Ideally, the durability of concrete should not be a concern. Some degree of weathering should be expected, but improper concreting procedures can cause the deterioration to be earlier than expected. With increasing use of supplementary cementitious materials in order to reduce the embodied carbon dioxide of concrete, proper curing conditions become more important. Furthermore, since durability issues cannot be seen immediately, some assessment of the impact of improper concrete curing is needed. This study has investigated the effects of improper curing on the strength and permeability of CEM I and II concretes. These results have been explained by considering the degree of hydration of the cementitious binder, as determined using SEM on paste samples of the same water cement ratio. Mix designs were adjusted to investigate the effects of; binder type (CEM I 52.5 N or using 30% PFA replacement), workability (10-30 and 60-180 mm slump) and target mean strength (20, 50 and 80 MPa). Samples were cured in a fog room at 200C or under ambient conditions 200C and 42% RH. The results shows that despite the increase in strength with age for ambient cured concretes, proper curing of concretes cannot be compromised.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)