ABSTRACT
Laboratory studies have been undertaken recently at Laval University to analyze the influence of various parameters on the frost resistance of high performance concrete. This chapter describes the results of the first part of the research program on the frost durability of high performance concretes at Laval University. The research project on the durability of high performance concrete initiated recently should help to verify various hypotheses and also to better understand the action of frost on the concretes. For the normal concretes, the critical spacing factor decreases from 500 μm at 0.50 to 400 μm at 0.30. This represents a reduction in durability. It is only if the water to binder ratio is reduced to 0.25 that the critical spacing factor increases, to 750 μm. For the silica fume concretes, tested in air or in water, the critical spacing factor increases slightly with the decrease of the water to binder ratio.
