Good concrete can be poorly affected by the use of chemicals, especially de-icing salts and fertilizers. Even properly placed concrete, concrete with low water-cement ratios and properly cured concrete is often affected by the use of these chemicals and can cause what is know in the industry as Spalled Concrete. Because of this, neither de-icing salts nor fertilizers should be used on the concrete for the first year after placement. Unfortunately, though, cities use salts and chemicals faster than they should. These chemicals can be tracked in by vehicles or even people walking. The chemicals can be picked up by tires, boots and undercarriages of vehicles and can be released back onto concrete surfaces. Care should be taken to properly protect concrete. If weather allows, inform snow removal contractors to remove as much of the snow and ice as possible, and not just let it melt away. It is too often the practice of such contractors to remove the minimum amount of snow and ice, and then over-salt so as to quickly move onto their next job.
Why Does This Happen?
For one to understand the damaging effects of salts and freeze-thaw cycles on concrete, it is first important to understand the nature of concrete and how it becomes hard. Concrete is made with 4 basic components: water, cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate. The water and cement become a paste which, in turn, reacts with the fine and coarse aggregates to form the hard material we call concrete. The curing process comes from a chemical process called hydration. This chemical reaction requires the cement and water to combine. As the cement and water combine, the chemical compounds also interact with the aggregates. When combined properly, there is minimal spacing between the aggregates. The gradation of the aggregates is important for the durability of the concrete. By using several sizes of aggregate, the voids in the concrete mix are filled with aggregate.
The cement, or binder, is made from limestone and clay. These materials are crushed, ground and then heated to 3,000°F. This process creates several new compounds that form the cement, including:
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