Freeze-Thaw Crack Determination in Cementitious Materials Using 3D X-ray Computed Tomography and Acoustic Emission

Published

March 8, 2018

Author(s)

Edward Garboczi, Jason Weiss, Yaghoob Farnam, Yasmina Shields

Abstract

Cracking in concrete due to freeze-thaw cycles is known to damage the structural integrity of materials and provides venues for water and ionic species to penetrate into concrete pores and create additional damage due to corrosion of reinforcement or chemical reaction. This thereby reduces the service-life of concrete structures. In this study, X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used as a non-destructive technique to characterize the microstructure and the interior configuration of mortar samples that were previously exposed to different levels of freeze-thaw damage by varying degree of saturation in the samples (75, 90, 95, and 100 % degrees of saturation). An acoustic emission (AE) technique was used during freeze-thaw cycles to investigate sample cracking behavior. The volume and the locations of cracks present within the mortar samples after freezing and thawing were determined using X-ray CT and compared to passive acoustic emissions data. The crack sources (i.e., void, aggregate, interfacial transition zone, or paste) were determined using X-ray CT and were related to AE activities and signatures during cracking. Crack volumes were found to increase with increased levels of saturation, and visual observations of cracking were found to closely align with AE signatures of various crack sources.

Citation

Cement and Concrete Composites

Volume

89

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2018.03.004

Local Download

Keywords

3D X-Ray, Acoustic Emission, Concrete, Fracture, Freeze-Thaw

Citation

Garboczi, E. , Weiss, J. , Farnam, Y. and Shields, Y. (2018), Freeze-Thaw Crack Determination in Cementitious Materials Using 3D X-ray Computed Tomography and Acoustic Emission, Cement and Concrete Composites, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2018.03.004, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=923900 (Accessed October 27, 2025)