ABSTRACT
It is shown, theoretically and experimentally, that the water content is the dominating factor for frost resistance and frost damage. It is also shown, that a piece of a saturated material is frost resistant only when its size is smaller than a certain critical size. By using the critical size and the shape and size distribution of coarse pores, a critical moisture content can be calculated theoretically. The critical moisture content can also be determined experimentally. In nature, the material absorbs moisture. The water absorption can be simulated by simple water uptake tests. A theoretical analysis indicates a method of extrapolating the long-term water absorption in the coarse pores from short-term laboratory experiments. By comparing the critical moisture content with the extrapolated moisture uptake, a potential service life can be calculated.
