Material and Environmental Aspects of Concrete Flooring in Cold Climate

Abstract

Dehydration of concrete floor slabs is a critical step to ensure that the flooring material adheres properly and that there is no moisture-related damage to the floor after installation. Dehydration in a cold climate is often a slow process, which can have a big impact on the overall duration of the construction project, and corresponding measures are often taken to accelerate the drying process, especially in constructions exposed to a cold climate. One common method, typically used to accelerate dehydration in cold weather, is to introduce internal heating cables into the slab. This method reduces the dehydration time, but may not be the best solution from a sustainability perspective. This paper presents a concept study of concrete flooring in a cold climate from a cradle to practical completion perspective. The study focused on the environmental and material aspects of the dehydration of concrete floors in a cast-in-place house. This paper showed that concretes with high water-cement ratios, which are typically preferred due to their low CO2 emissions, may require measures for accelerated dehydration, which ultimately results in a higher environmental impact. The importance of environmental studies is also highlighted to fully understand the environmental aspects of construction.

Formwork Engineering for Sustainable Concrete Construction

“…Higher temperatures accelerate the hardening process and strength development of concrete, which ultimately reduces the form pressure [76]. Rapid drying can however lead to shrinkage and cracking [77], so measures such as curing under wet burlap or plastic sheets may be necessary [78].…”

Environmental Sustainability of Building Materials in Turkey: Reference Information Recommendations for European Green Deal Declarations

“…The construction industry is responsible for onethird of the world's GHG emissions [8]. One of the components of concrete, the most fundamental building material today, is cement, and its production is an essential source of CO 2 emissions [9]. Additionally, concrete is usually produced off-site and transported to the site; this leads to GHG emissions from transportation [9].…”

“…One of the components of concrete, the most fundamental building material today, is cement, and its production is an essential source of CO 2 emissions [9]. Additionally, concrete is usually produced off-site and transported to the site; this leads to GHG emissions from transportation [9]. • Acidification potential (AP) expresses the building material's contribution to the environment's acidification [10].…”

Potential for Recycling Metakaolin/Slag-Based Geopolymer Concrete of Various Strength Levels in Freeze–Thaw Conditions

“…Therefore, frost resistance becomes one of the most important durability characteristics for concrete structures in these regions [14]. In such an environment, concrete constructions have a longer setting time, slower strength development, and a reduced dehydration rate [15], as well as water that penetrates the concrete and undergoes freezing and melting to generate expansion pressure, which escalates the quantity of internal cracks and voids within the concrete, thus reducing its durability [16,17]. With the influence of recurrent freeze-thaw cycles, the structure of buildings in cold regions transitions from compact to porous, markedly reducing the buildings' service life.…”