Title:
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking in Internally Cured Mixtures
Author(s):
Ryan Henkensiefken, Peter Briatka, Dale P. Bentz, Tommy Nantung, and Jason Weiss
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
32
Issue:
2
Appears on pages(s):
49-54
Keywords:
lightweight aggregate, evaporation, shrinkage, settlement.
DOI:
Date:
2/1/2010
Abstract:
Several studies have shown the beneficial effects of internal curing on autogenous shrinkage and shrinkage cracking in hardened concrete. Mortar and concrete mixtures were prepared with varying amounts of sand replaced by prewetted lightweight aggregate (LWA). Tests show that prewetted LWA can provide significant reductions in settlement and plastic shrinkage cracking. X-ray absorption results also indicate that under drying exposure conditions, significant water is transferred from the LWA to the nearby cement paste and ultimately to the environment via evaporation.