…The effectiveness of these types of materials depends primarily on the extent of penetration that they can achieve More penetration depth inside the pores will result in better protection 13,24 . However, some uncertainties regarding their performance, durability, and impact on the environment were raised by some recent research 22,25,26 . The failure of such materials to protect wet concrete surfaces and the inclusion of some certain organic solvents in their chemical structure, which adversely affects the environment, prompted researchers to aim into some alternative water‐tolerant and environmentally sustainable products 14,16,27,28 .…”

“…Researchers, therefore, have expanded their research to include some new materials that are environmentally sustainable and have the ability to function well in the presence of water. Sodium acetate, fluoropolymer, and silicone resin were among these materials that offered an environmentally friendly alternatives to silane and siloxane with optimum protection when applied to wet surfaces 22,26 …”

Integration of Anhydrous Sodium Acetate (ASAc) into Concrete Pavement for Protection against Harmful Impact of Deicing Salt

“…[23][24][25][26] However, the use of solvent-based materials in these treatments, their improper performance when applied to wet surfaces, and their inconvenient application methods, especially for concrete roadways and bridges which must be closed to vehicles, have driven researchers to seek new alternate environmentally friendly materials. [27][28][29][30][31] Accordingly, water-based materials and silicon compounds have been introduced to address the disadvantages of solvent-based materials in general and of silane/siloxane in particular. 29,30 However, little research has been carried out on the internal integration of anhydrous sodium acetate (ASAc) into concrete for such protection purposes, 32 and a thorough literature search did not find any technical research discussing protection against chloride ingress using such material.…”