Concrete is the most used building material. With the increasing growth of industries and urbanization globally; the demand for concrete is increasing significantly. Ordinary Portland Cement (PC) is the binder used to produce typical concrete. Unfortunately, for every ton of manufactured cement about 0.61-ton CO2 is emitted into the earth’s atmosphere. As a result, several solutions have been implemented to reduce the usage of this material in the production of concrete. This includes its partial or full replacement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) or alternative binders. Some of these combinations could be problematic to be used in cold climates due to a lower developed hydration heat, slower setting, or worse frost durability.

In winter the immediate exposure of fresh concrete to freezing temperatures results in pore ice formation and could delay or completely stop the hydration process. This is commonly prevented by using an additional heating system installed in concrete or the formwork. Unfortunately, usually, it adds complexity, increases the price, and depending on the used power source, could increase the CO2 footprint. Another potentially simpler and more sustainable solution is to modify the concrete itself by adjusting the mix design, by using certain chemical admixtures and special cementitious binders.

This research aimed to better understand how partial replacement of Portland cement with GGBFS and/or CSA cement affects the properties of concretes exposed to freezing and subfreezing temperatures in a fresh state and at a young age. The secondary aim was to evaluate a possible application of UHPC to protect new and existing concrete structures from frost damage.

The research included a literature review of methods used to produce concrete structures at zero and subzero temperatures. A special emphasis was on the application of chemical and mineral admixtures that could eliminate the need to use heat treatments. The output of this analysis enabled to narrow the scope of the research.

The experimental program focused on the optimization, testing, and analysis of mixes containing various combinations of chemical admixtures, CSA cement, and Portland cement. Tests included exposure to freezing and subfreezing temperatures. The aim was to lower the freezing point of water and promote faster hydration and strength gain. Fresh and hardened properties were determined for all produced concretes. The phase transition of pore water into ice, the ice-forming temperature, and their effects on the binder matrix were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Other tests included ultrasonic pulse velocity measurements (UPV), bond test (pull-off), scanning electron microscope (SEM) for analysis of the microstructure and phase composition, frost durability evaluation with Båras test, semi-adiabatic calorimetry to study hydration processes, compressive strength measurements.