Autogenous shrinkage of concrete is of concern because of the low water binder ratios and high powder contents used in high performance concrete. This paper describes an investigation carried out to study the effect of supplementary cementitious materials on the autogenous shrinkage of concretes with low water to binder ratios. The investigation covers the effect of four tensio active chemicals in reducing the potential for autogenous shrinkage of such concrete. The results indicate that the parameter based on paste / aggregate ratio is a good indicator over the potential of autogenous shrinkage of concrete. Use of fly ash and Metakaolin decrease the autogenous shrinkage, whereas blast furnace slag and microsilica may give rise to increased levels. Out of the four shrinkage reducing admixtures investigated, ethyl propyl polyoxy ethylene ether at a dosage of 0.025% by weight of cementitious materials is found to be effective and it reduces the autogenous shrinkage by 40%. However, the compressive strength, particularly at early ages, may be reduced and this must be taken into account.

  • INTRODUCTION

  • RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE

  • MECHANISM OF AUTOGENOUS SHRINKAGE

  • EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME

  • PLAN OF EXPERIMENTS

  • RESULTS OF PRELIMINARY TRIALS

  • RESULTS OF CORE INVESTIGATIONS

  • CONFIRMATORY EXPERIMENTS

  • CONCLUSIONS

  • REFERENCES

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