Implementing capillary pressure control measures to prevent plastic shrinkage cracking in concrete

•Plastic cracking can be prevented by monitoring the capillary pressure in concrete.•A model has been created which determines the critical capillary pressure.•Capillary pressure curve exists where no cracking occurs in concrete. Plastic shrinkage cracking occurs when fresh concrete is drying and re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Construction & building materials 2023-09, Vol.397, p.132407, Article 132407
Main Authors: Deysel, Renier Christiaan, Boshoff, William Peter, Smit, Martha Sophia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capillary pressure
Empirical model
Fresh Concrete
No cracking capillary pressure boundary model
Plastic shrinkage
Plastic shrinkage cracking
Tensiometers
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Summary:•Plastic cracking can be prevented by monitoring the capillary pressure in concrete.•A model has been created which determines the critical capillary pressure.•Capillary pressure curve exists where no cracking occurs in concrete. Plastic shrinkage cracking occurs when fresh concrete is drying and restrained from deformation, which typically results in cracking. The tensile stresses causing cracking result from the negative capillary pressure that develops in the drying concrete. This study developed a model that uses live in-situ capillary pressure measurements in fresh concrete to control the capillary pressure response to prevent plastic shrinkage cracking at any reasonable evaporation rate, making it a valuable tool for preventing plastic shrinkage cracking.
ISSN:0950-0618
1879-0526
DOI:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.132407