Effect of wetting-drying cycles on mortar samples affected by DEF

This article, which deals with the effect of wetting-drying (W-D) cycles on materials affected by delayed ettringite formation (DEF), has two main objectives. The first is to observe whether W-D cycles pre-damage samples, by using the replica technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of replicas show that W-D cycles lead to microcracks in the samples. The second objective of the study is to observe whether the cycles are necessary for development of DEF or if they only accelerate DEF. A study of the expansion of the samples shows that cycles accelerate the appearance of expansion but they are not a prerequisite for triggering DEF.