Normal Aggregate

Construction Prewetted LWA

Issues

Water penetration
External water Cured Zone

discussion of construction
issues and techniques

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Conventional (External) Internal Curing with Prewetted
Water Curing

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Lightweight Aggregate (LWA)

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Figure 1: Comparison of external (conventional) and internal curing using pre-wetted

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lightweight aggregate (LWA) (*Note that in practice the prewetted lightweight aggregates are
placed sufficiently close
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htto enable the cured zones to overlap allowing the entire paste to be cured)

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Internal Curing
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t is often said that sample that did not lose water. Second, the loss of

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there are two types water causes concrete to shrink and, if restrained,
of concrete: concrete
i n the concrete develops stresses that may lead to

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that has cracked and cracking. Conventional concrete construction
Constructing More z
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concrete that is going to crack. Unfortunately, relies on curing to reduce the potential for water
Robust Concrete a
this is true all too frequently. Many of these
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loss. Some conventional approaches add water

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unwanted cracks develop shortly after the to the concrete surface (i.e., water ponding or
By Jason Weiss, Dale Bentz, a
concrete is placed and, in addition to being misting) which can be absorbed (Figure 1), while
Anton Schindler, P.E. and
Pietro Lura m
unsightly, can contribute to reduced long-term
durability. This cracking may be attributed to
other approaches focus on minimizing moisture
loss (evaporation retarders, curing compounds,
the fact that, unlike many other materials that or plastic sheeting). Differences between provid-
are prepared in factories under relatively well ing additional water and preventing moisture
controlled conditions, a large proportion of loss become increasingly important for lower
concrete is cast on site under a wide range of water-to-cement ratio (high-performance con-
climatic conditions (wind, temperature, relative cretes), since they self-desiccate (loss of water in
humidity). This article reviews some promis- the concrete due to hydration which is similar
ing research that is reengineering conventional to the effect of drying) as a result of hydration
concrete mixtures to make them more robust, causing a (autogenous) shrinkage even without
(defined by Webster’s Dictionary as capable of external moisture loss.
performing without failure under a wide range of While curing is commonly specified in concrete
site conditions) for field construction. construction, it is an additional step that is all too
often overlooked or done inadequately. Further,
The Importance of when long curing times are specified, the construc-
tion process can be slowed substantially. This may
Concrete Curing be the case, for example, when large volumes of
To begin, remember that concrete is a nonho- supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are
mogeneous material consisting of aggregate in used. As a result, research has focused on deter-
a cement paste matrix. While the cement paste mining whether curing can be changed from an
is initially a fluid suspension, it reacts (hydrates) external process to something that happens inside
over time causing it to solidify, thus binding the concrete mixture. This new approach is called
(gluing) the aggregates together. If water is lost internal curing.
from the paste due to evaporation at early ages,
there are two main consequences. First, the
hydration reaction will slow and ultimately stop,
What is Internal Curing?
which limits strength development and produces Internal curing has been defined by the American
a more permeable material when compared with a Concrete Institute (ACI) as “supplying water
continued on page 12

10 January 2012
Figure 2: The relationship between the amount of internal curing provided Figure 3: A plot of stress development in restrained concrete at early ages
(amount of LWA) and the age of cracking. ®
for conventional and internally cured concrete.

throughout a freshly placed cementitious mixture using reservoirs,

via pre-wetted lightweight aggregates, that readily release water as

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the environmental exposure conditions remain relatively constant.
After some time, the rate of settlement dramatically reduces as the

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needed for hydration or to replace moisture lost through evaporation particles contact each other. In conventional concrete, the stresses
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or self-desiccation”. While lightweight aggregate is discussed oinpyrthis will rise relatively dramatically during this period. In internally

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article and is the most common method used as a water reservoir, cured concrete, however, the pre-wetted LWA will provide water

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researchers throughout the world are also investigating the use of on demand to replenish the water evaporating from the surface
superabsorbent polymers and natural fibers. Differences between of the concrete. This keeps the pores within the hydrating cement
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conventional (external) curing and internal curing are shown in Figure paste fluid filled and thus helps to reduce or even eliminate the
1. While external curing water is applied at the surface and its depth
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capillary stress, minimizing the likelihood of cracking. While the

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of penetration is influenced by the quality of the concrete, internal use of water-filled LWA is beneficial in reducing the potential for

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curing enables the water to be distributed more equally throughout plastic shrinkage cracking and reducing the width of any cracks

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the cross section. that do develop, it should be noted that any water consumed in

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While designing concrete specifically to provide internal curing is this phase will not be available later to reduce autogenous and/

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relatively new, the concept of lightweight aggregate improving the
hydration of the cement paste was observed in the 1950s by Paul
Klieger. Research on intentionally using lightweight aggregate for
or drying shrinkage.

Thermal, Autogenous, and

internal curing began to take shape in the late 1990s when a variety
of research groups, primarily in Europe, began actively investigating
Drying Shrinkage Cracking
whether mixtures could be designed with internal curing by using Internal curing has the ability to reduce autogenous (sealed curing)
pre-wetted lightweight aggregates. Design procedures were then shrinkage or to delay drying shrinkage (provided water has not been
developed that enabled both the spatial distribution and amount of lost during the plastic shrinkage phase). By reducing the shrinkage,
pre-wetted lightweight aggregate to be computed (Bentz et al. 2005). internal curing enables unwanted cracking to be delayed or eliminated.
A review of the details on many of these developments can be found Figure 2 (after Schlitter et al. 2010) shows an example of how the
in the RILEM 2007, and Bentz and Weiss 2011. Internal curing is age of cracking can be delayed or prevented when internal curing is
becoming a mature technology, and its use is increasing since it pro- used (i.e., volume of pre-wetted LWA is used). As the volume of pre-
vides great opportunities for a robust concrete construction. Some wetted LWA increases (i.e., the internal curing provided), the age of
benefits of internal curing as it relates to reducing the potential for cracking is delayed, until an asymptote appears to be reached when
cracking are described in the following section. sufficient LWA has been added.
By reducing the autogenous and drying shrinkage, internally cured
concrete can also provide concrete with the ability to undergo greater
Plastic Shrinkage Cracking temperature variations before cracking. Figure 3 shows a comparison
Concrete can be susceptible to cracking (frequently called plastic of the stress that builds up in a concrete mixture when shrinkage is
shrinkage cracking) at the time of placement, if the evaporation restrained as compared with the tensile strength of that concrete. The
rate is high (i.e., dry windy days). To understand how internal stress that can be applied to the concrete from mechanical or thermal
curing helps reduce the likelihood of plastic shrinkage cracking, it loading is the difference between the stress and the strength (called
is important to review the key basic concepts associated with plastic the reserve capacity, which is shown by the green arrows). Schlitter et
shrinkage of concrete. Immediately after placement, the concrete al. (2010) quantified the importance of increasing the reserve capacity
system is in a fluid state and the aggregate and cement particles tend by showing that no cracking occurred in internally cured specimens
to settle due to gravity, simultaneously allowing pore fluid (water) during the first 72 hours, even when the temperature was reduced by
to appear at the surface. This is commonly observed in practice as as much as 32°C (58° F), while the equivalent plain specimens cracked
“bleed water.” This thin layer of bleed water covers the surface of when the temperature was reduced by only 10°C to 12°C (18° to 22° F).
the concrete and evaporates at a relatively constant rate, provided This shows a substantial increase in the potential early-age robustness

STRUCTURE magazine 12 January 2012

 3 of the conventional concrete, the conventionally and internally cured
Tension concrete had equivalent strengths at approximately 10 days, while after
Concrete Stress (MPa)
3 months, the internally cured concrete was 20% stronger than the
2
conventional concrete. Rapid chloride permeability testing showed
that the internally cured concrete had a 10% lower charge passed at
1 28 days and nearly 40% lower charge passed after 3 months. There is
also evidence that internal curing reduces curling since it provides a
0 more uniform moisture distribution throughout the concrete section.
It was also notable that cracks developed in the conventional deck
Conventional Concrete
after the first few months of service, while at the time of this article
-1 Internally Cured Concrete (nearly one year after placement), the internally cured concrete has
Compression no visible cracking. While cracking can occur in bridges for a variety
-2 of reasons, the lack of visible cracking in the internally cured deck
0 24 48 72 96 120
is consistent with the reduction in the concrete’s autogenous and
drying shrinkage.
Age of Concrete (h) ®

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Figure 4: A plot of stress development in simulated bridge decks for
conventional and internally cured concrete. Implications on Practices

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and Sustainable Mixtures

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of materials made using internal curing with respect to thermal shock Internal curing may also provide sustainability benefits. Replacing
ht
(form removal), cooling, or diurnal temperature changes. yrig cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs i.e., fly ash,

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Byard and Schindler (2010) simulated the impact of partially internal slag) is suggested as a way to use substantially less clinker, resulting

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cured concrete mixtures on the performance of a typical bridge deck in a lower carbon footprint for in-place concrete. SCMs take longer
that may be cast in the fall season in the southeastern parts of the US. to hydrate, thereby requiring water to be present for a longer time.
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The temperature of the specimens was controlled to simulate the con- While research has shown improved long term durability performance,
crete temperature history of each specific mixture as it would develop
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recent work has shown that internal curing is particularly well suited

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in an 8-inch (200-mm) thick bridge deck (Figure 4). It was noted to be used in mixtures with larger volumes of SCMs. Internal curing

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that internal curing of the concretes delays the occurrence of cracking enables the SCMs in these mixtures to react for a longer time, since

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at early ages in bridge deck concrete applications when compared to the higher water content needed to support the reaction of the SCMs
the normal weight control concrete. This improvement in cracking
a can be maintained.

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behavior is attributed to the increase in tensile strength and decrease
in modulus of elasticity and autogenous shrinkage of the internally
cured concretes when compared to their normalweight counterparts.
While there are many benefits associated with internal curing,
one needs to remember that these materials require quality con-
trol assessment at the plant to insure proper aggregate prewetting
and often have a relatively small increase in costs associated with
materials purchase, handling, and prewetting. The authors are
Field Observations not recommending that contractors stop providing conventional
Internal curing has shown benefits in the field as well. Villarreal and (external) curing that minimizes the evaporation of water. Rather,
Crocker (2007) reported results from field studies conducted in 2005 experience indicates that internal curing provides the construction
using internal curing in a large railway transit yard in Texas. Their community with a new approach for producing concrete that is
report showed that internal curing increased the 28-day compres- more robust during the often variable construction phase. As a
sive strength by at least 15%, eliminated plastic shrinkage cracking, result, by using internal curing it may be possible to greatly reduce
and eliminated drying shrinkage cracking. It was also noted that the the risk of unwanted cracking.▪
reduction in concrete unit weight reduced fuel requirements and
equipment wear. Since 2007, several informal crack surveys have
Jason Weiss ([email protected]), is a Professor of Civil Engineering
been conducted at the railway transit yard, with only two or three
at Purdue University.
cracks found (one of these being where a construction joint was
inadvertently omitted). In 2006, internal curing was employed for Dale Bentz ([email protected]), is a Chemical Engineer at the
a continuously reinforced concrete pavement by Friggle and Reeves National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
(2008). A crack survey indicated “an overwhelming reduction in
Anton Schindler, P.E. ([email protected]), is an Associate
the number of cracks (21 vs. 52 in a comparable section of normal
Professor and HRC Director in the Department of Civil
concrete) and a significant reduction in the measured width of the
Engineering at Auburn University. He is the current chair of ACI
cracks”. More recently, two bridges were constructed in Indiana with
231 Concrete Properties at Early Ages and received ACI’s Wason
a 4-inch (100-mm) topping slab. The first bridge used a conventional
Medal for concrete materials research in 2006 and 2011.
INDOT Class C mixture while the second bridge used a concrete
mixture modified to provide internal curing. A year after construction, Pietro Lura ([email protected]), is the Head of the Concrete
some preliminary observations have been made. First, the finishers and Construction Chemistry Laboratory at EMPA, Swiss Federal
found the concrete easy to work and finish, reporting no differences Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, and Professor,
from conventional concrete. Second, while the one-day strength of ETH Zurich, Institute For Building Materials.
the internally cured concrete was approximately 10% less than that

STRUCTURE magazine 13 January 2012

 References
Bentz, D.P., Lura, P., and Roberts, J.W., Mixture Proportioning for Internal Curing, Concrete International, 27 (2), 35-40, 2005.
Bentz, D. P. and Weiss W. J., (2011) A Internal Curing: A 2010 State-of-the-Art Review, NIST IR 7765;
www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=907729
Byard, B.E. , and A.K. Schindler, 2010, Cracking Tendency of Lightweight Concrete, Final Research Report, Highway Research Center,
Auburn University, 82 pages. ®

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Friggle, T., and Reeves, D., Internal Curing of Concrete Paving Laboratory and Field Experiences, ACI SP-256, Eds. D. Bentz and B.
Mohr, American Concrete Institute, 71-80, CD-Rom, 2008.

Schlitter, J., R. Henkensiefken, J. Castro, K. Raoufi, J. Weiss, and

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Internal Curing of Concrete, RILEM Report 41, Eds. K. Kovler and O.M. Jensen, RILEM Publications S.A.R.L., 2007

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ht T. Nantung. Development of Internally Cured Concrete for Increased

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Service Life. Publication FHWA/IN/JTRP-2010/10. Joint Transportation Research Program, Indiana Department of Transportation and
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 2010. doi: 10.5703/1288284314262; http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jtrp/1120/

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Villarreal, V.H., and Crocker, D.A., Better Pavements through Internal Hydration, Concrete International, 29(2), 32-36, 2007.

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STRUCTURE magazine 14 January 2012