Effect of Shrinkage Reducing Agent and Steel Fiber on the Fluidity and Cracking Performance of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Due to the low water-cement ratio of ultra-high-performance concrete(UHPC),fluidity and shrinkage cracking are key aspects determining the performance and durability of this type of concrete.In this study,the effects of different types of cementitious materials,chemical shrinkage-reducing agents(SRA)and steel fiber(SF)were assessed.Compared with M2-UHPC and M3-UHPC,M1-UHPC was found to have better fluidity and shrinkage cracking performance.Moreover,different SRA incorporation methods,dosage and different SF types and aspect ratios were implemented.The incorporation of SRA and SF led to a decrease in the fluidity of UHPC.SRA internal content of 1%(NSRA-1%),SRA external content of 1%(WSRA-1%),STS-0.22 and STE-0.7 decreased the fluidity of UHPC by 3.3%,8.3%,9.2%and 25%,respectively.However,SRA and SF improved the UHPC shrinkage cracking performance.NSRA-1%and STE-0.7 reduced the shrinkage value of UHPC by 40%and 60%,respectively,and increased the crack resistance by 338%and 175%,respectively.In addition,the addition of SF was observed to make the microstructure of UHPC more compact,and the compressive strength and flexural strength of 28 d were increased by 26.9%and 19.9%,respectively.

Evaluation Method and Mitigation Strategies for Shrinkage Cracking of Modern Concrete

The complex compositions and large shrinkage of concrete,as well as the strong constraints of the structures,often lead to prominent shrinkage cracking problems in modem concrete structures.This paper first introduces a multi-field(hydro-thermo-hygro-constraint)coupling model with the hydration degree of cementitious materials as the basic state parameter to estimate the shrinkage cracking risk of hardening concrete under coupling effects.Second,three new key technologies are illustrated:temperature rise inhibition,full-stage shrinkage compensation,and shrinkage reduction technologies.These technologies can efficiently reduce the thermal,autogenous,and drying shrinkages of concrete.There after,a design process based on the theoretical model and key technologies is proposed to control thecracking risk index below the threshold value.Finally,two engineering application examples are provided that demonstrate that concrete shrinkage cracking can be significantly mitigated by adopting the proposed methods and technologies.

Assessment of early-age cracking of high-performance concrete in restrained ring specimens

High-performance concrete （HPC） is stronger and more durable than conventional concrete. However, shrinkage and shrinkage cracking are common phenomena in HPC, especially early-age cracking. This study assessed early-age cracking of HPC for two mixtures using restrained ring tests. The two mixtures were produced with water/binder mass ratio （mw/mB） of 0.22 and 0.40, respectively. The results show that, with greater steel thickness, the higher degree of restraint resulted in a higher interface pressure and earlier cracking. With steel thickness of 6 mm, 19 mm, and 30 mm, the age of cracking were, respectively, 12 days, 8 days, and 5.4 days with the mw/mB = 0.22 mixture; and 22.5 days, 12.6 days, and 7.1 days with the mw/mB= 0.40 mixture. Cases of the same steel thickness show that the ring specimens with a thicker concrete wall crack later. With the mw/mB = 0.22 mixture, concrete walls with thicknesses of 37.5 mm, 75 mm, and 112.5 mm cracked at 3.4 days, 8.0 days, and 9.8 days, respectively; with the mw/mB = 0.40 mixture, the ages of cracking were 7.1 days, 12.6 days, and 16.0 days, respectively.

Influence of polymer on shrinkage and anti-cracking performance of mortar

A self-designed restrained ring test was applied to investigate cracking of mortar.The cracking total weigh W and cracking control rate K were applied to evaluate anti-cracking performance of mortar.Through the above method,the influence of polymer on the shrinkage and anti-cracking performance was studied.The microstructures of mortar specimens were investigated by means of SEM.The results indicated that the addition of polymer can efficiently reduce the shrinkage of mortar and improve the anti-cracking performance of mortar.

Influence of Superplasticizer Type and Dosage on Early-age Drying Shrinkage of Cement Paste with Consideration of Pore Size Distribution and Water Loss

We introduced a parameter r_s(the radius of the pores where the meniscus forms),which is composed of two factors,i e,water loss and cumulative pore size distribution(PSD),to provide a better explanation of the influence of superplasticizers(SPs)on early-age drying shrinkage.In our experiments,it is found that the addition of three types of SPs leads to a significant increase in the early-age drying shrinkage of cement paste,and drying shrinkage increases with the dosage of SPs.Based on the results above,we further studied the mechanism of the effects of SPs on the early-age drying shrinkage of cement paste by PSD and water loss,which are two components of r_s.The experimental results indicate that r_s can be a better index for the early-age drying shrinkage of cement-based materials with SPs than a single factor.In addition,the effects of SPs on other factors such as hydration degree and elastic modulus were also investigated and discussed.

Influence of MB-value of Manufactured Sand on the Shrinkage and Cracking of High Strength Concrete

The relation between methylene blue （MB） value of MS and its limestone dust content and clay content was investigated. The effects of MB value ranging from 0.35 to 2.5 on the workability of fresh concrete and crack propagation characteristics at the age of 24 hours, and effects on the mechanical properties, dry shrinkage of the harden concrete were tested. The experimental results show that the MB value is not related with the limestone dust content of MS, but in direct proportion to clay content. With the increase of MB value, the concrete workability decreases, and the flexural strength and 7 d compressive strength reduce markedly, whearas the 28 d compressive strength is not affected. When the MB-value is less than or equal to 1.35, the change of the MB-value has a little influence on early plastic cracking and dry shrinkage property of concrete, but when the MB-value is more than 1.35, the tendency of plastic cracking and dry shrinkage is remarkable.

Shrinkage and Cracking Sensitivity of Cement Mortar Containing Fly Ash, Granulated Blast-furnace Slag and Silica Fume

A laboratory study was undertaken to investigate drying shrinkage and cracking sensitivity subjected to restrained shrinkage of mortar containing fly ash (FA), granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) and silica fume (SF). Six mortar mixtures including control Portland cement (PC) and FA, GBFS and SF mortar mixtures were prepared. FA replaced the cement on mass basis at the replacement ratios of 20% and 35%, GBFS replaced the cement at the replacement ratios of 40%, SF replaced the cement at the replacement ratios of 8% and the blended mixtures with 20% FA, 20% GBFS and 8% SF. Water-cementitious materials ratio and sand-cementitious materials ratio were 0.4 and 2.0 for all mixtures, respectively. The mixtures were cured at 65% relative humidity and 20℃. The drying shrinkage value, initial cracking time and cracking width of the mortar samples were measured. The results show that all the mortar mixture containing FA exhibited the decrease of drying shrinkage. Moreover, initial cracking time was markedly delayed, and the crack width of the initial crack was reduced. However, the incorporations of various ratios of GBFS and SF led to an increase of drying shrinkage, initial cracking time and cracking width as compared to control mixture.

Influence of Superplasticizers on Strength and Shrinkage Cracking of Cement Mortar under Drying Conditions

The effects of polynaphthalene series superplasticizers（PNS） with a low content of sodium sulfate （H-UNF）,with a high content of sodium sulfate（C-UNF） and polycarboxylate type superplasticizer （PC） on strength and shrinkage cracking of cement mortar under drying conditions were investigated by means of multi-channel ellipse ring shrinkage cracking test, free shrinkage and strength test. The general effect of PNS and PC is to increase the initial cracking time of mortars, and decrease the cracking sensitivity of mortars. As for decreasing the cracking sensitivity of mortars, PC〉H-UNF〉C-UNF. To incorporate superplasticizers is apparently to increase the free shrinkage of mortars when keeping the constant w/b ratio and the content of cement pastes. As for the effect of controlling the volume stability of mortars, PC〉C-UNF〉H-UNF. Maximum crack width of mortars containing PC is lower, but the development rate of maximum crack width of mortars containing H-UNF is faster in comparison with control mortars. The flexural and compressive strengths of mortars at 28-day increase with increasing superplasticizer dosages under drying conditions. PC was superior to PNS in the aspect of increasing strength.

Numerical simulation of central shrinkage crack formation in a 234-t steel ingot

Central shrinkage crack is a common defect encountered in steel ingot casting. It is necessary to limit the degree of crack in case of further propagation in forging. A 234-t steel ingot was dissected to check the internal quality, and a central shrinkage crack band of 1,400 mm in height and 120 mm in width, was found at a distance of 450 mm under the riser bottom line. Then, thermo-mechanical simulation using an elasto-viscoplastic finite-element model was conducted to analyze the stress-strain evolution during ingot solidification. A new criterion considering mush mechanical property in the brittle temperature range as well as shrinkage porosity was used to identify the shrinkage crack potential, where the degree of shrinkage porosity is regarded as a probability factor using a modified sigmoid function. Different casting processes, such as pouring speed, mould preheating and riser insulation, were optimized with the simulation model. The results show that fast pouring, proper mould preheating and good riser insulation can alleviate shrinkage crack potential in the ingot center.

Hydration Process and Crack Tendency of Concrete Based on Resistivity and Restrained Shrinkage Crack

Hydration process, crack potential and setting time of concrete grade C30, C40 and C50 were monitored by using a non-contact electrical resistivity apparatus, a novel plastic ring mould and penetration resistance methods, respectively. The results show the highest resistivity of C30 at the early stage until a point when C50 accelerated and overtook the others. It has been experimentally confirmed that the crossing point of C30 and C50 corresponds to the final setting time of C50. From resistivity derivative curve, four different stages were observed upon which the hydration process is classified; these are dissolution, induction, acceleration and deceleration periods. Consequently, restrained shrinkage crack and setting time results demonstrated that C50 set and cracked the earliest. The cracking time of all the samples occurred within a reasonable experimental period thus the novel plastic ring is a convenient method for predicting concrete＇s crack potential. The highest inflection time（t_i） obtained from resistivity curve and the final setting time（t_f） were used with crack time（t_c） in coming up with mathematical models for the prediction of concrete＇s cracking age for the range of concrete grade considered. Finally, an ANSYS numerical simulation supports the experimental findings in terms of the earliest crack age of C50 and the crack location.

Factors Predisposing and Triggering the Phenomenon of Shrinkage-Swelling of Clay Soils in the Urban Center of Diamniadio

The phenomena of shrinkage and swelling of clay induce damage to housing structures every year. Precipitation, climatic changes and drought are the cause of wall cracks due to subsidence or swelling of the supporting soil. This movement alters the balance between the soil and the structures. To explain this defection, the soil is made up of three elements: the solid, the liquid and the gas. Sometimes in a natural way or following a human intervention, one of these elements undergoes an abnormal variation that causes the loss of the balance between land and works. It is in this sense that this article deals on the one hand with the factors of predisposition and triggering of the phenomena of shrinkage-swelling of the clay soils of Diamniadio and on the other hand, the factors of aggravation linked to the lithological heterogeneity and the variation in the thickness of the layers susceptible to shrinkage-swelling. The studies carried out have enabled a deeper understanding of the behavior of expansive soils following their interactions with climate, vegetation, hydrology, hydrogeology, constructions among others, but also the influence of lateral and vertical variations of fine soil facies.

Influence of shrinkage porosity on fatigue performance of iron castings and life estimation method

Shrinkage porosity exists more or less in heavy castings, and it plays an important role in the fatigue behavior of cast materials. In this study, fatigue tests were carried out on the QT400-18 cast iron specimens containing random degrees of shrinkage porosity defect. Experimental results showed that the order of magnitude of life scattered from 103 to 106 cycles when the shrinkage percentage ranged from 0.67% to 5.91%. SEM analyses were carried out on the shrinkage porosity region. The inter-granular discontinuous, micro cracks and inclusions interfered with the fatigue sliding or hindering process. The slip in shrinkage porosity region was not as orderly as the ordinary continuous medium. The shrinkage porosity area on fracture surface(SPAFS) and alternating stress intensity factor(ASIF) were applied to evaluate the tendency of residual life distribution; their relationship was fitted by negative exponent functions. Based on the intermediate variable of ASIF, a fatigue life prediction model of nodular cast iron containing shrinkage porosity defects was established. The modeling prediction was in agreement with the experimental results.

Research on cracking mechanism of the thin shell mould in expendable pattern shell casting during pattern removal process

Aiming at the cracking phenomenon of the thin shell mould in the expendable pattern shell casting during the pattern removing process, some systemic researches are presented.The influence of the pattern removing method and temperature on the pattern removing were investigated.The shell mould cracking mechanism was analyzed by using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and combining the temperature field and the volume change of the expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam pattern being tested.The results indicated that the shell mould was not easily cracked when the pattern removing process was carried out with the furnace being heated little by little because of the shell slowly shrinking with dehydration and shell strength gradually increasing.The shell mould was soon destroyed when it was set directly into the furnace at above 400 oC because of the thin shell mould rapidly shrinking and the foam pattern hindering.However, the shell mould had no cracking when it had been preheated for a long time even if the furnace temperature was above 400 oC and the shell was put into the furnace directly.Moreover, when the shell mould was directly set into the furnace at lower temperatures, 250 to 300 ℃, the shell would shrink slowly and the foam pattern would stay at the maximum expansion stage temperature of 100 to 110 ℃ for a long time; and the shell mould would experience an expansion force from the foam pattern for a long time.The expansion force is related to the pattern removing temperature, holding time, foam pattern thickness and density.Therefore, the foam pattern with higher density could make the shell crack.

Investigation on Cracking of Concrete Shear Wall under Exceeded Temperature Differences Rate

In situ, the changes of temperature, deformation, and stressing of steel bar of C40 reinforced concrete shear wall were measured, respectively. The results are obvious that the temperature change of climate is one of the most effective factors which could lead the concrete shear wall to cracking at earlier age. The temperature differences between inside and outside concrete shear wall are so large that the concrete will gain larger shrinkage. This larger shrinkage which is caused by the temperature reducing ratio will gain the strained action of head, end and reinforced steel bar of concrete shear wall. This action can lead to tensile stress on the surface and inside concrete shear wall. If the tensile stress would exceed the pull strength of concrete, the concrete shear wall would crack and cause deterioration. Thus, the enhancing curing of concrete shear wall in suit at earlier age, and controlling temperature reducing ratio and deform caused by shrinkage, will be available treatments which control occurring and developing of cracking on concrete shear wall.

Cracking Tendency of Restrained Concrete at Early Ages

A modified testing system characterized by full automation, steady operation and high accuracy of strain and stress measurements was developed to determine the cracking tendency of high strength concrete （HSC） in restrained condition at early ages. The shrinkage stress and the tensile creep behavior of HSC at early ages were investigated. The influence of W/C ratio and curing conditions on the early-age shrinkage stress and tensile creep was evaluated. It was found that the lower W/C ratio and drying curing condition resulted in higher shrinkage stress, stress induced tensile creep and greater cracking tendency.

Investigation on the Free and Restrained Shrinkage of Self-compacting Concrete

A novel ellipsis-ring cracking apparatus with an automatic monitoring system was used to measure the restrained shrinkage and initial cracking time of self-compacting concrete (SCC). The free shrinkage, restrained shrinkage and strength were integrated to evaluate the effect of the mineral admixtures and content of cementitious materials on shrinkage of SCC. The experimental results show that the initial cracking time of SCC incorporating fly ash was delayed, the shrinkage value and rate was reduced. The hydration achievement of silica fume increased free shrinkage and reduced initial cracking time of FA-SCC comparing to control sample, but silica fume improved the mechanical properties of FA-SCC in early age. As same strength, with the reducing the content of cementitious materials, the initial cracking time of SCC delayed and cracking sensitivity decreased markedly, especially when the content of cementitious materials achieve 450 kg/m3.

Cracking behaviors and crack control of self-consolidating concrete: a review of literature

Cracking in concrete occurs from volumetric instability, mechanical loading, and/or environmental attack. Compared to conventional vibrated concrete, self-consolidating concrete often has a higher susceptibility to crack due to different mixture design, material properties and construction practices. To obtain a better understanding of self-consolidating concrete cracking behaviors for designing and constructing crack-controlled structural elements, reported current research and practices are reviewed and analyzed in this paper. It has been believed that when well designed and well constructed, high quality self- consolidating concrete can be successfully used in various structures with cracks properly controlled.

聚乙烯醇纤维掺量对高延性地聚合物混凝土早期抗裂和收缩性能影响

研究了聚乙烯醇(PVA)纤维掺量对高延性地聚合物混凝土早期塑性收缩开裂、干燥收缩和自生收缩的影响.结果表明,与地聚合物混凝土相比,掺PVA纤维的高延性地聚合物混凝土抗开裂性能和抗收缩性能显著提高,PVA纤维体积掺量为2%的地聚合物混凝土抗开裂和抗收缩性能最好.基于试验结果,建立了收缩预测模型,该模型能够一定程度反映地聚合物混凝土早期收缩特征.

城市轨道交通混凝土抗裂防渗技术研究与应用

抑制混凝土开裂渗漏是保障城市轨道交通地下结构建设质量的重点和难点。以城市轨道交通地下车站为例,分析了混凝土开裂的主要原因,介绍了施工期混凝土抗裂性评估与设计方法,提出了混凝土材料抗裂性能控制指标,以及保障指标实现的材料、施工控制措施,结合实际工程,介绍了成套技术应用效果,为类似工程抗裂防渗建设质量提升提供指导。

基于综合性能试验的混凝土早期开裂行为研究

为提高混凝土的早期抗裂性能,突破单因素改善其早期稳定性,进行了多因素补偿混凝土各性能缺陷方面的研究.基于调控混凝土配合比开展了胶凝材料水化热、混凝土早期收缩试验和大板加速开裂试验.通过相关收缩机理分析了不同混凝土拌和物的开裂行为;运用双参数Weibull分布分析试验结果,得出了混凝土大板裂缝经时开裂规律.试验结果表明:采用高效稳定型聚羧酸减水剂可以增加浆体的和易性,结合66.7%矿物掺合料(粉煤灰和矿渣粉与水泥质量比)、较好级配碎石和0.29的水胶比有利于延长混凝土的初裂时间和控制裂缝宽度,即提高混凝土的早期抗裂性能.同时,该调控手段也可以降低浆体的水化热,提高混凝土的抗压强度.此外,混凝土裂缝宽度的经时变化规律很好地服从双参数Weibull分布.