- Author
- Bentz, D. P. | Halleck, P. M. | Grader, A. S. | Roberts, J. W.
- Title
- Water Movement During Internal Curing: Direct Observation Using X-Ray Microtomography.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Los Alamos National Laboratory Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park Northeast Solite Corp.
- Journal
- Concrete International, Vol. 28, No. 10, 39-45, October 2006
- Keywords
- curing | water | x-ray microtomography | mortar | cements | size distribution | cements | hydration | compressive strength
- Identifiers
- mixture proportions for the control and IC high-performance mortars; selected size distribution of LWA used in the experimental program; Lightweight Aggregate (LWA)
- Abstract
- Internal curing provides internal reservoirs that supply hydrating cement paste with the water needed to maintain saturation. This is especially critical during the first day of hydration in high-performance concretes, as without it, significant autogenous shrinkage and cracking can occur. In the study described in this article, three-dimensional x-ray microtomography was used to observe water movement from saturated lightweight aggregate used for internal curing of a high-performance mortar. The observations presented are supported by more conventional measures of performance.