Analysis and Prediction Model Reinforced UHPC Shrinkage Property

This paper explores the shrinkage of reinforced UHPC under high-temperature steam curing and natural curing conditions.The results are compared with the existing shrinkage prediction models.The results show that the maximum shrinkage strain of reinforced UHPC after steam curing is 164μεand gradually becomes zero.As for natural curing,the maximum shrinkage strain is 173μεand the value stabilizes on the 10th day after pouring.This indicated that steam curing can significantly reduce shrinkage time.Compared with the plain UHPC tested in the previous literature,the structural reinforcement can significantly inhibit the UHPC shrinkage and greatly reduce the risk of cracking due to shrinkage.By comparing the results in this paper with the existing models for predicting the shrinkage strain development,it is found that the formula recommended in the French UHPC structural and technical specification is suitable for the shrinkage curve in the present paper.

Exploring the Mechanical Properties,Shrinkage and Compensation Mechanism of Cement Stabilized Macadam-Steel Slag from Multiple Perspectives

Steel slag is characterized by high strength,good wear resistance and micro-expansion.This study aims at exploring the potential of steel slag in cement stabilized aggregates,mainly including mechanical properties,shrinkage and compensation mechanisms.For this purpose,the compressive strength and compressive resilient modulus of cement stabilized aggregates with different steel slag contents(CSMS)were initially investigated.Subsequently,the effects of steel slag and cement on dry shrinkage,temperature shrinkage,and total shrinkage were analyzed through a series of shrinkage test designs.Additionally,in combination with X-ray diffraction(XRD)and Scanning electron microscope(SEM),the characteristic peaks and microscopic images of cement,steel slag and cement-steel slag at different hydration ages were analyzed to identify the chemical substances causing the expansion volume of steel slag and reveal the compensation mechanism of CSMS.The results show that the introduction of 20%steel slag improved the mechanical properties of CSMS by 16.7%,reduced dry shrinkage by 21%,increased temperature shrinkage by 5.8%and reduced its total shrinkage by 19.2%.Compared with the hydration reaction of cement alone,the composite hydration reaction of steel slag with cement does not produce new hydrates.Furthermore,it is noteworthy that the volume expansion of the f-CaO hydration reaction in steel slag can compensate for the volume shrinkage of cement-stabilized macadam.This research can provide a solid theoretical basis for the application and promotion of steel slag in cement-stabilized macadam and reduce the possibility of shrinkage cracking.

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.

Influence of shrinkage-reducing admixture on drying shrinkage and mechanical properties of high-performance concrete

High-performance concrete （HPC） has specific performance advantages over conventional concrete in strength and durability. HPC mixtures are usually produced with water/binder mass ratios （mW/mB） in the range of 0.2-0.4, so volume changes of concrete as a result of drying, chemical reactions, and temperature change cannot be avoided. For these reasons, shrinkage and cracking are frequent phenomena. It is necessary to add some types of admixture for reduction of shrinkage and cracking of HPC. This study used a shrinkage-reducing admixture （SRA） for that purpose. Concrete was prepared with two different mW/mB （0.22 and 0.40） and four different mass fractions of SRA to binder （w（SRA） = 0%, 1%, 2%, and 4%）. The mineral admixtures used for concrete mixes were： 25% fly ash （FA） and 25% slag by mass of binder for the mixture with mW/mB = 0.40, and 15% silica fume （SF） and 25% FA for the mixture with mW/mB = 0.22. Tests were conducted on 24 prismatic specimens, and shrinkage strains were measured through 120 days of drying. Compressive strength, splitting strength, and static modulus of elasticity were also determined. The results show that the SRA effectively reduces some mechanical properties of HPC. The reductions in compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and elastic modulus of the concrete were 7%-24%, 9%-19%, and 5%-12%, respectively, after 90 days, compared to concrete mixtures without SRA. SRA can also help reduce drying shrinkage of concrete. The shrinkage strains of HPC with SRA were only as high as 41% of the average free shrinkage of concrete without SRA after 120 days of drying.

Effects of Manufactured-sand on Dry Shrinkage and Crccp of High-strength Concrete

The influences of natural sand, manufactured-sand （MS） and stone-dust （SD） in the manufactured-sand on workability, compressive strength, elastic modulus, drying shrinkage and creep properties of high-strength concrete （HSC） were tested and compared. The results show that the reasonable content （7%-10.5%） of SD in MS will not deteriorate the workability of MS-HSC. It could even improve the workability. Moreover, the compressive strength increases gradually with the increasing SD content,and the MS- HSC with low SD content （smaller than 7%） has the elastic modulus which approaches that of the natural sand HSC, but the elastic modulus reduces when the SD content is high. The influence of the SD content on drying shrinkage performance of MS-HSC is closely related to the hydration age. The shrinkage rate of MS-HSC in the former 7 d age is higher than that of the natural sand HSC, but the difference of the shrinkage rate in the late age is not marked. Meanwhile the shrinkage rate reduces as the fly ash is added; the specific creep and creep coefficient of MS-HSC with 7% SD are close to those of the natural sand HSC.

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.

Effect of Pre-wetted Light-weight Aggregate on Internal RelativeHumidity and Autogenous Shrinkage of Concrete

This research indicates that the gradient of internal relative humidity （IRH） decreases rapidly within 7-day curing age in HPC. The amount of water imported by pre-wetted light-weight aggregate can regulate IRH of concrete. By importing a proper amount of water, the process of the decline of IRH can be delayed and the autogenous shrinkage can be reduced. The relationship among the amount of water imported by pre- wetted lightweight aggregate, IRH and AS was established. The result provides a new method of reducing early AS and enhancing early cracking resistance of HPC.

Shrinkage Behavior of High Performance Concrete at Different Elevated Temperatures under Different Sealing Conditions

The shrinkage behavior of high performance cement concrete made from Portland cement, ultra fine granulated blast furnace slag and pulverized fly ash with addition of superplasticizer at different temperatures from ambient temperature to 120 ℃ under different seuliug conditions was investigated by means of length change measurement on cylindrical concrete specimens along with curing age. Results show that drying shrinkage deformations of titled concrete specimens increased rapidly as the curing temperature rose. The development of dryiing shrinkage deformatian can be efficiently controlled with the aid of aluminum tape sealing as compared with the unsealed specimens, especially when the curing temperature is below 60℃ , although it will increase dramatically when the curing temperature is elevated to above 90%＂ . Polymer coating on concrete specimens showed a similar effect on the control of drying shrinkage as the sealing operation with aluminum tape.

Autogenous Shrinkage of High Strength Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

The characteristic of autogenous shrinkage（AS） and its effect on high strength lightweight aggregate concrete（HSLAC） were studied.The experimental results show that the main shrinkage of high strength concrete is AS and the amount of cement can affect the AS of HSLAC remarkably,At the early stage the AS of HSLAC is lower than that of high strength normal concrete,but it has a large growth at the later stage.The AS of high strength normal concrete becomes stable at 90d age,but HSLAC still has a high AS growth .It is found that adjusting the volume rate of lightweight aggregate,mixing with a proper dosage of fly ash and raising the water saturation degree of lightweight aggregate can markedly reduce the AS rate of HSLAC.

Influences of Reinforcement on Differential Drying Shrinkage of Concrete

Shrinkage strain of concrete specimen with different reinforcement configuration was measured at various depths from the exposed surface by using several pairs of displacement sensors. Only one surface of the concrete specimen was exposed to dry condition during the experiment. The results show that differential shrinkage strain occurs in both plain and steel reinforced concrete specimens according to depths from the exposed surface. A higher reinforcement ratio results in a greater restraint against shrinkage of concrete nearby reinforcement rebar and a worse differential shrinkage strain distribution in the concrete specimen. The restraint against shrinkage of concrete becomes lower with the increasing distance from reinforcement rebar. Under the same reinforcement arrangement, a higher free shrinkage of concrete leads to a stronger restraint against shrinkage and a higher shrinkage stress formation in local concrete. The relationship between shrinkage strain and reduction of relative humidity in reinforced concrete structure is far different from that in plain concrete.

Mesocosmic study on autogenous shrinkage of concrete with consideration of effects of temperature and humidity

A study on the autogenous shrinkage （AS） of concrete from a mesocosmic perspective was carried out using numerical simulation technology. The temperature history and the autogenous relative humidity （ARH）, two factors that have been shown to have occasional influence on this process in previous studies, were introduced into this study. According to these concepts, a program for simulation of the temperature field, humidity field, and stress field based on the equivalent age method and a fully automatic aggregate modeling tool were used. With the help of these programs, the study of a small concrete specimen provided some useful conclusions： the aggregate and the matrix show distinct distribution properties in the temperature field, humidity field, and stress field; the aggregate-matrix interface has a high possibility of becoming the location of the initial cracking caused by AS of concrete; the distribution of random aggregates is extremely important for mesoscopical analysis; and the temperature history is the main factor affecting the AS of concrete. On the whole, inherent mechanisms and cracking mechanisms of AS of concrete can be explained more reasonably and realistically only by considering the different characteristics of material phases and the effects of temperature and humidity.

Physical Model of Drying Shrinkage of Recycled Aggregate Concrete

We prepared concretes（RC0, RC30, and RC100） with three different mixes. The poresize distribution parameters of RAC were examined by high-precision mercury intrusion method（MIM） and nuclear magnetic resonance（NMR） imaging. A capillary-bundle physical model with random-distribution pores（improved model, IM） was established according to the parameters, and dry-shrinkage strain values were calculated and verified. Results show that in all pore types, capillary pores, and gel pores have the greatest impacts on concrete shrinkage, especially for pores 2.5-50 and 50-100 nm in size. The median radii are 34.2, 31, and 34 nm for RC0, RC30, and RC100, respectively. Moreover, the internal micropore size distribution of RC0 differs from that of RC30 and RC100, and the pore descriptions of MIM and NMR are consistent both in theory and in practice. Compared with the traditional capillary-bundle model, the calculated results of IM have higher accuracy as demonstrated by experimental verifi cation.

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.

Shrinkage and Compressive Strength of Concrete with Superabsorbent Polymers

The effects of superabsorbent polymers on the shrinkage and mechanical properties of concrete were investigated.Results of shrinkage tests show that SAP addition reduces the shrinkage.Especially,for the concrete with 3.84 kg SAP/m3 concrete,the shrinkage is little.Compressive strength of concrete with SAP is lower than that of concrete without SAP.However,for the concrete with SAP,the ratio of compressive strength at 90 days to one at 3 days is larger than that of concrete without SAP.

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.

Finite Element Analysis of Shrinkage in the Interface of Functionally Graded Concrete Segment Used in Shield Tunneling

In functionally graded materials (FGM), the problem of interface stability caused by the volume deformation is commonly regarded as the key factor for its performance. Based on test results, in terms of finite element method (FEM) this paper analyzed problems in the shrinkage of functionally graded material interface of shield concrete segment, which was designed and produced by the principle of functionally graded materials. In the analysis model, the total shrinkage of concrete was converted into the thermal shrinkage by means of the method of 'Equivalent Temperature Difference'. Consequently, the shrinkage stress of interface layer was calculated and compared with the bond strength of interface layer. The results indicated that the volume deformation of two-phase materials of functionally graded concrete (FGC) segment, which were the concrete cover and the concrete structure layer, showed better compatibility and the tension stress of interface layer, which was resulted from the shrinkage of concrete and calculated by ANSYS, was less than the bond strength of interface layer. Therefore, the interface stability of functionally graded concrete segment was good and the sliding deformation of interface layer would not generate.

THE SHRINKAGE OF EXPANSIVE CONCRETE FILLED STEEL TUBE AND ITS IMPROVEMENT METHOD

The shrinkage characteristics tics of expansive concrete filled steel tube (CFST) are analyzed, Cold shrinkage, creep and autogenous shrinkage are considered as the main reasons of causing CFST contraction. In accordance with the shrinkage characteristics of expansive CFST, a kind of energy-stored delayed expansive agent is exploited, which can not only compensate the shrinkage of the core concrete in every stages, but also make CFST expand according to the delayed expansion mechanism. As the result, the prestress loss weill be reduced and expansive energy will be utilized effectively.

Experimental Research on the Autogenous Shrinkage of MK High Performance Concrete

Calcine and mill kaolin were used under agreeable technological conditions to generate matakaolin （MK）. The autogenous shrinkage performance of high performance concrete added with MK was researched. It is shown that MK has an effective inhibitory action to early autogenous shrinkage of cement concrete, and the inhibitory action increases with the increase of MK. The autogenous shrinkage values from 24 hours after placement to 56 days are all higher than those of the contrasted concrete, among which, the value of the concrete with 5% MK is the highest. But the total shrinkage values in 56 days are all less than those of the contrasted test pieces. The total contraction after 24 h of placement decreases as the increase of MK, moreover, it is greatly less than that of the contrasted ones.

Comparison of Shrinkage, Creep and Elastic Shortening of VMA and Powder Type Self-Compacting Concrete and Normal Vibrated Concrete

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is flowing in nature and hence viscosity modified agent (VMA) or higher amount of binder is used for stability of mix. The mix proportion of SCC is also different from normal vibrated concrete (NC). This modifies the properties of concrete at fresh as well as at hardened state. Three mixes, one VMA type SCC, one powder type SCC and one NC, are considered with identical water to binder ratio. Properties at fresh state such as workability and segregation resistance and at hardened stage such as compressive strength, elastic modulus, shrinkage, creep and elastic shortening are determined and compared. Powder type SCC shows superior properties at fresh stage. Also compressive strength of powder type SCC is found better than that of VMA SCC and NC. Observations show more shrinkage, elastic shortening and creep for powder type SCC as compared with VMA SCC and NC.