Effects of Curing Temperature on Autogenous Shrinkage, Relative Humidity, Pore Structure of Cement Pastes

Abstract

A low water/cement ratio leads to autogenous shrinkage of cement paste at an early age. This autogenous shrinkage is related to the change of relative humidity in the pore structure that is formed during the hydration process. The relationship between autogenous shrinkage and relative humidity change are relatively well defined today, but the effects of temperature on autogenous shrinkage, relative humidity, and pore structures have been studied less systematically. This study focused on correlating alterations of these properties of cement paste hydrated at constant temperatures of 20, 40, and . The test results clearly indicate that increasing curing temperature resulted in increased porosity, particularly for pores between 5 to 50 nm as measured by MIP, and increased autogenous shrinkages, as a consequence of a reduction of relative humidity at early ages.