Developing and Characterizing Self-Healing Concrete for Bridge Decks

Details

• Creators:
  Banerji, Srishti ; Nazari, Mehrnoosh
• Corporate Creators:
  Utah State University. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Corporate Contributors:
  Utah Department of Transportation ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Bridge Decks Concrete Cracking Customer Satisfaction Deicing Chemicals Repairing Snow Removal Winter Maintenance
• Publication/ Report Number:
  UT-25.23
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Utah
• Edition:
  Final Report August 2023 to June 2025
• Corporate Publisher:
  Utah Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  This study investigates the self-healing potential of concrete with quicklime (CaO) aggregates, inspired by Roman concrete, to extend the service life of transportation infrastructure. Three concrete mixtures – control (0% quicklime), 2% quicklime (C-Q 2%), and 4% quicklime (C-Q 4%) – were tested for fresh properties, mechanical performance, durability, and crack-healing efficacy under cyclic water/air-drying and deicing salt solution/air-drying conditions. Microcracks with widths from 100 to 200 μm (0.004–0.008 inches) and 200 to 300 μm (0.008–0.012 inches), and macrocracks with widths from 300 to 550 μm (0.012–0.022 inches), were monitored over 180 days using optical microscopy, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), water flow tests, and SEM-EDS. The addition of 4% quicklime reduced workability and setting time but improved compressive and tensile strength by up to 63% and 54%, respectively, due to enhanced C-S-H formation. Durability improvements included reduced chloride permeability, 23% higher electrical resistivity, increased abrasion resistance, and lower freeze-thaw mass loss. Microcracks exhibited more effective healing than macrocracks, with quicklime mixtures outperforming the control mixture, and comparable healing performance observed between the 2% and 4% dosages. Specimens with 4% quicklime achieved 100% surface closure for microcracks and up to 13.8% UPV gain, indicating substantial internal healing. Macrocrack healing ranged from 24% (water) to 69% (deicing salt), though salt exposure often led to superficial NaCl crystallization. Internal healing was more reliable, with water slightly favoring microcracks and deicing salt enhancing macrocrack healing via NaCl-facilitated CaCO₃ nucleation. SEM-EDS analysis confirmed a transition from C–S–H as the dominant healing product in control specimens to CaCO₃ in quicklime mixtures.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  248255
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a2026ad890246ff046ac9e7e92c296d20eda117384ca8df70b9c91af712b7f95b8a6325b645fb972468edd52160e90904949d82f1a9a482e1387d78846a0ea8d
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88347/dot_88347_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.80 MB ]