Investigation of Some Durability Properties of Concrete Pavements Containing Nanoparticles

Mechanical and durability properties of concrete structures, including concrete pavements, have been a focus of attention. In this regard, the potential of nanomaterials needs to be discussed more. Water permeability, abrasion, and compressive strength are assessed in this study. So far, the incorporation of diverse types of nanomaterials with different methods has caused the enhancement of some mechanical and durability properties of concrete. In the present study, five types of nanoparticles as nanoSiO2, nanoTiO2, nanoAl2O3, nanoFe2O3, and nanoFe3O4 in different amounts were uniformly dispersed and added to the concrete. To reduce the cost and decrease the required nanomaterials, specimens were made in two layers. The surface layer of specimens was made from self-compacting concrete containing nanoparticles with 1 cm depth, which was placed over the bottom layer from conventional concrete with different depths depending on the tests. The test results indicated that the properties of concrete pavements containing nanoparticles are improved comparing to the control specimen. For instance, in specimens containing nanoTiO2 as much as 3% by the weight of cement, the water permeability improved by 84.6%. Furthermore, the abrasion resistance of specimens containing nanoSiO2 at an amount of 1% was enhanced by 88.1%, and the addition of 3% of nanoSiO2 raised compressive strength by 88%.