The influence of curing on restrained shrinkage cracking of bonded concrete overlays

The influence of seven practical curing regimes on restrained shrinkage cracking of bonded concrete overlays was investigated. The influence of the curing regimes on the individual material properties governing restrained shrinkage cracking and on the age at cracking and crack area of ring tests and composite overlay–substrate specimens was investigated for three laboratory-made mixes of differing strengths and one commercial repair mortar. The results of the experimental testing showed that curing influences all of the material properties governing restrained shrinkage cracking. Prolonged or more effective curing was shown to either delay or reduce the rate of shrinkage respectively (dependent on the curing method), increase the tensile strength and elastic modulus, and decrease the tensile relaxation. In general, prolonged or more effective curing was shown to have a positive influence on restrained shrinkage cracking by increasing the age and net age at cracking.     

Effect of cracking in drying and shrinkage specimens

The significance of cracking and microcracking caused by nonuniform drying shrinkage of test specimens is analyzed. To assure that no cracks are produced by drying in load-free specimens, one must lower the environmental humidity gradually and sufficiently slowly, and use very thin specimens (about 1 mm thick). Graphs for the maximum admissible rate of change of environmental humidity, calculated from both linear and nonlinear diffusion theories, are provided. The spacing and width of parallel cracks due to drying are estimated from fracture mechanics considerations. In normal size specimens the drying cracks are usually too narrow to be visible. Drying leads to discontinuous microcracking rather than continuous macrocracks and is represented better as strain softening than as an abrupt stress drop. Shrinkage cracking can increase drying diffusivity by several orders of magnitude.     

Failure mechanisms and tensile relaxation of bonded concrete overlays subjected to differential shrinkage

Restraint of shrinkage deformations is the main factor influencing the serviceability and durability of bonded concrete overlays. Failure mechanisms associated with differential shrinkage stresses are cracking and debonding. Tensile overlay relaxation may release a considerable amount of the imposed stresses and is therefore of major importance for the performance of the overlay. Composite specimens were used for the identification of fundamental characteristics of strain development of bonded concrete overlays, with regard to different interface textures and overlay materials. The development of overlay strains and material parameters in relation to the observed mechanisms of overlay failure allowed an estimation of the magnitude of tensile relaxation. A simplified approach to tensile stress relaxation in bonded overlays is introduced.     

水泥基体参数对水泥砂浆干缩性能的影响

采用干缩实验研究水灰比、灰砂比、水泥细度等水泥基体参数对水泥浆干缩性能的影响。结果表明,水灰比在0.35～0.60时,砂浆的干缩率随水灰比增大而增大;其它条件不变时,砂浆的干缩率随胶砂比增大而明显增大,随水泥细度提高而增大;高标号水泥的干缩率大于低标号水泥,水泥标号相同时,P.II>P.F>P.S;矿渣微粉比粉煤灰更适用于生产高性能水泥和高性能混凝土;减缩剂能明显减小水泥砂浆的干缩率。     

Experimental study on the basic phenomena of shrinkage and cracking of fresh mortar

Evaporation, horizontal shrinkage, settlement, setting and capillary pressure of mortar mixes were measured during first hours with samples which were exposured to wind (velocity 4 m/s, T = 20 °C and RH 40%). The effects of different admixtures (super plasticizer, accelerating, retarding, air-entraining agent and one type of fibre) on the shrinking behaviour of the mortars were studied accordingly. The well-known fact that proper long-term wet curing is vital for the crack-free surfaces of concrete or mortar was confirmed experimentally. The beginning of setting can be regarded as a critical moment. After that the mortar has capacity to resist the capillary forces and thus shrinkage. The mix modified by super plasticizer behaved unexpectedly, and the surface of the sample cracked. This cracking was indicated by zig-zag behaviour in the measured horizontal shrinkage and capillary pressure. Air- entraining agent reduced horizontal shrinkage considerably. Use of fibre reduced shrinkage about 30% when compared to mix without fibre. Based on the results some conclusions are drawn concerning properly limed trowelling on horizontal shrinkage.     

养护条件对水泥砂浆干缩性能的影响

实验研究了养护条件(包括干燥前养护时间、干燥前养护温度和干燥时相对湿度)对砂浆干缩性能的影响。比较了养护时间(1 d,3 d,14 d),养护温度(20℃,60℃),相对湿度(30%,43%,75%)等对水泥砂浆干缩性能的影响。研究结果表明:延长干燥前养护时间,各砂浆干缩率增大;提高干缩前养护温度,不掺矿物外加剂的水泥砂浆干缩率减小,而掺矿物外加剂的水泥砂浆干缩率增大;干燥时相对湿度增加,水泥砂浆干缩率降低。     

Evaluation of the effects of drying shrinkage on the behavior of concrete structures strengthened by overlays

The present contribution focuses on the experimental evaluation of the effects of drying shrinkage on the behavior of concrete structures strengthened by overlays. To this end a comprehensive laboratory test program is presented. Tests on thin concrete slices served for determining the water desorption isotherm and the ultimate drying shrinkage strains. The time and depth dependent mass water content distributions and the evolution of the drying shrinkage strains were measured on concrete prisms and on larger brick-shaped concrete specimens during two years of drying. After two years of drying the brick-shaped specimens were supplemented by a concrete overlay. Measurements of the mass water content distribution were continued during water jetting and subsequent wetting of the top surface. In addition, the shrinkage strains were recorded in the composite specimens during subsequent drying.     

Influence of fly ash fineness on strength, drying shrinkage and sulfate resistance of blended cement mortar

In this paper, the influence of fineness of fly ash on water demand and some of the properties of hardened mortar are examined. In addition to the original fly ash (OFA), five different fineness values of fly ash were obtained by sieving and by using an air separator. Two sieves, Nos. 200 and 325, were used to obtain two lots of graded fine fly ash. For the classification using air separator, the OFA was separated into fine, medium and coarse portions. The fly ash dosage of 40% by weight of binder was used throughout the experiment. From the tests, it was found that the compressive strength of mortar depended on the fineness of fly ash. The strength of mortar containing fine fly ash was better than that of OFA mortar at all ages with the very fine fly ash giving the highest strength. The use of all fly ashes resulted in significant improvement in drying shrinkage with the coarse fly ash showing the least improvement owing primarily to the high water to binder ratio (W/B) of the mix. Significant improvement of resistance to sulfate expansion was obtained for all fineness values except for the coarse fly ash where greater expansion was observed. The resistance to sulfuric acid attack was also improved with the incorporation of all fly ashes. In this case the coarse fly ash gave the best performance with the lowest rate of the weight loss owing probably to the better bonding of the coarse fly ash particles to the cement matrix and less hydration products. It is suggested that the fine fly ash is more reactive and its use resulted in a denser cement matrix and better mechanical properties of mortar.     

The shrinkage of hardening cement paste and mortar

This paper is an abstract from the report of the commission B10: “The influence of the shrinkage of cement on the shrinkage of concrete”, of the Netherlands Committee for Concrete Research.Measurements of pulse velocity, volume shrinkage and heat of hydration on hardening portland cement support the idea that the formation of ettringite is an important link in the mechanism of shrinkage in the plastic stage of cement paste and mortar.Mechanical tests on prisms of 4 × 4 × 16 cm³ gave some information about the difference in sensitivity to surface corrosion of different types of cement.     

水泥浆体早期的自收缩和干燥收缩

水泥浆体早期(<7 d)收缩行为已受到越来越多的关注,利用波纹管法测量自收缩,通过测量不同水灰比净浆的自收缩和干燥收缩来评价早期收缩.试验结果表明,与其他方法相比,波纹管法能直接准确地测量早期自收缩.养护1 d后测量初长为基准测量自收缩会忽略水泥浆体早期很大一部分自收缩,初凝后10 min开始测量较为合理.由于很多工程中实际养护条件不足,以养护3 d初长为基准测得的干燥收缩不能准确反映真实的早期干燥收缩.     

A study on moisture diffusion in drying and drying shrinkage of concrete

It is the purpose of this paper to clarify the behavior of moisture existing in concrete as drying occurs, and the relationship between moisture loss and drying shrinkage. Assuming that the behavior of moisture existing in concrete when drying was governed by nonlinear diffusion equation, the diffusion coefficient was expressed as a function of the moisture content by the experiment. The surface factor was also determined by the experiment. The relationship between diffusion coefficient or surface factor and the water-cement ratio of concrete were given. It was shown that the shrinkage strain was closely related to moisture loss.     

Autogenous and drying shrinkage of alkali-activated slag mortars

Shrinkage of alkali-activated slag (AAS) cement is a critical issue for its industrial application. This study investigated the mechanisms and effectiveness of shrinkage-reducing agent (SRA) and magnesia expansive agent on reducing autogenous and drying shrinkage of AAS mortars that were activated by liquid sodium silicate (LSS) solution with modulus (SiO₂/Na₂O molar ratio) of 0-1.5. The results showed that the autogenous shrinkage of AAS mortars increased with the increase of LSS modulus from 0 to 0.5, then decreased as modulus increased up to 1.5. The drying shrinkage consistently increased with the increase in the modulus of LSS. The oxyalkylene alcohol-based SRA could significantly reduce the autogenous and drying shrinkage of AAS mortars while the magnesia expensive agent was comparatively less effective. The autogenous shrinkage of AAS mortars was inversely proportional to the internal relative humidity, while the drying shrinkage was more related to the mass loss of samples. Mathematical models were established to describe the autogenous and drying shrinkage behavior of AAS mortars.     

Modelling the severity of plastic shrinkage cracking in concrete

Plastic shrinkage cracking (PShC) is one of the earliest forms of cracking in concrete as it occurs within the first few hours after the concrete has been cast. Concrete elements with large exposed surfaces are especially vulnerable to PShC. Many researchers have proposed models to simulate plastic shrinkage, bleeding and to predict the occurrence of PShC. In this paper a model to predict the degree of PShC is proposed. This model, the so called PShC Severity Model, is based on the volume of water that evaporates from the concrete between the placing and the initial setting time of the concrete. This model was verified using a large number of PShC test results. A further study was also done on the effect of the addition of low volumes of synthetic micro fibres on the degree of PShC. It was found that the addition of the fibres effectively reduces the PShC Severity value.     

X-ray absorption study of drying cement paste and mortar

X-ray absorption was used to observe water evaporation with hydration time in paste and mortar specimens, with the aim of studying the influence of water/cement (w/c) ratio, presence of aggregates, curing conditions on drying during early hydration. For the samples subjected to surface drying immediately after mixing, there exists a moisture gradient within the internal part of the specimen. However, obvious top-down drying only occurs within a small zone near the surface for early age cement pastes and mortars. The evaporation rate of water is very high in the first day after casting and is drastically reduced afterwards due to the formation of a microstructure that greatly improves specimens resistance to moisture loss. Mortars reveal a slightly lower evaporation rate since the aggregate increases the length of the transport route because of a larger tortuosity. However, the effect of sealed curing is much more important than the tortuosity effect of the aggregates.     

Integrated shrinkage,relative humidity,strength development,and cracking potential of internally cured concrete exposed to different drying conditions

Internal curing (IC) technology using prewetted lightweight fine aggregates (LWFAs) as additives has been proved an effective means for mitigating both autogenous shrinkage and early-age cracking under sealed curing conditions. However, for practical structures in the field, concrete experiences more complex environmental conditions compared to under sealed curing. To better utilize internal curing technology for durable concretes, this study conducts comprehensive investigations on both control and internally cured concretes at water/cement (w/c) ratio of 0.3 and 0.4 in terms of the influence of age when concrete is exposed to drying and the drying duration on the developments of integrated shrinkage, internal relative humidity, compressive and flexural strengths, mass loss, and cracking potential. The results are beneficial for producing internally cured concrete with increased resistance to early-age cracking and enhanced durability for infrastructure applications.     

异形截面PP纤维增强砂浆抗塑性开裂性能研究

选择截面为圆形、三角形、三叶形3种聚丙烯(PP)纤维增强水泥砂浆,采用平板约束法、荧光分析技术和单根纤维拔出实验,分别研究PP纤维增强砂浆的抗塑性开裂性能、纤维分散性能和纤维/基体界面粘结性能。结果表明:当纤维长度、当量半径和体积掺量相同时,异形截面PP纤维提升砂浆抗塑性开裂性能的效果优于圆形截面PP纤维;与圆形截面PP纤维相比,三角形和三叶形截面PP纤维的纤维有效利用率分别提高了17.65%和29.41%,比表面积分别提高了28.6%和37.1%,纤维/基体的界面剪切强度分别提高了3.4%和8.9%;纤维的分散性、比表面积和纤维/基体界面剪切强度的提高是异形截面PP纤维有效提高砂浆的抗塑性开裂能力的主要原因。     

In-mold shrinkage and stress prediction in injection molding

In-mold shrinkage may occur for product parts that solidify under low holding pressure and are not restricted by ribs or flanges. It not only affects the final product dimensions but in addition may have a large effect on the residual stress distribution. A simple elastic model is used to study the effect of in-mold shrinkage on final product dimensions and residual stress distributions. Friction between polymer surface and mold wall as well as deformation of the mold cavity are taken into account. The model uses local values for temperature, pressure, and crystallization, which belong to the standard output of most simulation codes.     

Study on effects of solar radiation and rain on shrinkage, shrinkage cracking and creep of concrete

In this paper, the effects of actual environmental actions on shrinkage, creep and shrinkage cracking of concrete are studied comprehensively. Prismatic specimens of plain concrete were exposed to three sets of artificial outdoor conditions with or without solar radiation and rain to examine the shrinkage. For the purpose of studying shrinkage cracking behavior, prismatic concrete specimens with reinforcing steel were also subjected to the above conditions at the same time. The shrinkage behavior is described focusing on the effects of solar radiation and rain based on the moisture loss. The significant environment actions to induce shrinkage cracks are investigated from viewpoints of the amount of the shrinkage and the tensile strength. Finally, specific compressive creep behavior according to solar radiation and rainfall is discussed. It is found that rain can greatly inhibit the progresses of concrete shrinkage and creep while solar radiation is likely to promote shrinkage cracking and creep.