Effect of mineral filler type on autogenous shrinkage of self-compacting concrete

Based on an experimental programme, including autogenous shrinkage tests on concrete, ultrasonic monitoring of fresh concrete, and mercury intrusion porosimetry, the influence of the filler type on the autogenous shrinkage of self-compacting concrete has been investigated. The onset of percolating structure formation (time zero) is influenced by the filler type due to a possible accelerating effect of the filler on the cement hydration. Limestone filler accelerates the hydration process, and reduces time zero, while this is not the case when using quartzite filler. Using fly ash, showing only a slight acceleration, a slight reduction of time zero is obtained. A very significant swelling peak is noticed during the first day. This swelling peak is not a measuring artefact, but is caused mainly by water absorption on the filler surface and resulting disjoining pressure. Some part of the swelling peak might also be caused by Ca(OH)₂ crystallisation. The fineness of the filler is an important factor for this swelling behaviour, although also the nature of the filler seems to have an influence. The superplasticiser also interacts with the fillers, influencing the swelling behaviour. The different filler types used in this study did not lead to significant differences in critical pore diameter of the microstructure. This might explain why no significant differences have been found in final autogenous shrinkage values using the different filler types.     

Autogenous shrinkage of concrete: a balance between autogenous swelling and self-desiccation

According to physical analyses, the driving force of autogenous shrinkage of concrete is the change in the capillary pressure induced by self-desiccation in its cement matrix. Self-desiccation is caused by the balance between the absolute volume reduction (chemical shrinkage) and the building up of the capillary network. The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of the cement characteristics on the chain of mechanisms leading from hydration to autogenous deformations. Four parameters were selected: (i) for clinker, the amount of C₃A and free lime and the SO₃/K₂O ratio; (ii) for cement, the fineness. To master the experimental area, 16 cements were prepared at the laboratory from pure raw materials. An important number of characterizing techniques were used in the experimental study. Their choice was based on the important parameters drawn from the physical analysis: setting time, suspension-solid transition, hydration kinetics through isothermal calorimetry and nonevaporable water, chemical shrinkage, evolution of relative humidity, capillary porosity and autogenous shrinkage. Using different techniques allowed to determine the precise mechanism of action of each parameter. Results showed that these mechanisms are generally different, even if their macroscopic consequences may be identical. This point will probably be useful for modeling and determining the industrial keys reducing the autogenous shrinkage. The physical mechanisms involved in autogenous deformations were further understood. In particular, this study shows that initial autogenous shrinkage should be considered as a balance between the self-desiccation and an initial swelling phase. The influence of the four parameters considered on this last phenomenon were also characterized.     

Effect of water-to-cementitious materials ratio and silica fume on the autogenous shrinkage of concrete

This paper presents an experimental study on the autogenous shrinkage of Portland cement concrete (OPC) and concrete incorporating silica fume (SF). The results were compared with that of the total shrinkage (including drying shrinkage and part of the autogenous shrinkage) of the concrete specimens dried in 65% relative humidity after an initial moist curing of 7 days. The water-to-cementitious materials (w/c) ratio of the concrete studied was in the range of 0.26 to 0.35 and the SF content was in the range of 0% to 10% by weight of cement.The results confirmed that the autogenous shrinkage increased with decreasing w/c ratio, and with increasing SF content. The results showed that the autogenous shrinkage strains of the concrete with low w/c ratio and SF developed rapidly even at early ages. At the w/c ratio of 0.26, the autogenous shrinkage strains of the SF concrete were more than 100 micro strains at 2 days. For all the concretes studied, 60% or more of the autogenous shrinkage strain up to 98 days occurred in the first 2 weeks after concrete casting. The results indicated that most of the total shrinkage of the concrete specimens with very low w/c ratio and SF exposed to 65% relative humidity after an initial moist curing of 7 days did not seem to be due to the drying shrinkage but due to the autogenous shrinkage.     

Experimental study on the failure mechanism of recycled concrete

In this study, Young's modulus, strength, and peak strain of recycled concrete under both compressive and tensile loading were experimentally studied to understand its failure mechanism. Due to the different colors of natural aggregates, old hardened mortar, new hardened mortar, and interfacial transition zone (ITZ), the quantity and the distribution of each phase were analyzed by images processing and analysis of cut sections. With the tests, the failure processes and crack situation of the recycled concrete under tensile and compressive loadings were illustrated. It was found that some mechanical properties of recycled concrete are similar to those of mortar, for instance, lower Young's modulus, higher peak strain and more brittleness, due to a larger volume content of both new and old hardened mortar. When compared with old hardened mortar, new hardened mortar has more significant influence on both the strength and the Young's modulus of recycled concrete.     

原材料对水工大坝混凝土自生体积变形的影响试验研究

自生体积变形是评价大坝混凝土抗裂性能的关键指标之一,但一直以来针对原材料对混凝土自生体积变形的影响缺乏系统全面的试验研究。本文选用三种水泥、四种粉煤灰、两种骨料、两种膨胀剂,采用原材料逐项替换的方式成型大坝全级配和湿筛二级配混凝土试件,测试其自生体积变形。试验结果表明,全级配混凝土的自生体积变形收缩量显著低于湿筛二级配混凝土;随着水泥中MgO含量的增大,混凝土自生体积变形收缩量减小;高钙、高碱粉煤灰混凝土的自生体积变形收缩率增大;相对于花岗岩骨料,灰岩骨料混凝土的自生体积变形收缩量更小;MgO类复合膨胀剂对大坝混凝土自生体积变形具有显著的调节改善作用,但在选用时还需要同时考虑膨胀剂对混凝土微观结构、长期力学性能、耐久性等各项性能的影响。     

Effect of fly ash on autogenous shrinkage

The correlation between autogenous shrinkage and degree of hydration of fly ash was determined with the selective dissolution method. Then, the relationship between the degree of hydration of fly ash and autogenous shrinkage was examined. The results showed that the degree of hydration of fly ash increased as its Blaine surface area increased. The degree of hydration of fly ash increased with time, and autogenous shrinkage increased corresponding to the increase in the degree of hydration of fly ash. Moreover, it was found that the total quantity of Al₂O₃ in cement-fly ash samples affected autogenous shrinkage at early ages, but the long-term influence was very small.     

Contribution of mixture design to chemical and autogenous shrinkage of concrete at early ages

In this work, autogenous shrinkage at early ages (<24 h) was accurately measured by linear displacements on slabs simulating field constructions. The best correlation of the amount of chemical to autogenous shrinkage was found at the time of 4 h after the final setting time. It was possible to account for test arrangement artifacts, such as thermal dilation, to get a measure of pure autogenous shrinkage. Many material parameters, such as superplasticizer (SP) and aggregate amount, effected the magnitude of autogenous shrinkage in secondary ways. These consequential effects, such as amount of bleed water and time of setting, were accounted for in the slab measurements. Recommendations are given for reducing the likelihood of cracking due to early age chemical and autogenous shrinkage.     

Internal curing of high-performance concrete with pre-soaked fine lightweight aggregate for prevention of autogenous shrinkage cracking

The effectiveness of internal curing (IC) to reduce autogenous shrinkage cracking in high-performance concrete (HPC) was investigated using different levels of internal curing on four pairs of large-size prismatic HPC specimens tested simultaneously under free and restrained shrinkage. Internal curing was supplied by pre-soaked fine lightweight aggregate (LWA) as a partial replacement to regular sand. It was found that the use of 178 kg/m³ of saturated LWA in HPC, providing 27 kg/m³ of IC water, eliminated the tensile stress due to restrained autogenous shrinkage without compromising the early-age strength and elastic modulus of HPC. It was shown that the risk of concrete cracking could be conservatively estimated from the extent of free shrinkage strain occurring after the peak expansion strain that may develop at very early ages. Autogenous expansion, observed during the first day for high levels of internal curing, can significantly reduce the risk of cracking in concrete structures, as both the elastic and creep strains develop initially in compression, enabling the tensile strength to increase further before tensile stresses start to initiate later.     

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.     

应用MK-V型热收缩仪对纤维材料热收缩性的试验研究

介绍了英国Testite公司生产的MK－V型热收缩仪的基本特性以及在轮胎纤维材料的入厂检验，纤维材料的覆胶工艺确定及纤维材料热性能研究等方面的应用，指出MK－V型热收缩仪是一种多用途的仪器，操作简单，实用性强，可广泛用于对多种不同种类纱线的热性能测定。     

Effect of micropore structure on cellular concrete shrinkage

This paper presents the results of studies on the effect of micropore structure on the shrinkage of autoclaved cellular concrete with sand aggregate. It has been found that the shrinkage of cellular concrete is the function of volume and specific surface of micropores of radii $\text{75 <}\text{r}\text{< 625}\text{A}\text{?}$. On the base of mathematical analysis the requirements concerning the micropore structure of cellular concrete have been proposed to ensure the proper shrinkage characteristic of this material.     

再生混凝土透水砖试验研究*

针对建筑垃圾的处理的问题,提出了将废弃混凝土破碎、清洗、分级处理成再生骨料,采用正交试验方法用这种骨料制备透水砖,同时,考虑了粒径、水泥用量、砂率及水灰比等因影因素对透水砖性能的影响。研究结果表明,当骨料粒径为10-20 m,水泥用量为420 kg/m³,砂率为9%,水灰比为0.31时,满足再生混凝土透水砖的标准要求;分别建立了粒径、水泥用量、砂率及水灰比等影响因素与透水系数、抗压强度的回归方程;最后,建立了透水系数与抗压强度的二次曲线拟合方程。     

玄武岩制备混凝土的试验研究

海南玄武岩储藏量丰富,为将其合理利用,进行了玄武岩磨细成微粉用作混凝土掺合料的实验.实验以单掺的方式研究了玄武岩对混凝土强度、需水量和氯离子的影响,并通过扫描电子显微镜对其各龄期形貌和水化产物进行观察.实验结果表明：玄武岩掺量达到30％时仍能配制合格的C45混凝土;掺入玄武岩粉的混凝土抗氯离子渗透性能大大提高.     

再生混凝土抗压强度试验研究

设计3种不同再生骨料取代率的再生混凝土立方体试件,分别在7 d、14 d、28 d、100 d龄期进行抗压强度试验,结果表明：长龄期再生混凝土立方体抗压强度有所增大,但高取代率比低取代率的抗压强度降低,再生混凝土后期强度增长速率高于普通混凝土。对试验室实测的再生混凝土立方体抗压强度与试验龄期进行拟合,拟合结果相关系数均大于0.97,吻合结果较好。     

Autogenous relative humidity change and autogenous shrinkage of high-performance cement pastes

In this paper, the effects of water to cementitious material ratio (w/cm), silica fume (SF) and ground blast-furnace slag (GBFS) on autogenous relative humidity (RH) change and autogenous shrinkage (AS) of high-performance cement pastes were studied. The mechanism of self-desiccation caused by mineral admixture and reduction of w/cm were studied by the parameters of mineral admixture self-desiccation-effect coefficient k and efficient w/cm r_e proposed. Furthermore, the relationship between autogenous RH and AS of high-performance paste was established. The results indicate that w/cm is a chief factor that affects autogenous RH change and AS of cement pastes. The lower the w/cm of paste is, the more reduction the autogenous RH and the increment of AS are. SF increases autogenous RH reduction and AS increment of cement paste at early ages, and GBFS increases autogenous RH reduction and AS increment at later ages. The effect of mineral admixtures on autogenous RH change of paste resulting from self-desiccation can be reflected effectively by the nonlinear equation with the parameters of k and r_e. There exists a good linear correlation between autogenous RH change and AS of cement pastes.     

Evaluation of a basic creep model with respect to autogenous shrinkage

This paper shows the results obtained from an experimental study to evaluate a basic creep model. In this study, four different mixture proportions were placed, and tests on the specimens for autogenous shrinkage and basic creep were conducted with respect to age and stress level. The primary test variable was the water/cement ratio (w/c).From this research, it was found that for low w/c concrete, as well as at an early age of normal-strength concrete, a significant difference exists between apparent basic creep (including autogenous shrinkage) and real basic creep (excluding autogenous shrinkage). Furthermore, creep strain was not directly proportional to the applied stress level after one day. It was also discovered that when the current basic creep model that includes autogenous shrinkage is used in creep analysis, considerable errors as well as some computational problems may result. We therefore recommend modifying the equations of the current basic creep model with respect to autogenous shrinkage.     

Relation between the molecular structure and the efficiency of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) as concrete admixture to mitigate autogenous shrinkage

Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) were studied as admixtures for mitigating the autogenous shrinkage of a high-strength concrete. The presence of Ca²⁺ ions in the alkaline solution modified the kinetics of the liquid uptake and release when compared to that in other saline solutions and distilled water. SAP with high density of anionic functional groups took up the cement pore solution quickly, but greatly released it subsequently. The cross-linking density had no pronounced influence on the behaviour of such SAP. SAP with lower density of anionic groups did not release the liquid over the time of experiment. All SAP counteracted autogenous shrinkage during the acceleration period of cement hydration. For the materials which released the absorbed pore solution no effect on autogenous shrinkage was found beyond the initial period. SAP materials which did not release the absorbed solution in the experiments with liquids continued the mitigation of autogenous shrinkage during the deceleration period. The internal curing had no negative effect on the compressive strength of the mortar.     

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.     

Experimental study on properties of pervious concrete pavement materials

In this paper, a pervious concrete pavement material used for roadway is introduced. Using the common material and method, the strength of the pervious concrete is low. Using smaller sized aggregate, silica fume (SF), and superplasticizer (SP) in the pervious concrete can enhance the strength of pervious concrete greatly. The pervious pavement materials that composed of a surface layer and a base layer were made. The compressive strength of the composite can reach 50 MPa and the flexural strength 6 MPa. The water penetration, abrasion resistance, and freezing and thawing durability of the materials are also very good. It can be applied to both the footpath and the vehicle road. It is an environment-friendly pavement material.     

Experimental study on AE characteristics of three-point-bending concrete beams

In this research, acoustic emission (AE) characteristics of three-point-bending concrete beams were investigated during the entire loading period. It was found that the relative notch depth significantly influenced AE characteristics. The occurrence of AE events decreased greatly with an increase of the relative notch depth. The influences of different fibers in concrete on AE characteristics were investigated as well. The experimental results indicated that the Weibull function can be used to describe quantitatively the influences of the relative notch depth and fibers on AE characteristics, fracture characteristics, and brittleness of concrete. The two parameters, θ and m, of the Weibull function depended on the geometry of the concrete specimens and the brittleness of concrete, respectively.