Freeze-thaw resistance of light-coloured basalt fibre reinforced concrete used for concrete paving

Abstract

Significant amount of research has been conducted in Turkey regarding concrete paving since 1990s. The service life of pavement should be planned for short, medium and long terms when concrete is selected for the pavement type. Factors like mix ratios, vehicle load, chemical degradation, energy damping, temperature effects, regional conditions, application type, freeze and thaw and gritting should be considered during the concrete planning phase. Furthermore, concrete roads provide improved night vision. Concrete roads are inherently light-coloured and they provide improved night vision absorbing less light when compared to darker asphalt paving. Concrete roads eliminate the risk of headlight reflection in wet conditions. This study investigates the strength and resistance properties of white, basalt fibre reinforced concrete. Basalt fibres of 6mm, 12mm and 24mm in length were added to the mixture, 2% by volume. Fibre lengths of 6mm and 12mm were found to be the most suitable as a result of strength and resistance tests. Samples produced using 24mm basalt fibres provided minimum loss of compressive strength after 100 f-t cycles.