Unrestrained Curling in Concrete with Fine Lightweight Aggregates
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 9
Abstract
Curling of concrete pavements and slabs because of moisture gradients has been documented for many years. Over the past 20 years, significant research has demonstrated the benefits of adding saturated lightweight aggregate fines to concrete to enhance hydration, reduce permeability, and increase strength. This study extends the current research by examining the effect fine lightweight aggregate has on concrete curling behavior. A total of 15 different mix designs were systematically tested following a design of experiments model. The three independent variables were water-to-cementitious ratio, volumetric replacement of fine aggregate with saturated fine lightweight aggregate, and moist curing duration. The addition of saturated fine lightweight aggregates reduced the magnitude of moisture curling in a concrete specimen when compared with an identical mixture without saturated fine lightweight aggregates. In addition, curing duration had an inverse effect on the moisture curling, i.e., the longer curing duration, the higher amount of concrete curling, although a higher concrete strength was achieved. An increase in the water:cement ratio also led to higher curling values within the studied range. Overall, the results indicate that the addition of saturated fine lightweight aggregates has a positive impact on reducing the curling magnitude and drying shrinkage of paving concrete mixtures.
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Acknowledgments
This study was partially supported by the Expanded Shale, Clay, and Slate Institute (ESCSI). The authors wish to thank Jeff LaHucik for his assistance in casting and transporting the specimens of this study. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the ESCSI.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29 • Issue 9 • September 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 25, 2016
Accepted: Jan 19, 2017
Published online: Apr 13, 2017
Published in print: Sep 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Sep 13, 2017
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