Funct. Mater. 2025; 32 (3): 446-457.

doi:https://doi.org/10.15407/fm32.03.446

Frost resistance and mesoscopic structure analysis of polystyrene granular concrete based on CT technology

Zhouping Yu1, Haoting Li1, Jianyu Yang2, Weijun Yang2

1 School of Architecture and Engineering, Shaoxing Institute of Technology, Shaoxing 312000, China
2 College of Civil Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410076, China

Abstract: 

In order to reduce the energy consumption in the building, in this paper, silica fume (SF) was used to partially replace cement in the production of granular polystyrene concrete, the effect of SF content on the strength and frost resistance of polystyrene granular concrete was investigated, and the evolution of pores and destruction of granular polystyrene concrete before and after freeze-thaw cycles at an acceptable level were analyzed using CT technology. The results showed that that the introduction of SF significantly increased the number of 0-0.5 mm diameter pores in polystyrene granular concrete, reduced the number of macropores and total porosity, optimized the pore structure, increased the matrix strength and improved the microstructure. With an SF content of no more than 20%, the strength and frost resistance of polystyrene concrete can be increased. With the SF content of 10-15%, the improvement in frost resistance of polystyrene concrete is more satisfactory.

Keywords: 
polystyrene granular concrete; silica fume; mechanical properties; frost resistance; CT technique; mesoscopic analysis

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