ABSTRACT
Abstract Various factors influencing autogenous shrinkage of concrete, such as the type of cement, water-cement ratio, volume concentration of aggregate are experimentally investigated. The prediction model for autogenous shrinkage of concrete is proposed based on experimental data. The application of maturity concept to estimate the effects of specimen size on autogenous shrinkage is studied. Shrinkage of concrete specimens exposed to the atmosphere with different relative humidity is also discussed. Keywords: curing, prediction, relative humidity, type of cement, water-cement ratio
1 Introduction
It has been proved from recent studies that autogenous shrinkage of concrete due to cement hydration is considerably large for high-strength concrete[l][2]. It has also been demonstrated that autogenous shrinkage should be taken into account for crack control and design of high-strength concrete structures]!]. For example, autogenous shrinkage stress due to restraint by embedded reinforcing bars can be very large[3]. When high-strength concrete is used for structures with large members, not only thermal stress due to cement hydration but also autogenous shrinkage stress should be considered[4].
