Abstract:In order to study the influence of different air pressure conditions on the frost resistance of concrete in the plateau area, freeze-thaw cycle tests were carried out on concrete under the conditions of 60 kPa, 80 kPa and 100 kPa air pressure curing, and an analysis was conducted on the effects of various air pressures on the frost resistance and pore structure of hardened concrete. Subsequently, a freeze-thaw damage model for concrete was established based on the relative dynamic elastic modulus, along with a predictive equation for concrete compressive strength utilizing this modulus. The test results show that the frost resistance durability of concrete under 100 kPa air pressure is the best, followed by 80 kPa frost resistance durability, and 60 kPa frost resistance durability is the worst. The analysis of the porosity structure of hardened concrete shows that the air-entraining capacity of the air-entraining agent will be affected when the ambient air pressure is reduced, reduces the air content inside the concrete and leads to an overall deterioration of the pore structure parameters, resulting in the decrease of the frost resistance of concrete in the low-pressure environment. The freeze-thaw damage model, along with the compressive strength prediction equation, both formulated using the relative dynamic elastic modulus, exhibit a high degree of fitting accuracy, which can reflect the freeze-thaw damage process of concrete under different air pressure conditions. This study can provide a reference for the freeze-thaw durability of water conservancy projects in plateau areas.