- Author
- Henkensiefken, R. | Castro, J. | Bentz, D. P. | Nantung, T. | Weiss, J.
- Title
- Water Absorption in Internally Cured Mortar Made With Water-Filled Lightweight Aggregate.
- Coporate
- US Concrete, 755 Stockton Ave, San Jose, CA Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Indiana Department of Transportation, West Lafayette, IN
- Journal
- Cement and Concrete Composites, Vol. 39, No. 10, 883-892, October 2009
- Sponsor
- Indiana Department of Transportation Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN
- Keywords
- mortar | aggregates | water | curing agents | sorptivity | equations | shrinkage | carcking (fracturing) | cements | hydration | spectroscopy
- Identifiers
- interfacial transition zone; internal curing; lightweight aggregate; background on the effects of internal curing on sorptivity; mixture proportions; degree of hydration; electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS); effects of internal curing on the degree of hydration; effects of internal curing on the initial and secondary sorptivity; effects of internal curing on the amount of absorbed water during the sorption test; effects of internal curing on electrical conductivity properties; effects of available space on both sorptivity and total amount of absorbed water
- Abstract
- The increased propensity for shrinkage cracking in low water-to-cement ratio (w/c) concrete has inspired the development of new technologies that can reduce the risk of early-age cracking. One of these is internal curing. Internal curing uses saturated lightweight aggregate to supply 'curing water' to low w/c paste as it hydrates. Significant research has been performed to determine the effects of internal curing on shrinkage and stress development; however, relatively little detailed information exists about the effects of internal curing on fluid transport properties such as water absorption or diffusivity. This study examines the absorption of water into mortar specimens made with saturated lightweight aggregates (SLWA). These results indicate that the inclusion of SLWA can reduce the water absorption of mortar specimens. This observation was reinforced with electrical conductivity measurements that exhibited similar reductions.