Jun Yang, Zhao Zheng, Jiahui Guo, Longjie Li, Xue Ma, Yuxiang Li
The composition of polymer-modified cement-based repair materials was optimized, and their freeze–thaw resistance under airport deicer exposure was evaluated. The results showed that when the mass ratio of ultrafine cement, sulfoaluminate cement, and gypsum was 12:4:1, the mortar exhibited superior mechanical properties. The 1-day flexural, compressive, and bond strengths reached 7.7 MPa, 42.39 MPa, and 8.19 MPa, respectively. After 28 days, these strengths increased to 9.4 MPa, 76.91 MPa, and 19.41 MPa. Based on this optimized formulation, waterborne epoxy resin (WER) and carboxylated styrene–butadiene (SB) latex were added to improve the bonding performance between the substrate and the repair material. When WER was incorporated, the 28-day bond strength reached 24.45 MPa at a 5 % dosage. In contrast, the SB latex system achieved a maximum increase of only 2.60 MPa. After 28 freeze–thaw cycles in potassium acetate and potassium formate airport deicers, the cumulative mass loss of the WER-modified repair material remained below 600 g/m². This indicated superior freeze–thaw resistance compared with the SB latex-modified material and far better performance than ordinary airport pavement concrete. Crushing tests on repaired concrete specimens after freeze–thaw cycling showed that failure mainly occurred in the old concrete substrate rather than at the repair interface. Furthermore, the calcium leaching of the polymer-modified cement-based repair materials was much lower than that of the concrete substrate. Overall, the proposed polymer-modified repair material provides a reliable and practical solution for rapid airport pavement rehabilitation in cold regions under airport deicer exposure. • Polymer reduces hydration rate of cement-based materials and inhibits ettringite crystallization. • 5 % waterborne epoxy resin enhances the bonding strength to 24.45 MPa. • Polymer modification enhances freeze-thaw resistance under airport deicers.