Influence of frost on the bond between steel and concrete

One of the severe types of deterioration in concrete structures is associated with the volume expansion of concrete caused by freezing and thawing of concrete. Frost damage in concrete is caused by the volume expansion of freezing water in the concrete pore system. Thereby, tensile stresses are initiated and micro and macro-cracks are introduced into the concrete body, which leads to a type of severe damage known as internal frost damage. This mechanism not only affects the material properties of concrete such as tensile and compressive strength and elastic modulus of concrete, but also, influences the bond strength between the reinforcement and surrounding concrete in damaged regions