The effect of zeolite on the freeze-thaw strength of concrete

Concrete has been the most widely used building material that has allowed buildings to stand for centuries. Since the day it was used in the construction industry, various studies have been carried out to improve some of its proporties. One of the most important issues to be developed is the behavior of concrete against freze-thaw effect. In this context, in the experimental study, the effect of air-entraining additive and non-additive samples produced by using different ratios of zeolite in the mixture on the freze-thaw resistance was investigated. Within the scope of the study, 72 cube samples with or without air-entraining additives in the size of 150x150x150 mm by using %5, %10, %15 Dmax=10 mm zeolite to the aggregate by weight in the mixture, %5, %10, %15 by weight to the cement up to 40 µ using ground zeolite, 40x40x160 mm sized samples with or without air-entraining additives and 72 samples with or without air-entraining additives in 40x40x160 mm size by using zeolite ground up to 40 µ by weight, %5, %10, %15 by weight, and river sand instead of fine aggregate sample was produced. In all series, the water/cement ratio was kept constant as 0.5 and samples with 350 kg/m3 cement dosage were produced. Compressive strength test and freze-thaw test were carried out on the 150x150x150 mm sized samples produced. Bending strength test, compressive strength test and freeze-thaw test were performed on 40x40x160 mm samples. At the end of the experimental study, it was determined that the compressive strength of the samples decreased significantly due to the porous structure of the Dmax=10 mm zeolite, and the use of %5 and %10 ground zeolite in the mixture according to the purpose of use of the structure improved the strength of the samples. In general, better results were obtained after the freeze-thaw test in all series produced using zeolite compared to the control samples.