Influence of subsequent curing on water sorptivity and pore structure of steam-cured concrete

Steam-cured condition is found to cause larger porosity and worse properties of concrete compared with normal curing condition. For the sake of seeking effective measurements to eliminate this bad effect of steam-cured condition on concrete, the water sorptivity and pore structure of steam-cured concretes exposed to different subsequent curing conditions were investigated after steam-curing treatment. The capillary absorption coefficient and porosity of the corresponding concretes were analyzed, and their mechanisms were also discussed. The results indicate that water sorptivity and pore structure of steam-cured concrete are greatly influenced by the curing condition used in subsequent ages. Exposure steam-cured concrete to air condition has an obviously bad effect on its properties and microstructures. Adopting subsequent curing of immersing steam-cured concrete into about 20℃ water after steam curing period can significantly decrease its capillary absorption coefficient and porosity. Steam-cured concrete with 7 d water curing has minimum capillary absorption coefficient and total porosity. Its water sorptivity is decreased by 23% compared with standard curing concrete and the porosity is 9.6% lower. Moreover, the corresponding gradient of water sorptivity and porosity of steam-cured concrete both decrease, thus mictostructure of concrete becomes more homogeneous.

Physical modeling of behaviors of cast-in-place concrete piled raft compared to free-standing pile group in sand

Similar to free-standing pile groups, piled raft foundations are conventionally designed in which the piles carry the total load of structure and the raft bearing capacity is not taken into account. Numerous studies indicated that this method is too conservative. Only when the pile cap is elevated from the ground level,the raft bearing contribution can be neglected. In a piled raft foundation, pileesoileraft interaction is complicated. Although several numerical studies have been carried out to analyze the behaviors of piled raft foundations, very few experimental studies are reported in the literature. The available laboratory studies mainly focused on steel piles. The present study aims to compare the behaviors of piled raft foundations with free-standing pile groups in sand, using laboratory physical models. Cast-in-place concrete piles and concrete raft are used for the tests. The tests are conducted on single pile, single pile in pile group, unpiled raft, free-standing pile group and piled raft foundation. We examine the effects of the number of piles, the pile installation method and the interaction between different components of foundation. The results indicate that the ultimate bearing capacity of the piled raft foundation is considerably higher than that of the free-standing pile group with the same number of piles. With installation of the single pile in the group, the pile bearing capacity and stiffness increase. Installation of the piles beneath the raft decreases the bearing capacity of the raft. When the raft bearing capacity is not included in the design process, the allowable bearing capacity of the piled raft is underestimated by more than 200%. This deviation intensifies with increasing spacing of the piles.

Field study of plastic tube cast-in-place concrete pile

The compositions, technical principles and construction equipments of a new piling method used for ground improvement plastic tube cast-in-place concrete pile were introduced. The results from static load tests on single piles with different forms of pile shoes and on their composite foundations were analyzed. The distribution patterns of axial force, shaft friction and toe resistance were studied based on the measurements taken from buried strain gauges. From the point of engineering application, the pile has merits in convenient quality control, high bearing capacity and reliable quality, showing higher reasonability, advancement and suitability than other ground improvement methods. The pile can be adopted properly to take place of ordinary ground improvement method, achieving greater economical and social benefits.

Design and construction of high and large span cast-in-place reinforced concrete cantilever flowering frame beam

The high and large span cast-in-place reinforced concrete cantilever structure of the office building of some court, which is located I-steel at the cantilever and used steel pipe scaffold as the support, has guaranteed the frame body and structure security by the frame body calculating, on-site test and reasonable construction order.

Negative effect improvement of accelerated curing on chloride penetration resistance of ordinary concrete

Four mineral admixture concrete specimens werefabricated to study the negative effect improvements ofaccelerated curing on the chloride penetration resistance ofordinary concrete. After reaching different initial strengths, the specimens were placed in 40, 60, or 80 t water tanks foraccelerated curing. The Coulomb values of the specimens weemeasured with ASTM C1202 experiment at 28, 100, 200, ad300 d. Partial specimens were also selected for rapid chlorideion migration coefficient and mercury intrusion porosimetryexperiments. The experimental results show that theaccelerated curing for ordinary concrete linealy deterioratesthe chloride penetration resistance, whereas the incorporationof mineral admixtures improves the concrete microscopic pore-structures and negative effects. An upper temperature limit of60 t of the accelerated curing is suitable for obtainingsuperior chloride penetration resistance for the mineraladmixture concrete. Pre-curing at a normal temperature of 20t is beneficial for improving the negative effect, which isalso aieviated with increasing testing age as a result of thesuccessive hydration of binder materials in concrete.

Utilization of Basalt Saw Mud as a Spherical Porous Functional Aggregate for the Preparation of Ordinary Structure Concrete

To promote the production and application of artificial aggregates,save natural sand resources and protect the ecological environment,we evaluated the feasibility of using spherical porous functional aggregates(SPFAs) formed by basalt saw mud under autoclave curing in ordinary structural concrete.In our work,two types of prewetted functional aggregates were taken as replacements for natural aggregates with different volume substitution rates(0%,5%,10%,15%,20%,25%,and 30%) in the preparation of ordinary structural concrete with water-to-binder ratios(W/B) of 0.48 and 0.33.The effects of the functional aggregate properties and content,W/B,and curing age on the fluidity,density,mechanical properties and autogenous shrinkage of ordinary concrete were analyzed.The experimental results showed that the density of concrete declined at a rate of not more than 5%,and the 28 d compressive strength could reach 31.0-68.2 MPa.Low W/B,long curing age and high-quality functional aggregates were conducive to enhancing the mechanical properties of SPFAs concrete.Through the rolling effects,SPFAs can optimize the particle gradation of aggregate systems and improve the fluidity of concrete,and the water stored inside SPFAs provides an internal curing effect,which prolongs the cement hydration process and considerably reduces the autogenous shrinkage of concrete.SPFAs exhibits high strength and high density,as well as being more cost-effective and ecological,and is expected to be widely employed in ordinary structural concrete.

Internal Curing Using Water-releasing Material for High Strength Micro-expansive Concrete

Due to its low water content, it is difficult for expansive agent to have an effective expansive effect on high strength concrete to compensate its extensive shrinkage and form a certain expansion. To solve this problem, water-releasing material with water storage and releasing characteristics was incorporated into high strength micro-expansive concrete to provide internal curing, and expansive effect of expansive agent was improved. Migration of water from initially saturated water-releasing material to the surrounding hydrating cement paste was investigated. Based on a given efficient diffusion distance of water stored in water-releasing material, the mass and real water-cement ratio of cured cement paste were estimated. At the same time, the effect of internal curing of water-releasing material on the volume deformation of high strength micro-expansive concrete was investigated.

Anti-cracking Property of EVA-modified Polypropylene Fiber-reinforced Concrete Under Thermal-cooling Cycling Curing

In order to investigate the synergistic effect of re-dispersible powder-ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer(EVA) and polypropylene fiber on the crack resistance of concrete under thermal fatigue loading, the compressive strength, ultimate tensile strength, ultimate tensile strain and tensile modulus of elasticity were tested. In addition, ultrasonic method and scanning electron microscope analysis were used to explain the microstructure mechanism. The results show that polypropylene fiberreinforced concrete presents a better performance on crack resistance than ordinary concrete, and the synergism of EVA and polypropylene fiber can improve the anti-cracking ability of concrete further.

Effect of curing, capillary action, and groundwater level increment on geotechnical properties of lime concrete: Experimental and prediction studies

Lime concrete and lime treatment are two attractive techniques for geotechnical engineers.However,researches have rarely been carried out to study the effects of moisture and capillary action due to increasing groundwater level on geotechnical properties of lime concrete.The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of curing time and degree of saturation on some of geotechnical properties of lime concrete such as unconfined compressive strength(UCS),secant modulus(ES),failure strain,brittleness index(IB),and deformability index(ID) using unconfined compression tests.First of all,geotechnical and chemical properties of used materials were determined.After curing times of 14 d,28 d,45 d,and 60 d in laboratory condition,the specimens were exposed to saturation levels ranging from 0 to 100%.The results showed that the moisture and curing time have significant effects on the properties of lime concrete.Based on the results of scanning electron micrograph(SEM) test,it was observed that the specimen was characterized by a rather well-structured matrix since both the filling of a large proportion of the coarse-grained soil voids by clay and the pozzolanic activity of lime led to retaining less pore water in the specimen,increasing the UCS and ES,and consequently resisting against swelling and shrinkage of the clay soil.Moreover,due to the pozzolanic reactions and reduction of water,by increasing the curing time and decreasing the degrees of saturation,UCS,ES,and IBincreased,and IDdecreased.Based on the experimental results,a phenomenological model was used to develop equations for predicting the properties in relation to the ratio of degree of saturation/curing time.The results showed that there was a good correlation(almost R2> 90%) between the measured parameters and the estimated ones given by the predicted equations.

Damage and deterioration mechanism and curing technique of concrete structure in main coal cleaning plants

Concrete structures in main coal cleaning plants have been rebuilt and reinforced in the coal mines of the Shanghai Datun Energy Sources Co. Ltd., the first colliery of the Pingdingshan Coal Co. Ltd. and the Sanhejian mine of the Xuzhou Mining Group Co. Ltd. In these projects, the operating environment and reliability of concrete structures in the main plants of the three companies were investigated and the safety of the structures inspected. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were made on the special natural, technological and mechanical environments around the structures. On the basis of these analyses, we discuss the long-term, combined actions of the harsh natural (corrosive gases, liquids and solids) and mechanical environments on concrete structures and further investigated the damage and deteriorating mechanisms and curing techniques of concrete structures in the main coal cleaning plants. Our study can provide a theoretical basis for ensuring the reliability of concrete structures in main coal cleaning plants.

Effect of cement types, mineral admixtures, and bottom ash on the curing sensitivity of concrete

The curing sensitivity of concrete with cement Types 1, 3, and 5 as well as multiple powders consisting of cement, fly ash, and limestone powder was studied. Bottom ash was also used in the study as an internal curing agent and a partial substi- tution of fine aggregate. The curing sensitivity index was calculated by considering the performances of compressive strength and carbonation depth. Specimens were subjected to two curing conditions： continuously water-cured and continuously air-cured. The results show that cement Type 3 has a lower curing sensitivity, while cement Type 5 increases the curing sensitivity. For the mixes without bottom ash, the use of fly ash increases the curing sensitivity, while limestone powder reduces the curing sen- sRivity of concrete. The use of bottom ash in concrete reduces the curing sensitivity, especially at a lower mass ratio of water to binder. Concrete with limestone powder, together with bottom ash, is least sensitive to curing. The curing sensitivity calculated from carbonation depth also has a similar tendency as that derived by considering compressive strength. From the test results of compressive strength and curing sensitivity, bottom ash has been proven to be an effective internal curing agent.

Effect of Curing Age on Chloride Diffusion Coefficient of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Subjected to Compressive Stresses

The effect of curing age on chloride diffusion coefficient of recycled aggregate concrete subjected to different compressive stresses was investigated.A compression loading setup was both designed and fabricated.The chloride diffusion coefficients of recycled aggregate concrete under compressive stresses were measured by the rapid chloride ion migration(RCM)method.The experimental results show that the chloride diffusion coefficients of recycled aggregate concrete(RAC)under different compressive stress ratios generally decrease with the increase of curing age.For RAC subjected to the same compressive stress ratios,the chloride diffusion coefficients approximately have power functions with curing ages and the relationship models are proposed.Moreover,the influence of curing age on chloride diffusion coefficient firstly decreases and then increases as the compressive stress ratio increases.

Effect of High Temperature Curing on the Frost Resistance of Recycled Aggregate Concrete and the Physical Properties of Second-Generation Recycled Coarse Aggregate under Freeze-Thaw Cycles

With the emphasis on environmental issues,the recycling of waste concrete,even recycled concrete,has become a hot spot in the field of architecture.But the repeated recycling of waste concrete used in harsh environments is still a complex problem.This paper discusses the durability and recyclability of recycled aggregate concrete(RAC)as a prefabricated material in the harsh environment,the effect of high-temperature curing(60℃,80℃,and 100℃)on the frost resistance of RAC and physical properties of the second generation recycled coarse aggregate(RCA_(2))of RAC after 300 freeze-thaw cycles were studied.The frost resistance of RAC was characterized by compressive strength,relative dynamic elastic modulus,and mass loss.As the physical properties of RCA_(2),the apparent density,water absorption,and crushing value were measured.And the SEM images of RAC after 300 freeze-thaw cycles were shown.The results indicated that the frost resistance of RAC cured at 80℃ for 7 days was comparable to that cured in the standard condition(cured for 28 days at 20℃±2℃ and 95%humidity),and the RAC cured at 100℃ was slightly worse.However,the frost resistance of RAC cured at 60℃ deteriorated seriously.The RAC cured at 80℃ for 7 days is the best.Whether after the freeze-thaw cycle or not,the RCA that curd at 60℃,80℃,and 100℃ for 7 days can also meet the requirements of Grade III RCA and be used as the aggregate of non-bearing part of prefabricated concrete components.RCA_(2) which is cured at 80℃ for 7 days had the best physical properties.

Hydration evolution of pre-cast concrete with steam and water curing

The hydration characteristics of pre-cast concrete considering the effects of effective initial steam-curing and water-curing duration were measured and analyzed with XRD, TG, X-ray CT, SEM-BSE and MIP techniques. The results show that the effective initial steam-curing duration for pre-cast concrete with lower water-binder ratio was 10 14 h at 50 °C and the initial water-curing duration was 7 14 d. And the hydration evolution of cement, fly ash and slag in pre-cast concrete was obtained respectively by combining the hydrochlorides and EDTA selecting dissolution methods, based on which the contents of hydrated and anhydrate in concrete were calculated and the corresponding dynamic capillary porosity was also determined. Moreover, the comparison between calculated results and experimental ones indicates that the proposed evolution models of microscopic characteristics corresponding to hydration kinetics of cemented materials could be adopted to predict the developing trend of capillary porosity and hydration-products content in pre-cast concrete with fly ash and slag under certain curing conditions.

Effects of Curing Conditions on Strength Development of High Strength Concrete

This paper presents the results of a series of studies on the influence of curing conditions on the strength development of high strength concrete. The 1-, 3-, 7-, 14- and 28-day strengths of four different mixes of Grade 75 similar to 80 concrete, with or without pulverized fuel ash and/or condensed silica fume, under five different curing regimes were investigated. It is revealed that the curing conditions have significant influence on both the short term and long term strength development of the concrete and that concrete mixes of the same grade but containing different mineral admixtures show distinct favour for a curing regime. These results will be helpful for evaluating suitable curing methods for high strength concrete with different mix proportions.

Effects of secondary water curing on the long-term strength and durability of concrete after steam-autoclave curing

To study the effects of secondary water( SW) curing of 20 ℃ for 7 d on concrete long-term strength and durability after steam-autoclave curing, concrete specimens were fabricated and subjected to standard,steam-autoclave or steamautoclave + SW curing. The compressive strength,accelerated carbonation depth, and Coulomb electric charges of the specimens were tested at the ages of 28,90,180,and 360 d.Furthermore,mercury intrusion porosimetry experiments on the specimens were conducted at the age of 180 d. Results indicate that compared with standard curing,steam-autoclave curing can enhance the early-age strength of concrete; however, it is detrimental to the development of later-age strength, and reduces chloride and carbonation resistance. Due to the replenishment of water into concrete,SW curing can refine the micro-pore size and decrease the ratio of harmful and more harmful pores in concrete. As a result,SW curing is effective in improving the long-term strength and durability of steamautoclaved concrete,and makes it approach that under standard curing. The improvement amplitudes of SW curing on the concrete compressive strength, chloride and carbonation resistance at 360 d can reach 20. 3%,48. 6%,and 80. 9%,respectively.

Different Curing Systems on Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete with Coarse Aggregate

High durability and high tensile strength makes ultra-high performance concrete( UHPC) an ideal material for bridges,while its early shrinkage in the construction of cast-in-situ mass concrete leads structure crack-easily,which restricts the application of UHPC in deck system. Whether reasonable amount of coarse aggregate can influence the strength of UHPC and improve the shrinkage performance or reduce the cost is still in doubt. Besides,in order to improve its constructability and workability, whether autoclaved curing system of UHPC can be changed remains to be further researched. In response to these circumstances, a systematic experimental study on the strength of UHPC mixed with coarse aggregate in different ratios has been presented in this paper. The three curing systems,namely standard curing,180-200 ℃/1. 1 MPa autoclaved curing,and hot water curing were tested to reveal the relationship between UHPC's properties and curing systems,and the UHPC ' s microstructure was also preliminarily studied by scanning electron microscope( SEM). The experimental research can draw the following conclusions. Under the condition of the same mix ratio, autoclaved curing guarantees the highest compressive strength,followed by hot water curing and standard curing. The compressive strength of concrete increases with the temperature in the range of 25 to 90 ℃ hot water curing,and high temperature in precuring period can speed up the strength development of UHPC,but the sequence of precuring period does not obviously affect the results. In 90 ℃ hot water and autoclaved curing,the strength is over 150 MPa,and it has little relation with gravel ratio. While the value increases first and then decreases in a lower temperature curing with the increasing of gravel amount,even only about 80 MPa at room temperature. The strength increases moderately along with the increase of the curing age by standard curing,especially in the initial stage.

Kinetics of Autoclave Curing Process on Autoclaved Aerated Concrete with Magnetite Tailings

Lightweight and energy saving autoclaved aerated concrete(AAC) acting as a newbuilding material were prepared by using magnetite tailings from iron ore as main rawmaterials,and the purpose of comprehensive utilization of tailings resources was to improve their utilization efficiency.The effects of curing system on AAC product performance were discussed.The autoclave curing reaction kinetics was studied as well as the generated amount of hydration product trends over autoclave curing temperature and time were analyzed.The results indicated that the properties of AAC was in accordance with Chinese national standard the A3.5 B06 class of GB/T11968-2006 by prepared from magnetite tailing as the main rawmaterials.Meanwhile,autoclave curing process was controlled by the diffusion velocity through the products ' layers of reactants,and the apparent activation energy of autoclave curing process was 19.269 k J/mol.Compressive strength of aerated concrete is improved by mutual cementation between the appropriate amount of calcium silicate hydrate and tobermorite crystal.

Influence Mechanism of Curing Regimes on Interfacial Transition Zone of Lightweight Ultra-High Performance Concrete

This study aims to clarify the effects of curing regimes and lightweight aggregate(LWA)on the morphology, width and mechanical properties of the interfacial transition zone(ITZ) of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC), and provide reference for the selection of lightweight ultra-high performance concrete(L-UHPC) curing regimes and the pre-wetting degree LWA. The results show that, under the three curing regimes(standard curing, steam curing and autoclaved curing), LWA is tightly bound to the matrix without obvious boundaries. ITZ width increases with the water absorption of LWA and decreases with increasing curing temperature. The ITZ microhardness is the highest when water absorption is 3%, and the microhardness value is more stable with the distance from LWA. Steam and autoclaved curing increase ITZ microhardness compared to standard curing. As LWA pre-wetting and curing temperatures increase, the degree of hydration at the ITZ increases, generating high-density CSH(HD CSH) and ultra-high-density CSH(UHD CSH), and reducing unhydrated particles in ITZ. ITZ micro-mechanical properties are optimized due to hydration products being denser.

Effect of CSH Crystal Nucleus on Steam-Free Cured Fly Ash Precast Concrete Components

The measures of steam curing and early-strengthening agents to promote the precast components to reach the target strength quickly can bring different degrees of damage to the concrete.Based on this,the new nanomaterial CSH-the hydration product of cement effectively solves these measures’disadvantages,such as excessive energy consumption,thermal stress damage,and the introduction of external ions.In this paper,the effect of CSH on the early strength of precast fly ash concrete components was investigated in terms of setting time,workability,and mechanical properties and analyzed at the microscopic level using hydration temperature,XRD,and SEM.The results showed that under the same workability,CSH could significantly reduce the amount of admixture,shorten the final setting time,almost not affect the initial setting time,and accelerate the hydration of cement.At the optimum dose of 5%,the mechanical properties of the specimens were improved by more than 98%within 12 h of hydration,resulting in an earlier release time of 12 h and no risk of strength inversion later.The results of this paper give theoretical support to the behavior of precast components under steam-free curing.