Degradation characteristics of graphite tailings cement mortar subjected to freeze-thaw cycles

• Published in: Construction & building materials Vol. 234; no. C; p. 117422
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhong-Rui, Li, Ben, Liu, Hong-Bo, Zhang, Yu-Xin, Qin, Xiao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Elsevier Ltd 20.02.2020; Elsevier
• Subjects: Comprehensive characteristics; Freeze–thaw cycles; Graphite Tailings Cement Mortar (GTCM); Material properties; Comprehensive characteristics; Graphite Tailings Cement Mortar (GTCM); Freeze–thaw cycles; Material properties
• ISSN: 0950-0618; 1879-0526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117422

•Graphite tailings replace sand for mortar in this paper.•GT has a significant improvement in the frost resistance of cement-based materials.•When GT is 20%, mechanical properties and frost resistance can be developed synergistically. This paper investigated the comprehensive properties and material characteristics of graphite tailings cement mortar (GTCM) subjected to different freeze–thaw cycles. The results show that the graphite tailings (GT) substantially improved the frost resistance of cement-based materials. Simultaneously, the mechanical properties of GTCM-20, GTCM-30 and GTCM-40 samples substantially improved at 75 N and 25 N, and this phenomenon was explained by the changes in the pore structure and meso-morphology of the GTCM. Finally, the results indicate that the optimal addition of GT for preparing a cement-based material for cold regions is 20% because of the synergistic development of the mechanical and antifreeze properties.