Frost Resistance Number to Assess Freeze and Thaw Resistance of Non-Autoclaved Aerated Concretes Containing Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag and Micro-Silica.

Aerated concrete (AC), such as cellular concrete, autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), and non-autoclaved aerated concrete (NAAC), having excellent insulation properties, is commonly used in buildings located in cold regions, such as Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan, the second coldest capital city in the world, because it can contribute to a large energy saving. However, when the AC is directly exposed to the repeated freeze and thaw (F-T) cycles, its F-T resistance can be critical because of lower density and scaling resistance of the AC. Moreover, the evaluation of the F-T resistance of the AC based on the durability factor (DF) calculated by using the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity may overestimate the frost resistance of the AC due to the millions of evenly distributed air voids in spite of its weak scaling resistance.