A new frost salt scaling mechanism for concrete pavements based on brine rejection from ice layer adhered to concrete surface

In cold regions, highways, airfields or sidewalks are exposed to de-icing agents to thaw the ice layer on pavement surface. In this situation, a progressive surface damage that pulls off flaky chips from concrete pavement takes place. This damage is named as frost salt scaling. To produce scaling-resistant concrete and prevent the damage in the field, the deterioration mechanism should be understood well. For this aim, a number of mechanisms have been hypothesised in literature. However, there is no unique one which can be used to explain all observations from laboratory tests and field applications. In this study, a novel hypothesis that is built on earlier findings in literature is introduced. According to the proposed mechanism, the pressure applied by forced brine from outer strong ice layer, which adhered to surface, causes scaling in the strongly ice adhered regions. The published events that are unexplainable by a unique former mechanisms proposed in literature related to the frost scaling are rationalised based on the proposed mechanism.