Frost resistance of ceramic building materials – factors of influence, standards and new test methods (Part 1)
![»1 Radius/freezing-point functions for water in cylindrical pores acc. to Brun and Stockhausen [3]](https://www.zi-online.info/imgs/101481041_19e7df528b.jpg)
This contribution provides information on major methods of characterizing the frost resistance of ceramic building materials. Testing is performed according to the standards-compliant, product-specific method of frost simulation in refrigeration units, e.g., in chest freezers. A test method devised at KI Keramik-Institut GmbH allows supplementary quantification of how product modifications and changes in technology affect frost resistance, independent of any defects established via frost simulation. Part 1 surveys the basic principles and applicable standards. Part 2, in which the test results will be presented, is scheduled to appear in Zi5/2013.
1 Introduction
For producers and users alike, frost damage on heavy clay products is a latent hazard that can be avoided by appropriately optimizing the product and the employed production technology. Frost resistance is demonstrated by means of special test methods. Due to the complexity and, in part, to the duration of the frost-exposure processes, product-specific loads and stresses are generated, with frost-induced defects occurring as a result. This is accounted for by product group-appropriate test conditions in the form of standard specifications. The tests are based on frost simulation...
