Abstract
Concrete is indeed one of the most consumed construction materials all over the world. In spite of that, its behavior towards absolute volume change is still faced with uncertainties in terms of chemical and physical reactions at different stages of its life span, starting from the early time of hydration process, which depends on various factors including water/cement ratio, concrete proportioning and surrounding environmental conditions. This interest in understanding and defining the different types of shrinkage and the factors impacting each one is driven by the importance of these volumetric variations in determining the concrete permeability, which ultimately controls its durability. Many studies have shown that the total prevention of concrete from undergoing shrinkage is impractical. However, different practices have been used to control various types of shrinkage in concrete and limit its magnitude. This paper provides a detailed review of the major and latest findings regarding concrete shrinkage types, influencing parameters, and their impacts on concrete properties. Also, it discusses the efficiency of the available chemical and mineral admixtures in controlling the shrinkage of concrete.
Highlights
Through its lifespan, concrete undergoes several physical and chemical changes, which normally led to shrinkage of concrete, especially at an early age, when the initial hydration processes take place [1]
Fibers are usually used in concrete to control cracking, and studies showed that fiber-reinforced mixes exhibited lower early age autogenous shrinkage compared to the control one
Several studies showed that shrinkage in concrete starts at an early age
Summary
Concrete undergoes several physical and chemical changes, which normally led to shrinkage of concrete, especially at an early age, when the initial hydration processes take place [1]. The main nonlinear phenomena that govern the shrinking behavior of concrete at early-age may include the evolution of stiffness properties, development of thermal strains, creep, and cracks formation [7] These concerns in the making conventional concrete led to higher demand in producing nonconventional concretes with higher performance in terms of strength and to a more durable mixture that provides a better shrinkage resistance. Many studies, numerically or/and experimentally, in recent years have focused on the shrinkage behavior of concrete and the governing factors impacting different types of shrinkage, including chemical shrinkage, plastic shrinkage, drying shrinkage, carbonation shrinkage, and thermal shrinkage The findings of these studies showed that the shrinkage properties are affected by the environmental conditions, aggregate type, cementitious materials, water/cement ratio, and chemical admixtures. Priority was given to a journal article where various authors reported similar studies in a journal and conference paper
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