Patent ID: 8739634

Claim:
A method for predicting freeze-thaw durability of a cementitious composition specimen comprising: a) providing a cured specimen; b) contacting the specimen with a microstrain gauge sensor capable of detecting specimen size changes; c) soaking the specimen in water; d) preventing moisture loss from the specimen during temperature cycling; e) equilibrating the specimen in a test chamber at an initial temperature above the freezing point of water; f) conducting temperature cycling by: i) cooling the test chamber interior containing the specimen from the initial temperature to a temperature below the freezing point of water contained in specimen micropores; ii) holding temporarily the test chamber interior at the lowest temperature achieved by said cooling; iii) warming the test chamber interior to a temperature above the freezing point of water; iv) holding temporarily the test chamber interior at the highest temperature achieved by said warming; g) optionally repeating said temperature cycling; h) capturing information from the microstrain gauge sensor during the temperature cycling to identify microstrain experienced by the specimen as a function of at least one of test chamber interior temperature or specimen temperature; and, j) converting said sensor information to specimen microstrain data in at least one of a machine readable or operator readable format representing specimen contraction or expansion.