Effects of Plateau Climate Environment on Concrete Performance

Abstract

Transportation construction on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has always attracted much attention, and the completion of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Railway, one of the four major projects in the new century, is bound to accelerate the economic development of the plateau region and the completion of more infrastructure. Therefore, concrete materials are widely used in the construction of the plateau region, and the long-term performance of its materials and structures in this environment is worthy of attention. The plateau climate has three main characteristics: large temperature difference, low air pressure, and low humidity, which makes the concrete withstand different degrees of damage from preparation to use, thereby reducing the overall carrying capacity and safety of the building structure, reducing its service life, and increasing the risk of building erosion by the environment. This paper mainly summarizes and analyzes the factors affecting the performance of concrete in the plateau environment, that is, temperature, humidity and air pressure, and on this basis, explores their comprehensive influence. The comprehensive study shows that temperature could cause a freeze-thaw cycle of concrete, resulting in continuous accumulation of internal damage of concrete; Low temperature could cause water migration in concrete, easily causing concrete shrinkage and carbonization; Low air pressure could reduce the shrinkage and durability of concrete structures. Based on a series of theoretical studies, this paper further discusses the relevant solutions applicable to various practical engineering problems.