Final answer:
Concrete can lose up to 50% of its strength if it is frozen shortly after placement due to water in the mix expanding by about 9% when it freezes. This expansion can also cause severe damage in other contexts, such as fracturing engine blocks and compromising the integrity of cryopreserved biological cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
If concrete is frozen shortly after being placed, it can lose up to 50% of its strength. This loss of strength is due to the fact that water expands by about 9% when it freezes. The formation and growth of ice crystals create pressure within the fresh concrete, leading to potential cracking and compromising the material's integrity. This same expansion property of water is what exerts a tremendous force per unit area on any container when it freezes, which can cause it to fracture.
This characteristic of water is the reason why it's capable of fracturing engine blocks or boulders when the trapped water within them freezes. When concrete is frozen shortly after being placed, it can lose 50% of its strength. Freezing water in concrete leads to the formation of ice crystals which can cause the concrete to expand and potentially crack. The expansion of water during freezing can result in the weakening of the concrete structure
The potential expansion of water upon freezing and its consequences are significant in other industries as well. For example, in the realm of cryopreservation, the expansion and crystal growth can burst biological cells, making the preservation of whole bodies with the hope of future revival a challenging prospect.