Experimental research on the effect of strength grade on early-age concrete shrinkage

Abstract

This article investigates the influence of strength grade on the shrinkage of concrete at an early age. Shrinkage tests on prismatic samples and restrained shrinkage ring tests were conducted with two concrete grades, B1 (compressive strength 33.5 MPa) and B2 (compressive strength 65.7 MPa). Experimental results showed that, at 0-3 days and 3-28 days, the B1 sample had a greater shrinkage strain than the B2 sample. For the ring test, the maximum strain value of the steel rim of the B2 sample is greater than that of the B1 sample; the time when the steel rim has the maximum deformation and the time when the steel rim deformation returns to 0 of the grade B2 sample are both more prolonged than the B1 sample. The article has provided a data set on the shrinkage and deformation of concrete at an early age as a basis for finding solutions to limit cracking in concrete and reinforced concrete structures.

Keywords: Early-age concrete; shrinkage; strength Grade