Volume Change and Cracking in HighPerformance Concrete

International Conference on Advances in

Concrete Technology and Sustainability
Issues
Dr. Terry Holland
Quito
11 January 2012

High-Performance
Concrete is not a precisely
defined term!

Assume for HPC

High cementitious materials content
Multiple cementitious materials
Low w/cm
Not necessarily low total water
Multiple admixtures

In general, all may contribute to

volume change and cracking

Cracking in General

Structural Versus NonStructural Cracking

Load or not load induced
Non-structural cracking includes:
Corrosion
Alkali-aggregate reactions
Freezing and thawing
Restrained volume change

Without restraint, there would

be no cracking!
Impossible to build structures
without some degree of
restraint
Restraint can be internal or
external

Primary Types of
Restrained Volume Change
Cracking
Plastic shrinkage cracking
Thermal contraction/thermal differences
Drying shrinkage (early and long-term)

How to Identify
Appearance
Some types are easy
to identify visually
Timing
Hours
Days
Weeks

Plastic Shrinkage
Cracking

Plastic Shrinkage
Cracking
Rapid loss of water from flatwork
Loss not made up by bleeding
Differential moisture contents result in
differential volumes
Cracking is typically wide but not
through the concrete

Dont mistake surface

drying for initial
setting!

Finishing Concrete
Place -- Screed -- Bull Float
Wait -- Danger!
Float -- Trowel
Wait -- Less Danger!
Cure

Plastic shrinkage
cracking
Air temperature
Relative humidity
Concrete temperature
Wind speed

Where to Measure?
Air Temp: 1.2-1.8 m above
surface, in shade
Water Temp: Equals concrete
temp
RH: 1.2-1.8 m above surface, in
shade, upwind
Wind Speed: 0.5 m above
surface

Dont Forget: All of

this works only if the
concrete surface is
wet!

Protecting against
Drying
Fog the concrete
Erect wind breaks
Finish in the shade
Use plastic between finishing
operations
Use evaporation retarder
Work at night
Use synthetic Fibers

Temperature-Related
Cracking

NOT limited to massive structures!

Temperature-Related
Cracking
Internal (heat of hydration)
Internal restraint
External restraint
External (daily variations)

Internally generated
temperature changes
=
Heat of hydration

Typical thermal expansion

10 x

-6
10

/deg C

approx. 17 mm/30 m/55 C

Internal thermal restraint

(Conc movement)

cc
HOT
CENTER

Cold exterior

Temperature
Difference -- Rule of
Thumb
Maximum difference:
20 deg C

External thermal restraint

concrete hydrates and expands
while weak

Base restraint minimal

External thermal restraint

concrete cools and cracks
after hardening

Base restraint significant

Mitigation
Lower the initial concrete
temperature
Use a low-heat mixture
Spec appropriate strength and age
Control rate of concrete cooling
Instrument the concrete to know
what is happening

Recommended Cooling

< 300 mm
28 C
300-900 mm 22 C
900-1,800 mm 17 C
> 1,800 mm
11 C

Maximum Temp drop in first 24 hours

Dont forget Spring

and Fall
Nice/hot days -- cool evenings
and nights
Significant potential for thermal
cracking

Externally generated
temperature changes
Daily or seasonal
variations

You must take into

account unequal
heating of a structure.

Mitigation
Plan for temperature exposure of
structure during construction and
in service
Allow for appropriate movement

Moisture-Related
Cracking
(Shrinkage)

Types of shrinkage
Plastic
Drying
Autogeneous
Carbonation

Original size

After shrinkage

Original
size

Ends
restrained

Original
size

Restrained
shrinkage

Original
size

Base restrained

Original size

Restrained shrinkage

Drying Shrinkage

Typical drying
shrinkage
400 to 800 x

-6
10

approx. 18 mm/30 m

Shrinkage: Rules of
Thumb
For drying shrinkage at 20 years:

50 percent at 28 days
80 percent at 1 year

Early Drying Shrinkage

=
Crazing

Differential Drying
Shrinkage
=
Curling

Curling

joint

joint
more shrinkage

less shrinkage

Mitigating Drying
Shrinkage
Reduce total water content
Reduce paste content
Increase MSA
Look at shrinkage potential of
all concrete materials

Shrinkage Reducing
Admixtures
Expensive, $$$
Generally, cannot offset
the cost
Use only on critical
structures

Reducing Curling
Use low shrinkage concrete
Be careful with all admixtures
Use minimum strength concrete
Reduce joint spacing

Controlling Shrinkage
Cracking
Minimize shrinkage!
Proper amount of mild reinforcing
Prestress flatwork
Joint and more Joints

What About Curing?

Probably delay cracking, but
not eliminate it
Will eliminate crazing if done
promptly after placement

Autogenous Shrinkage
Volume loss without loss of
moisture from the concrete

Carbonation Shrinkage
Shrinkage as a result of
carbonation
Will not be a problem for HPC
with low w/cm

Summary

 HPC is more susceptible to

cracking
More care is required
Rules of physics cannot be ignored
Volume reduction must be
accounted for in design
Some cracking may be inevitable
Consider testing versus real world
-- scale effects

Joints or Cracks -Your Choice!