Comparison of curing compounds to reduce volume change from differential drying in concrete pavement

Abstract

Curing compounds are used to retain moisture which promotes hydration to develop a tight microstructure. Because of the large surface-to-volume ratio of these structures, differential moisture loss can cause unwanted deflections, reduction in ride quality, and cracking. This paper quantitatively compares the effectiveness of different curing methods with an emphasis on curing compounds to resist moisture loss and subsequent volume changes caused by differential shrinkage. This work provides a quantitative comparison between different curing compounds, wet, sealed and no curing not made in previous publications. A performance-based cost analysis over the different curing compounds is also included. The result shows that the poly-alphamethylstyrene curing compound causes the lowest mass loss and subsequent deflections compared to the water–resin and water–wax-based curing compounds at equal coverage rates at equal costs. The work also shows that a double application of curing compound shows greater benefit than a single layer with the same volume for water–wax-based curing compounds. The results show that if adequate amounts of curing compounds are used then they are a useful curing method for members sensitive to differential drying such as concrete pavements.