The effect of rate of drying on the drying creep of hardened cement paste

Tests were performed on miniature, thin-wallm hardened cement paste specimens; specimens under load were dried at various rates, re-wet and then unloaded. Deformation was monitored throughout. Appropriate control specimens for shrinkage/swelling, basic creep and weight change were also tested. Relationships between moisture loss, shrinkage and wetting creep were obtained. It was found that, like shrinkage, the magnitude of drying creep is independent of rate of drying. Also, drying creep bears a linear relationship to concomitant shrinkage over a wide range; similarly, wetting creep is linearly related to swelling. Drying creep and wetting creep are completely irrecoverable. Discussion centres about the significance of the results with respect to the prediction of creep strains when environmental conditions change; results suggest it may be possible to develop prediction equations which are not overly complicated.