Effects of Temperature Variations on ASR-Induced Expansive Behavior

Abstract

Although it is well established that the expansion of concrete due to the alkali–silica reaction (ASR) is very sensitive to temperature, and real structures are inevitably subject to temperature variations, studies on ASR expansion at low temperatures are scarce. This paper presents the results of laboratory tests on concrete specimens subjected to different temperature conditions, including cyclic temperature variations. The experimental results indicate that high temperatures significantly accelerate early-stage expansion, but have minimal impact on late-stage expansion. A simplified simulation demonstrates that laboratory-derived data on expansion behavior at different temperatures cannot be directly applied to real-world scenarios with temperature variations. Further, averaging real-world environmental temperatures significantly reduces the accuracy of the simulation.