CONCRETE SHRINKAGE PREDICTION USING MATURITY AND ACTIVATION ENERGY

Abstract

Shrinkage is a complex material response that often affects concrete in an adverse manner. The characteristics of the natural environment in which concrete is placed and the rate of strength development have been used to model the rate of shrinkage development. Furthermore, concrete maturity has been used to predict the rate of strength development of concrete cured at different temperatures. This study sought to find a correlation between activation energy based concrete maturity and concrete shrinkage. A single concrete mixture was tested to determine the apparent activation energy of the mixture and the shrinkage under varying environmental conditions. A shrinkage model incorporating relative humidity and temperature was developed to predict the shrinkage of the concrete mixture. A relationship between concrete shrinkage and activation energy based maturity was investigated.