Creep and drying shrinkage of concrete containing GGBFS

Experiments were conducted on 150 × 600 mm cylindrical specimens to investigate creep and drying shrinkage of concrete containing ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). The creep strain was measured for 150 days under a constant sustained load. The creep strain recovery was measured for one subsequent month after the removal of the sustained load. The shrinkage strain was also measured for 180 days. The amount of cement replacement by GGBFS was 20%, 40% and 60% by weight of cement. The test results indicate that higher GGBFS percentage exhibits higher creep and shrinkage strains. At 150 days of sustained loading, the average creep coefficients of 20%, 40% and 60% GGBFS concrete are 16.3%, 33.3% and 55.2% higher than plain concrete. In the absence of a creep and shrinkage prediction model for GGBFS concrete, a modification factor is suggested for incorporating the effect of GGBFS proportion in the existing models. The available models for predicting creep and shrinkage strain of plain concrete are compared.     

减缩剂对机制砂混凝土干燥收缩的影响

为降低机制砂混凝土的开裂敏感性,提高其应用技术水平,通过测试机制砂混凝土的干燥收缩值,并结合相应砂浆保水性和扫描电镜(SEM)微观形貌分析,研究了不同使用方式的减缩剂对石粉(SD)含量不同的机制砂混凝土干燥收缩的影响。结果表明,对于减缩剂使用方式不同的相同混凝土试件,内掺(SRA-M)和外涂(SRA-C)都降低了试件的干燥收缩,但对于不同的试件其降低幅度不同;对于减缩剂使用方式相同的不同混凝土试件,SRA-M更有利于降低石粉含量为5%的机制砂混凝土试件(5-SD)干燥收缩,而降低石粉含量为10%的机制砂混凝土试件(10-SD)干燥收缩更有效的减缩剂使用方式是SRA-C;减缩剂通过阻滞试件内部自由水分迁移渗出,提高其保水性,从而降低干燥收缩值。     

Effect of drying conditions on autogenous shrinkage in ultra-high performance concrete at early-age

This experimental study investigated the effects of drying conditions on the autogenous shrinkage of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) at early-ages. UHPC specimens were exposed to different temperatures, namely, 10, 20 and 40°C under a relative humidity (RH) ranging from 40 to 80%. The effects of using a shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA) and a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) as shrinkage mitigation methods were also investigated. The results show that autogenous and drying shrinkage are dependent phenomena. Assuming the validity of the conventional superposition principle between drying and autogenous shrinkage led to overestimating the actual autogenous shrinkage under drying conditions; the level of overestimation increased with decreasing RH. Both SRA and SAP were very effective in reducing autogenous shrinkage under sealed conditions. However, SRA was efficient in reducing drying shrinkage under drying conditions, while SAP was found to increase drying shrinkage. Generally, results indicate that adequate curing is essential for reducing shrinkage in UHPC even when different shrinkage mitigation methods are applied.     

Creep and drying shrinkage characteristics of concrete produced with coarse recycled concrete aggregate

Laboratory tests are performed to investigate the effects of a new method of mixture proportioning on the creep and shrinkage characteristics of concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). In this method, RCA is treated as a two component composite material consisting of residual mortar and natural aggregate; accordingly, when proportioning the concrete mixture, the relative amount and properties of each component are individually considered. The test variables include the mixture proportioning method, and the aggregate type. The results show that the amounts of creep and shrinkage in concretes made with coarse RCA, and proportioned by the new method, are comparable to, or even lower than, those in similar concretes made entirely with natural aggregates. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that by applying the proposed “residual mortar factor” to the existing ACI and CEB methods for calculating creep or shrinkage of conventional concrete, these methods could be also applied to predict the creep and shrinkage of RCA-concrete.     

3D full field study of drying shrinkage of foam concrete

Drying shrinkage (DS) of concrete is important. The graded and heterogeneous DS inside the concrete may lead to cracking and further deteriorate the mechanical and durability properties. To elaborate the drying gradient and deformation heterogeneity, the full field DS distributions of foam concrete have been studied using an expanded Digital Volume Correlation method, which has a high precision of 0.01 voxel (about 0.6 μm) in displacement. The effectiveness of DS in local sub-volume is verified from bulk shrinkage of the whole specimen. The DS gradient due to drying is clearly revealed, and DS heterogeneity in spatial domain and in frequency domain is identified. A full view of foam concrete's drying processes is built. At the middle drying stage, three different states exist simultaneously, especially a drying front arises with high drying shrinkage.     

Influence of composition and curing on drying shrinkage of aerated concrete

The process of drying of many materials is accompanied by dimensional changes, which induce cracks in the structure. This phenomenon is particularly significant in acrated concrete owing to its high total porosity and specific surface of pores. The factors influencing drying shrinkage of aerated concrete are widely different from that of normal concrete because of the presence of coarse aggregates in the latter. This paper discusses the results of statistically designed experiments conducted to ascertain the influence of composition on the drying shrinkage of non-autoclaved and autoclaved aerated concrete. Detailed single factor experiments were conducted to assess the influence of basic constituents of the mix on drying shrinkage whereas fractional factorial experiments were used for the interaction effects and the influence of some additives. It was observed that increase in lime-cement ratio and fly ash content increases drying shrinkage. Significant shrinkage reduction is obtained by autoclaving, suggesting that drying shrinkage is predominantly a function of the physical structure of the hydration product.     

Specific surface area of aggregate and its relation to concrete drying shrinkage

This paper deals with the influence of aggregate properties on the shrinkage of concrete during drying. The drying shrinkage strains of concretes with various types of aggregates were measured and their influences on the fundamental properties of the different types of aggregates were investigated. Furthermore, the specific surface areas (SSAs) of aggregates were obtained by the BET method using both nitrogen (N₂) and water vapour (H₂O). The SSAs determined by using H₂O exhibited higher values than those by using N₂. The drying shrinkage strains of concretes increased with the H₂O SSAs of the aggregates used. Our results suggest that the SSA determined by using H₂O is an effective index for evaluating the influence of the aggregate type on the drying shrinkage of concrete.     

Short-term experimental data of drying shrinkage of ground granulated blast-furnace slag cement concrete

This paper presents results of laboratory testing of unrestrained drying shrinkage during a period of 154 days of different concrete mixtures from the Brazilian production line that utilize ground granulated blast-furnace slag in their compositions. Three concrete mixtures with water/cement ratio of 0.78(M1), 0.41(M2), and 0.37(M3) were studied. The obtained experimental data were compared with the analytical results from prediction models available in the literature: the ACI 209 model (ACI), the B3 model (B3), the Eurocode 2 model (EC2), the GL 2000 model (GL), and the Brazilian NBR 6118 model (NBR), and an analysis of the efficacy of these models was conducted utilizing these experimental data. In addition, the development of the mechanical properties (compressive strength and modulus of elasticity) of the studied concrete mixtures was also measured in the laboratory until 126 days. From this study, it could be concluded that the ACI and the GL were the models that most approximated the experimental drying shrinkage data measured during the analyzed period of time.     

Improving strength, drying shrinkage, and pore structure of concrete using metakaolin

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the use of metakaolin (MK) as a supplementary cementing material to improve the performance of concrete. Two MK replacement levels were employed in the study: 10% and 20% by weight of the Portland cement used. Plain and PC-MK concretes were designed at two water–cementitious materials (w/cm) ratios of 0.35 and 0.55. The performance characteristics of the concretes were evaluated by measuring compressive and splitting tensile strengths, water absorption, drying shrinkage, and weight loss due to the corresponding drying. The porosity and pore size distribution of the concretes were also examined by using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Tests were conducted at different ages up to 120 days. The results revealed that the inclusion of MK remarkably reduced the drying shrinkage strain, but increased the strengths of the concretes in varying magnitudes, depending mainly on the replacement level of MK, w/cm ratio, and age of testing. It was also found that the ultrafine MK enhanced substantially the pore structure of the concretes and reduced the content of the harmful large pores, hence made concrete more impervious, especially at a replacement level of 20%.     

The impact of wet curing on curling in concrete caused by drying shrinkage

This paper examines the impact of wet curing with different durations on differential drying shrinkage of concrete beams. The work shows that in severe drying conditions the magnitude of curling increased with the duration of wet curing of concrete specimens. Testing results are presented along with an explanation for the mechanisms observed. These findings provide guidance for wet curing durations for concrete slabs that must be resistant to volume change from drying.     

Restrained shrinkage tests of fibre-reinforced concrete ring specimens: effect of core thermal expansion

Restrained shrinkage tests of fresh concrete using conventional ring specimens with a steel core are sometimes not effective because of their relatively low cracking sensitivity. Modified ring specimens with a Perspex core having a high coefficient of thermal expansion were developed with the object of obtaining a test method which can provide cracking sensitivity results within a short time. An analysis of stress distribution is presented, taking into account the geometry and elasticity characteristics of the ring and core in specimens subjected to restrained shrinkage and heating. For tests of fresh plain and fibre-reinforced concretes, a Perspex core with additional stress concentrators (wedges) was used.

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Resume Les essais de retrait empêché du béton frais réases sur des éprouvettes annulaires conventionnelles avec un noyau d'acier sont parfois peu probants du fait d'une scresibilité à la fissuration relativement faible. On a fabrigre des éprouvettes modifiées dont le noyau en Perspex presente un coefficient élevé de dilatation thermique, afin d'obtenir une méthode d'essai capable de fournir des résultats sur la sensibilité à la fissuration. On présente une analyse de la répartition des contraintes qui prend en compte la géométrie et les caractéristiques élastiques de l'anneau et du noyau dans les éprouvettes soumises au retrait empêché et à l'élévation de température. Pour les essais de béton frais ordinaire et renforcé de fibres, on a utilisé un noyau en Perspex avec des concentrateurs de contraintes supplémentaires.

     

Possible mechanisms of influence of admixtures on drying shrinkage and creep in cement paste and concrete

This paper presents data on the influence of a lignosulphonate admixture, used either with or without the accelerating admixtures calcium chloride and triethanolamine, on drying shrinkage and creep in concrete. The ability of these admixtures to give rise to significant increases in drying shrinkage and creep is discussed in terms of the Feldman and SeredaNew Model for the structure of hydrated Portland cement. It is postulated that the increases in drying shrinkage and creep can be attributed to the influence of the admixtures in altering the initial spacing and degree of layering of the tobermorite gel, which takes place on first dryring.

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Résumé On présente ici des données sur l'action d'un lignosulfonate utilisé comme adjuvant, avec ou sans les accélérateurs de prise que sont le chlorure de calcium et la triéthalonamine, sur le séchage au retrait et le fluage de la pate de ciment et du béton. On montre que le lignosulfonate peut déterminer des valeurs notablement plus grandes des déformations à court terme dues au séchage, et que cette action est ultérieurement renforcée par l'inclusion de chlorure de calcium ou de triéthalonamine. On examine le phénomène conformément auNouveau Modèle de Feldmann et Sereda pour la structure de ciment Portland hydraté. L'accroissement qu'on observe du retrait au séchage est attribué à la propriété de l'adjuvant d'altérer la distribution et l'importance des courbes dugel de tobermorite, tel qu'il s'était constitué lors du premier séchage. On suppose que cette modification de structure facilite un accroissement du retrait au séchage par une augmentation du nombre de sites qui permettent le départ de l'eau intercalée, et par l'accroissement de l'espace interacalaire ou du volume solide de la structure de la pate. On montre de même que le lignosulfonate peut amener un accroissement notable du fluage dans un environment de retrait, cet effet étant là encore renforcé par l'inclusion des accélérateurs que sont le chlorure de calcium ou la triéthalonamine. Cependant, cet effet n'a pas la même importance lorsque les éprouvettes sont maintenues dans les conditions de conservation et chargées dans une chambre à brouillard (et l'on s'approche ainsi du fluage de base). Ce fait vient appuyer l'hypothèse que le mode d'action des adjuvants à base de lignosulfonate sur le fluage de la pate de ciment et du béton est essentiellement similaire à celui qui est considéré pour le retrait de séchage à la différence évidente que les contraintes sont incluses dans les forces qui intervienment.

     

Strength,drying shrinkage,and water permeability of concrete incorporating ground palm oil fuel ash

In this study, palm oil fuel ash (POFA) was used as a pozzolanic material in concrete. The POFA was ground to obtain two different finenesses: coarse (CP) and fine (FP). A portion of ordinary type I Portland cement (OPC) was replaced by CP and FP at 10%, 20%, and 30% by weight of binder to cast concrete. Compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, drying shrinkage, and water permeability of concretes containing ground POFA were measured. The results showed that the compressive strength of the concrete increased with the fineness of the POFA. With 10% and 30% replacement of OPC by CP and FP, respectively, the compressive strength of the resulting concrete was as high as that of OPC concrete at 90 days. Moreover, the use of 10–30% of FP as a cement replacement in concrete reduced its drying shrinkage and water permeability. Finally, there was also a strong correlation between the compressive strength and the water permeability of ground POFA concrete.     

Understanding the drying shrinkage performance of alkali-activated slag mortars

In this work, drying shrinkage of four alkali-activated slag (AAS) mortars, prepared using various types/dosages of activator, was characterized at four different levels of relative humidity (RH) and two drying regimes (i.e. direct and step-wise drying). The results show that drying shrinkage values of AAS are significantly dependent on the drying rate, as AAS shrinks more when the RH is decreased gradually, instead of directly. At high RH, the drying shrinkage of AAS exhibits a considerable visco-elastic/visco-plastic behavior, in comparison to ordinary portland cement (OPC). It is concluded that the cause of high-magnitude shrinkage in AAS mortar is due to the high visco-elastic/visco-plastic compliance (low creep modulus) of its solid skeleton. Furthermore, the activator affects the shrinkage behaviors of AAS by influencing the pore structure and mechanical properties.     

Comprehensive study of concrete creep,shrinkage, and water content evolution under sealed and drying conditions

A comprehensive study of the time‐dependent behaviour of concrete, enhanced by measuring the evolution of the respective mass water content, is presented. Compressive creep as well as shrinkage are investigated on sealed and unsealed specimens in terms of the concrete age at loading of 2, 7, and 28 days, respectively, at a loading level of 30% of the compressive strength at loading. In addition, on the basis of the collected measurement data, the impact of load application on the moisture content is studied and the Pickett effect is re‐examined. The obtained set of material data consists of basic and drying creep strains for different concrete ages at loading, autogenous shrinkage strains as well as combined autogenous and drying shrinkage strains, the evolution of the mass water content, the water desorption isotherm, and the time‐dependent evolution of Young's modulus and the compressive strength. It provides a consistent set of material data for a particular concrete grade and will be available for calibrating and validating concrete models.     

等强度下混凝土组分对内部相对湿度和自收缩的影响

采用自制的试验装置,研究了聚乙烯醇(PVA)纤维、双掺粉煤灰和矿渣以及减缩剂对7d等强度混凝土早龄期自收缩和内部相对湿度的影响规律和机理以及两者之间的关系.结果表明,减缩剂、双掺矿物掺合料和PVA纤维均明显降低了混凝土的自收缩值,以掺减缩剂效果最佳,自收缩72h(3d)前发展速度很快,可达到672h(28d)的80%以...     

A meso-level approach to the 3D numerical analysis of cracking and fracture of concrete materials

A meso‐mechanical model for the numerical analysis of concrete specimens in 3D has been recently proposed. In this approach, concrete is represented as a composite material with the larger aggregates embedded in a mortar‐plus‐aggregates matrix. Both continuum‐type components are considered linear elastic, while the possibilities of failure are provided with the systematic use of zero‐thickness interface elements equipped with a cohesive fracture constitutive law. These elements are inserted along all potential crack planes in the mesh a priori of the analysis. In this paper, the basic features of the model are summarized, and then results of calculations are presented, which include uniaxial tension and compression loading of 14‐aggregate cubical specimen along X, Y and Z axes. The results confirm the consistency of the approach with physical phenomena and well‐known features of concrete behaviour, and show low scatter when different loading directions are considered. Those cases can also be considered as different specimens subjected to the same type of loading.