- Author
- Bentz, D. P. | Weiss, W. J.
- Title
- REACT: Reducing Early-Age Cracking Today.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN
- Journal
- Concrete Plant International, No. 3, 56-61, 2008
- Keywords
- cracking (fracturing) | concretes | construction materials | structures | mitigation | ASTM C 1608 | thermal properties | shrinkage | stress (mechanics) | temperature rise | curing agents | plastics | mortar | temperature | compressive strength
- Identifiers
- Reducing Early-Age Cracking Today (REACT); autogeneous stresses and strains; shrinkage-reducing admixtures (SRAs); internal curing; mixture proportioning; plastic shrinkage; autogenous shrinkage; thermal gradients; thermal and autogenous; prospectus
- Abstract
- Concrete is generally viewed as a durable and long-lasting construction material. However, the long-term performance of a concrete structure can be greatly compromised by early-age cracking. One recent informal estimate from the industry places this as a $500 million problem in the U.S. alone, with some ready-mix companies experiencing early-age issues on as many as 70% of their jobs. As is often the case, as a problem intensifies, mitigation strategies are developed and promoted from the research laboratory to the field. This paper will briefly review the most common non-structural causes of early-age cracking and present an introduction to various mitigation strategies. These strategies are being further investigated as part of a newly formed university/industry/government collaboration under the acronym of REACT: Reducing Early-Age Cracking Today.