Role of Early Drying Cracks in the Shrinkage Size Effect of Cement Paste
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 146, Issue 11
Abstract
Standardized shrinkage models for concrete incorporate a function which depends on the ratio of volume to sample surface. These empirically calibrated functions are rationalized based on nonuniform moisture distributions during drying. Nonuniform moisture distributions also lead to crack development during early exposure to drying conditions. The role of early crack patterns on the cement drying shrinkage size effect is studied by companion three-dimensional X-ray microscope scans and shrinkage studies of cement paste samples. The scanned internal surface area allows for the incorporation of crack surface area to provide a more accurate representation of the drying surface. It is found that cracks generated during drying shrinkage will accelerate the moisture diffusion and cause additional shrinkage strain, and both effects follow a size effect that becomes more prominent for larger sections. Discussion of the experimentally observed impact of cracking on the shrinkage size effect behavior separates the contributions from diffusion and strain using a finite difference model. Based on these results, insights for concrete construction practice of aggregate arrangement to minimize differential shrinkage strains and cracking in nonuniform sections, such as bridge girders, are also discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
ACI (American Concrete Institute). 1992. Prediction of creep, shrinkage, and temperature effects in concrete structures (reapproved 2008). ACI 209R-92. Farmington Hills, MI: ACI.
Almudaiheem, J. A., and W. Hansen. 1987. “Effect of specimen size and shape on drying shrinkage of concrete.” Mater. J. 84 (2): 130–135.
Al-Saleh, S. A., and R. Z. Al-Zaid. 2006. “Effects of drying conditions, admixtures and specimen size on shrinkage strains.” Cem. Concr. Res. 36 (10): 1985–1991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2004.11.005.
ASTM. 2014. Standard practice for mechanical mixing of hydraulic cement pastes and mortars of plastic consistency. ASTM C305-14. Philadelphia: ASTM.
Bažant, Z. P., and S. Baweja. 2000. “Creep and shrinkage prediction model for analysis and design of concrete structures: Model B3.” ACI Spec. Publ. 194: 1–84.
Bažant, Z. P., and J. Planas. 1997. Vol. 16 of Fracture and size effect in concrete and other quasibrittle materials. London: CRC Press.
Bažant, Z. P., and W. J. Raftshol. 1982. “Effect of cracking in drying and shrinkage specimens.” Cem. Concr. Res. 12 (2): 209–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(82)90008-4.
Beltzung, F., and F. H. Wittmann. 2005. “Role of disjoining pressure in cement based materials.” Cem. Concr. Res. 35 (12): 2364–2370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2005.04.004.
Bisschop, J., L. Pel, and J. G. M. Van Mier. 2001. “Effect of aggregate size and paste volume on drying shrinkage microcracking in cement-based composites.” In Creep, shrinkage and durability mechanics of concrete and other quasi-brittle materials, 75–80. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Bisschop, J., and J. Van Mier. 2002. “How to study drying shrinkage microcracking in cement-based materials using optical and scanning electron microscopy?” Cem. Concr. Res. 32 (2): 279–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(01)00671-8.
Bissonnette, B., P. Pierre, and M. Pigeon. 1999. “Influence of key parameters on drying shrinkage of cementitious materials.” Cem. Concr. Res. 29 (10): 1655–1662. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(99)00156-8.
CEN (European Committee for Standardization). 2004. Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures. EN 1992-1-1. Brussels, Belgium: CEN.
Christian, B. H., and B. J. F. Patten. 1967. Multiphase aspects of concrete drying shrinkage. Kensington, UK: Univ. of New South Wales.
Dönmez, A., and Z. P. Bažant. 2016. “Shape factors for concrete shrinkage and drying creep in model B4 refined by nonlinear diffusion analysis.” Mater. Struct. 49 (11): 4779–4784. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-016-0824-6.
Euro-International Committee for Concrete, M. A. Chiorino, and P. Napoli. 1984. CEB design manual on structural effects of time-dependent behaviour of concrete. Saphorin, Switzerland: Georgi Publishing.
fib (Fédération Internationale du Béton). 1999. Structural concrete: Textbook on behaviour, design and performance: Updated knowledge of the CEB/FIP model code 1990. Lausanne, Switzerland: fib.
Gajewicz, A. M., E. Gartner, K. Kang, P. J. McDonald, and V. Yermakou. 2016. “A 1H NMR relaxometry investigation of gel-pore drying shrinkage in cement pastes.” Cem. Concr. Res. 86 (Aug): 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2016.04.013.
Gardner, N. J., and M. J. Lockman. 2001. “Design provisions for drying shrinkage and creep of normal-strength concrete.” Mater. J. 98 (2): 159–167.
Gardner, N. J., and J.-W. Zhao. 1993. “Creep and shrinkage revisited.” Mater. J. 90 (3): 236–246.
Grassl, P., H. S. Wong, and N. R. Buenfeld. 2010. “Influence of aggregate size and volume fraction on shrinkage induced micro-cracking of concrete and mortar.” Cem. Concr. Res. 40 (1): 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2009.09.012.
Hansen, T. C., and A. H. Mattock. 1966. “Influence of size and shape of member on the shrinkage and creep of concrete.” J. Proc. 63 (2): 267–290.
Hansen, T. C., and K. E. Nielsen. 1965. “Influence of aggregate properties on concrete shrinkage.” J. Proc. 62 (7): 783–794.
Hansen, W. 1987. “Drying shrinkage mechanisms in Portland cement paste.” J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 70 (5): 323–328. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.1987.tb05002.x.
Hobbs, D. 1971. “The dependence of the bulk modulus, Young’s modulus, creep, shrinkage and thermal expansion of concrete upon aggregate volume concentration.” Matériaux et Construction 4 (2): 107–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02473965.
Hobbs, D. W. 1974. “Influence of aggregate restraint on the shrinkage of concrete.” J. Proc. 71 (9): 445–450.
Hossain, A. B., and J. Weiss. 2006. “The role of specimen geometry and boundary conditions on stress development and cracking in the restrained ring test.” Cem. Concr. Res. 36 (1): 189–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2004.06.043.
Idiart, A. E., C. M. López, and I. Carol. 2011. “Modeling of drying shrinkage of concrete specimens at the meso-level.” Mater. Struct. 44 (2): 415–435. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-010-9636-2.
Jennings, H. M. 2008. “Refinements to colloid model of CSH in cement: CM-II.” Cem. Concr. Res. 38 (3): 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2007.10.006.
Jensen, O. M., and P. F. Hansen. 2001. “Water-entrained cement-based materials: Part I. principles and theoretical background.” Cem. Concr. Res. 31 (4): 647–654. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(01)00463-X.
Juenger, M. C. G., and H. M. Jennings. 2002. “Examining the relationship between the microstructure of calcium silicate hydrate and drying shrinkage of cement pastes.” Cem. Concr. Res. 32 (2): 289–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(01)00673-1.
Lura, P., O. M. Jensen, and S.-I. Igarashi. 2007. “Experimental observation of internal water curing of concrete.” Mater. Struct. 40 (2): 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-006-9132-x.
Lura, P., K. Van Breugel, and I. Maruyama. 2002. “Autogenous and drying shrinkage of high-strength lightweight aggregate concrete at early ages—The effect of specimen size.” PRO 23: 335–342.
Pickett, G. 1956. “Effect of aggregate on shrinkage of concrete and a hypothesis concerning shrinkage.” J. Proc. 52 (1): 581–590.
Samouh, H., E. Rozière, and A. Loukili. 2018. “Shape effect on drying behavior of cement-based materials: Mechanisms and numerical analysis.” Cem. Concr. Res. 110 (Aug): 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2018.05.003.
Samouh, H., E. Rozière, and A. Loukili. 2019. “Experimental and numerical study of the relative humidity effect on drying shrinkage and cracking of self-consolidating concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 115 (Jan): 519–529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2018.08.008.
Samouh, H., A. Soive, E. Rozière, and A. Loukili. 2016. “Experimental and numerical study of size effect on long-term drying behavior of concrete: Influence of drying depth.” Mater. Struct. 49 (10): 4029–4048. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-015-0771-7.
Shiotani, T., J. Bisschop, and J. Van Mier. 2003. “Temporal and spatial development of drying shrinkage cracking in cement-based materials.” Eng. Fract. Mech. 70 (12): 1509–1525. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7944(02)00150-9.
Taerwe, L., and S. Matthys. 2013. Fib model code for concrete structures 2010. Berlin: Wiley.
Tangtermsirikul, S., and S. Tatong. 2001. “Modeling of aggregate stiffness and its effect on shrinkage of concrete.” Sci. Asia 27 (3): 185–192. https://doi.org/10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2001.27.185.
Tazawa, E.-I., and S. Miyazawa. 1995. “Experimental study on mechanism of autogenous shrinkage of concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 25 (8): 1633–1638. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-8846(95)00159-X.
Videla, C., D. J. Carreira, and N. Garner. 2008. Guide for modeling and calculating shrinkage and creep in hardened concrete. Farmington Hills, MI: American Concrete Institute.
Wendner, R., M. H. Hubler, and Z. P. Bažant. 2013. “The B4 model for multi-decade creep and shrinkage prediction.” In Mechanics and physics of creep, shrinkage, and durability of concrete: A tribute to Zdeněk P. Bažant, 429–436. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Wu, Z., H. Wong, C. Chen, and N. Buenfeld. 2019. “Anomalous water absorption in cement-based materials caused by drying shrinkage induced microcracks.” Cem. Concr. Res. 115 (Jan): 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2018.10.006.
Xi, Y., Z. P. Bažant, L. Molina, and H. M. Jennings. 1994. “Moisture diffusion in cementitious materials moisture capacity and diffusivity.” Adv. Cem. Based Mater. 1 (6): 258–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/1065-7355(94)90034-5.
Zech, B., and F. Wittmann. 1978. “Part II probabilistic approach to describe the behaviour of materials.” Nucl. Eng. Des. 48 (2–3): 575–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/0029-5493(78)90099-7.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 146 • Issue 11 • November 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 7, 2020
Accepted: Jun 19, 2020
Published online: Sep 2, 2020
Published in print: Nov 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Feb 2, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.