Begaviour of concrete at cryogenic temperatures

Abstract

This paper presents experimental results of stable three point bend tests on notched saturated concrete beams in a range of temperatures, from room temperature down to -170ºC. From these tests values of fracture parameters are calculated at different temperatures. The high increase in fracture energy, observed when lowering test temperature is compared with the trends dictated by a previous thermal activation analysis performed by Bazant. The essential conclusion is that a drastic microstructural change takes place between 10ºC and -70ºC.