Why Air-Entrained Concrete Is Your Best Bet Against Winter Pavement Damage

Winter is a time for snow and cold, but it could also mean more damage to your pavement! If you don’t want to spend all of your hard-earned money at the end of winter on repairing cracks in your driveway or sidewalk, air-entrained concrete may be the solution. Air-entrainment creates air pockets in cement paste when mixed with water. These air pockets increase strength and toughness, preventing cracking because ice expansion does not occur quickly due to these air bubbles.

This blog post will explain how air-entrained concrete can help protect against winter pavement damage.

Resistance to Freeze-Thaw Cycle

Winter air can be harsh on your concrete. Water inside the concrete will freeze and expand, causing cracks, or it might cause the air to dry out. Either way, winter air will have a detrimental effect on your pavement over time if you don’t do something about it. Air-entrained concrete offers protection from winter by keeping water in the mix of ingredients that make the cement. This type of concrete also has increased resistance to freezing and drying out, so you no longer need to worry about damage.

Resistance to Chemical Attack

A common cause of the degradation of concrete is a chemical attack. When exposed to chemicals, concrete lacking air entrainment will experience more damage than air-entrained concrete, including deicing salts and road salt brines. Deicers are used routinely on many pavements across the country during winter months to keep roads open.

Air-entrained concrete is highly resistant to chemical attack, which causes air voids in the paste of non-air-entrained concrete to collapse. As air voids collapse, it can lead to damage beyond surface scaling and includes spalling, cratering, or pops.

Air Entrainment Provides Resistance Against Thermal Shrinkage Cracking

The air that is entrained within the concrete paste during mixing protects from thermal shrinkage cracking. There are two types of shrinkage in cementitious materials: volumetric and elastic. Volumetric shrinkage occurs when a material loses water, causing it to dry out and decrease in volume. Elastic shrinkage occurs when there is a temperature change, causing the material to contract or expand.

Air entrained concrete has air dispersed within it, so when shrinkage occurs, the air is trapped and provides resistance against cracking due to the volumetric change because of water loss. Air entrainment also helps protect from thermal expansion by using air as a cushion between particles that can cause damage to the pavement in winter.

Increased Durability

When air-entrained concrete is utilized in the pavement, it provides increased durability because of its resistance to cracking and longer service life. Entrained air also reduces the possibility for frost heave at lower temperatures, which helps reduce potholes during winter months.

Affordable Sealing & Striping, Inc. is a concrete replacement, asphalt patching and crack sealing company that provides affordable services for driveways, parking lots, walkways, or trails in Estes Park. We provide free estimates for our high-quality services so you can make an informed decision. If you require air-entrained concrete installation, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

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