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Abstract: The effects of incorporating phase change materials (PCMs) into concrete on the potential service lives of bridges were investigated. It was determined that PCMs could potentially be used in the future to reduce the effects of freeze-thaw cycles on bridges, but more work needed to be done to improve the strength of concretes containing PCMs before this could be applied. It was determined that increasing the latent heat of fusion of the PCM, as well as selecting a PCM with an optimal TMELT could reduce the effects of freeze-thaw cycling. The thermal conductivity of the mortars used for testing was also determined, and it was found that an increase in thermal conductivity was only effective at reducing damage if the TMELT was in an optimal range. 

Reference: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 24, 8 (2012) 1034-1042

DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000381