Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Civil Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Hale, W

Committee Member

Murray, Cameron

Second Committee Member

Jones, Casey

Third Committee Member

Suraneni, Prannoy

Fourth Committee Member

Mitra, Suman

Keywords

calcium oxychloride; solution renewal; specimen geometry

Abstract

Abstract Access to sustainable infrastructure is critical for society. In the U.S., over $350 billion is spent annually to maintain roadways providing access to education, medical care, and citizen consumer needs. Maintaining service of these systems during severe winter weather events is a significant challenge for maintenance personnel across the country. The use of deicing/anti-icing materials to lower the freezing temperature is a popular mitigation technique used to provide reasonable driving conditions during these times. The combination of these materials, freeze/thaw cycles, and precipitation produce perpetual deterioration and corrosion within reinforced concrete pavements and bridges. In the U.S., over 60% of the roadways and 75% of bridges are constructed of reinforced concrete. In the concrete’s expansion joints, deicing/anti-icing materials such as calcium chlorides (CaCl2), mix with present moisture to create a highly concentrated solution, which begins leaching into the concrete. Thermal expansion intensifies crack propagation and solution ingress increases. The solution infiltrates and chemically reacts with innate cement hydration products, such as calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2). Mineralized crystalline formations, such as calcium oxychloride (CAOXY), develop within cracks and generate immense internal pressure increasing deterioration. The formation of CAOXY acts as a catalyst for critical deterioration due to its direct access to the materials required for chemical reaction, such as abundant calcium chloride, moisture, and inherent calcium hydroxides in the concrete. The need to understand this prolific concrete deterioration mechanism is incumbent on transportation administrators utilizing deicing/anti-icing materials on infrastructure. The literature surrounding CAOXY contains gaps in key areas, such as standardized laboratory procedures and connection of research results to field implementation. Research methods regarding specimen development and solution exposure programs are inconsistent and lack standardization, leaving potential variance in experimental results. Therefore, this research investigated correlation of differing prismatic shapes of concrete specimens with the effect of CAOXY formation. Additionally, the correlation between varying solution renewal and the effect of CAOXY deterioration on flexural beams was investigated. Lastly, this research evaluated the impact of CAOXY on reinforced concrete specimens cast uniquely to model a reinforced concrete expansion joint typically found in the profile of infrastructure. The effectiveness of two corrosion inhibiting sealers versus control specimens was employed as a means of interpreting this correlation. A consistent concrete mix design, along with common analysis methods were utilized to evaluate correlations across the research phases. Conclusions of the work include impact of specimen geometry, such as specimen surface area and planar intersection length, correlating to varying effects of CAOXY formation. Impact of solution renewal on CAOXY formation and deterioration was studied to evaluate validity in accepted solution storage practices. Correlation of industry sealers on specimens with reinforced concrete bridge expansion joints to mitigate chloride ingress, CAOXY deterioration, and steel corrosion was observed to vary in effectiveness due to the inconsistent application of the sealers in the expansion joint. The conclusions of this work support the need to review standardized laboratory procedures and industry

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