This laboratory study employed synthesized urea-formaldehyde (UF) microcapsules and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microfibers as a self-healing system to improve the durability of concrete in cold climates. The resistance of concrete specimens to rapid freezing and- thawing (F/T) cycles was evaluated by measuring the change of relative dynamic modulus of elasticity (RDM) with respect to the number of F/T cycles. The control specimens (either with or without PVA microfibers) approached the failure state with a reduction of 38% in RDM after being subjected to 54 F/T cycles, whereas the self-healing specimens (either with or without PVA microfibers) remained in a good state with a reduction of approximately 10 to 15% in RDM after 732 F/T cycles. A polynomial regression model was developed to establish the relationship between the RDM and number of F/T cycles, and a three-parameter Weibull distribution model was employed to conduct the probabilistic damage analysis and characterize the relationship between the number of F/T cycles (N) and the damage level (D) with various reliabilities. The field service life of the self-healing concrete was then predictable at any given reliability.
He, J., Manawadu, A., Deng, Y., Zhao, J., & Shi, X. (2024). Frost Durability and Service Life Prediction of Self-Healing Concrete. ACI materials journal, 121(5), 23-37. Frost Durability and Service Life Prediction of Self-Healing Concrete
The funding support was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates (CESTiCC) and the WSU Excellence Fund donated by Simpson Strong-Tie Co.
