Title:
Control of Plastic Shrinkage Cracking in Cold Weather
Author(s):
Ephraim Senbetta and Mark A. Bury
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
13
Issue:
3
Appears on pages(s):
49-53
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
3/1/1991
Abstract:
Low temperatures reduce the rate of cement hydration. During cold weather, various approaches are used to compensate for this and obtain desirable setting times for concrete. Use of accelerating admixtures is one common practice; heating the mix water and aggregates is another. Both approaches have limitations, particularly at temperatures below freezing: conventional accelerating admixtures may not be effective because the concrete can freeze before it reaches initial set; heating the mix water and aggregates can aggravate the plastic shrinkage cracking problem by increasing the temperature differential between the concrete and the surrounding air.