Freeze-thaw cycle
Description
A degradative mechanism that occurs when ambient temperatures cycle above and below the freezing point of water. Freeze-thaw cycles cause spalling in masonry and potholes in pavement. At temperatures above the freezing point, liquid water can seep into crevices, pool in cracks, and collect in numerous fine pores of stone, pavement and concrete. When the temperature drops and the water freezes, the pressure of the ice due to its volume expansion splits and disrupt the integrity of the surrounding matrix.
See also Antifreeze and Ice melter.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Frost-Tau- Wechsel (Deut.);cycle gel-dégel (Fr.); ciclos de gelo-degelo (Port.)
Authority
- Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996