Abstract
The volume change in concrete takes place with changes in temperature and water content immediately after concrete casting. In the early age stage, the thermal and drying shrinkages can cause cracks that are very crucial to the durability of concrete. It was reported that when the cement with lightly-burnt MgO powder was used, the shrinkage of concrete can be reduced. This study investigates fundamental properties of cement composites with lightly burnt MgO powder by performing various experiments. The stability test results verified that MgO powder in cement composites does not cause any abnormal expansion. Also, the hydrate product analysis results obtained from MgO cement paste showed that MgO powder reduces the shrinkage at the longterm ages. In addition, the cement composites containing the proper amount of MgO powder could improve compressive strength. Finally, the shrinkage reduction from using MgO powder can be optimized by increasing MgO replacement level and curing temperature.
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