Development of a Test Method to Evaluate Durability of Concrete Control Joints Against De-Icer Salts

This thesis introduces a test method that can be used to evaluate the integrity of control joints. Different salt concentrations and exposure conditions are tested including freeze-thaw cycles, wet-dry cycles and a combination thereof. The test sample is composed of a square block measuring 200x200x120 mm and a joint running in the middle at 40 mm depth. It was revealed that, for accelerated damage to be induced, the test method needs to include two salts with two conditions. The first exposure uses NaCl at 10% concentration with 50 cycles of freeze/thaw- wet/dry alternating every 5 consecutive cycles. The second exposure uses CaCl2 at 15% concentration with 50 cycles of wetting and drying at 5°C. Damage assessment is carried out using two approaches: 1) strength loss under flexural loading and 2) visual damage. The proposed method needs more optimization but is a step in the direction of testing different configuration of joints and concrete properties.