Freeze–Thaw Durability and Shrinkage of Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement Concrete with Internal Curing
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36, Issue 12
Abstract
Numerous applications in civil and transportation engineering require concrete with high early strength and good durability properties. Limited studies have revised the performance of high early-strength concrete prepared with calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement and internal curing technology. This study evaluates the strength and durability properties of four concrete mixtures designed with low and high cement contents, incorporated with and without internal curing. Compressive and split tensile strength, autogenous and drying shrinkage, and freezing and thawing resistance were evaluated. High early-strength concrete mixtures with internal curing achieved lower strength and improved durability (shrinkage and freezing and thawing resistance) in comparison with their analogous control mixtures. All concrete mixtures obtained compressive strength higher than 17 MPa (2,500 psi) within the first 4 h. Concrete mixtures with high cement content showed less contraction () than their analogous control mixtures. The internally cured concrete mixture with low cement content exhibited slight expansion instead of shrinkage. Finally, the freezing and thawing resistance showed great improvement because no or little damage was observed in the internally cured concrete mixtures. The internally cured concrete specimens overcame 300 cycles, whereas the control mixtures reached maximum 164 cycles. The internally cured mixtures with low and high cement contents showed a final relative dynamic of elasticity of 79.7% and 99%, respectively. Based on these results, using CSA concrete for repair works could be feasible with internal curing technique.
Practical Applications
Extensive damage is observed in concrete pavements due to several factors, primarily due to freeze–thaw action and shrinkage. Given that replacing the damaged pavement is expensive and time-consuming, several transportation agencies prefer to restore/repair the degraded portion of pavement using high early-strength concrete. Using high early-strength concrete ensures the pavement achieves its design strength at an early age, which ultimately allows opening the roadway to oncoming traffic in a shorter duration. The use of calcium sulfoaluminate cement instead of ordinary portland cement in high early-strength concrete helps to reduce the overall carbon footprint due to lower energy consumed during calcium sulfoaluminate’s clinkering process, along with relatively faster strength development. Previously, researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of internal curing to improve durability of high early-strength concrete by better freeze–thaw and shrinkage resistance. Overall, the given study focuses on understanding the benefits of internal curing in high early-strength concrete mixtures prepared with a low and high calcium sulfoaluminate cement content. Irrespective of the cement content, high early-strength concrete mixtures with internal curing had superior freeze–thaw and shrinkage resistance, proving that internal curing effectively improves the durability properties without compromising on its design strength.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the funding provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation under its Kansas Transportation and New Developments (K-TRAN) program for this study.
Author contributions: Faisal Qadri: Data collection, Analysis and interpretation of results, Draft preparation of manuscript. Ragini Krishna Nikumbh: Data collection, Analysis and interpretation of results, Draft preparation of manuscript. Christopher Jones: Study conception and design, Draft preparation of manuscript.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36 • Issue 12 • December 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 29, 2023
Accepted: May 7, 2024
Published online: Sep 30, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Feb 28, 2025
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