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Lightweight Aggregate as Internal Curing Agent to Limit Concrete Shrinkage

Browning, JoAnn
Darwin, David
Reynolds, Diane
Pendergrass, Benjamin
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Abstract
The effectiveness of prewetted, vacuum-saturated (PVS) lightweight aggregate (LWA) as an internal curing agent to reduce concrete shrinkage is evaluated for curing periods of 7 and 14 days. Normalweight aggregate is replaced by LWA at volume replacement levels ranging from 8.9 to 13.8%. Some mixtures contain a partial replacement of portland cement with slag cement while maintaining the paste content at approximately 24.1% of concrete volume. Comparisons are made with mixtures containing low-absorption granite and high absorption limestone normalweight coarse aggregates. At the replacement levels used in this study, PVS LWA results in a small reduction in concrete density, no appreciable effect on concrete compressive strength, and a substantial decrease in concrete shrinkage for drying periods up to 365 days. Increasing the curing period from 7 to 14 days reduces concrete shrinkage. Thirty and 60% volume replacements of portland cement by slag cement result in reduced shrinkage when used with a porous LWA or normalweight aggregate. After 30 and 365 days of drying, all mixtures with LWA exhibited less shrinkage than the mixtures with either low- or high-absorption normalweight aggregates.
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Date
2011
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Publisher
American Concrete Institute
Research Projects
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Keywords
Bridge decks, Cracking, Curing, Drying shrinkage, Lightweight aggregate, Slag cement, Vacuum saturation
Citation
Browning, J., Darwin, D., Reynolds, D., and Pendergrass, B., “Lightweight Aggregate as Internal Curing Agent to Limit Concrete Shrinkage,” ACI Materials Journal, Vol. 108, No. 6, Nov.-Dec. 2011, pp. 638-644.
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