Shrinkage and Cracking of Concrete: Mechanisms and Impact on Durability
Language of instruction: English
Link to Course Catalogue
Concrete is generally viewed as a durable construction material. However, the long-term performance of a concrete structure can be greatly compromised by early-age cracking. This course will explain how shrinkage of concrete leads to cracking and how control of shrinkage allows increasing the expected durability of a concrete structure.
For each lecture, lecture notes will be provided. In addition, one or two research papers for each lecture will be indicated as supportive information.
The students will be also provided with a DVD containing the teaching material of a previous course on the same topic, including 16 hours of filmed lectures.
Concrete is generally viewed as a long-lasting construction material. However, the durability of a concrete structure can be jeopardized by shrinkage-induced cracking. In addition to being unsightly, cracks have the potential to act as weak planes for further distress or as conduits for accelerated ingress of aggressive agents that may reduce durability.
Advances in concrete technology over the past decades have led to the practical use of concrete with a low water to binder ratio and with different types of mineral and organic admixtures. Another recent development is self-compacting concrete, which avoids concrete vibration and reduces labor during placing. Unfortunately, these concretes are especially prone to cracking at an early age, unless special precautions are taken. Proper curing becomes in this case the key to achieve better performance in various environmental and load conditions.
Specific topics covered by the course:
- Hydration and microstructure development
- Plastic shrinkage
- Development of mechanical properties
- Thermal deformation
- Autogenous deformation
- Drying shrinkage
- Curing
- Shrinkage-reducing admixtures
- Internal curing: saturated lightweight aggregate and superabsorbent polymer
- Fracture and microcracking
- Transport in cracked concrete
- Impact of cracking on concrete durability