Construction and Building Materials 101 (2015) 410–416

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

Effect of curing compounds on the properties and microstructure

of cement concretes
Bin Xue a, Jianzhong Pei a,⇑, Yanping Sheng b, Rui Li a
a
Key Laboratory for Special Area Highway Engineering of Ministry of Education, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
b
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

h i g h l i g h t s

 Four types of curing compound were investigated.

 Both macro and micro tests were conducted.
 Curing compound improved strength and durability of cement concretes.
 Curing compound promoted the hydration and microstructure.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: With the aim of specifying the type of curing compound for water-scarce areas, four types of curing com-
Received 27 May 2015 pound (acrylic-based, paraffin-based, silicate-based and composite-based) were chosen to investigate the
Received in revised form 24 September effect of curing compound on the mechanical property, durability and microstructure of cement con-
2015
cretes. The effect was assessed by measuring compressive and flexural strength, drying shrinkage, imper-
Accepted 18 October 2015
meability and crack resistance. The results indicated that curing compounds were effective in increasing
the compressive, flexural strength and the impermeability of concretes, and decreasing the drying shrink-
age and cracks. In general, the composite-based and the acrylic-based curing compound performed better
Keywords:
Curing compound
than the paraffin-based and the silicate-based curing compound. At the same time, microstructure test
Cement concrete results showed that curing compound promoted the hydration of the cement to form a compact and
Mechanical properties homogenous microstructure, and AFt crystalline particles were rod-like with a larger size.
Durability Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Microstructure

1. Introduction consuming method which may be unpractical in regions with scar-

Curing is an essential process for concrete to achieve its poten-
tial strength and durability [1–4]. The objective of curing is to keep
concrete saturated or as nearly wet during cement hydration. The
hydration of the cement will continue for years as long as the con-
crete contains water. Once the water is lost, the hydration of the
cement will cease. Curing can be applied in two ways. One way
is to wet the exposed surface of the concrete continuously with
water, such as sprinkling water or vapor, or ponding water.
Another way is to minimize water evaporation of the concrete,
such as leaving formwork in place, covering the concrete with plas-
tic sheets or a suitable curing compound.
Curing with water is a general and effective way, but it also has
its limitations. Firstly, it is a time-consuming and water-
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: peijianzhong@126.com (J. Pei).
city of water; secondly, it can only be preceded after the final set-
ting time of the concrete which may lead to the early-cracking of
the concrete in a hot and dry environment; besides, it may cause
the foundation freeze injury in freezing area. For curing with
formwork or plastic sheets, the curing efficiency may decrease
drastically once the formwork or sheet is broken by human activ-
ities or nature. Moreover, it is not suitable for curing complex
structures.
Recently, curing compound has received much attention due to
its properties of water-saving, high-efficient quality and extensive
applicability, which offers important economic benefits for the
concrete maintenance engineering in water-scarce areas [5–8].
Curing compound is a kind of emulsion or solution. The former
can form a moisture retentive membrane by evaporation of its
volatile component when it is applied to the surface of the concrete
(such as acrylic-based, paraffin-based). The latter can react with
cement paste to generate calcium silicate gel as to block the sur-
face pores of the concrete to minimize water evaporation (such

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.10.124
0950-0618/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 B. Xue et al. / Construction and Building Materials 101 (2015) 410–416 411

as silicate-based). The composite-based curing compound has both Table 2

above-mentioned functions. The properties of fine and coarse aggregate.

Al-Gahtani [9] assessed the effect of different curing methods
on plain and blended cement concretes. The results showed that
the concrete specimens cured by wet burlap had higher strength
development than specimens cured by water-based and acrylic-
based curing compounds. Both kinds of curing compound effec-
tively decreased the drying and plastic shrinkage of plain and
blended cement concrete. What’s more, acrylic-based curing com-
pound performed better than the water-based curing compound.
Choi et al. [10] explored the ways to improve the effectiveness
of curing operations. They noted that curing had substantial effects
on the performance of Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement.
The quality of curing materials, the time, and amount and unifor-
mity of application had great influences on the effectiveness of
membrane-forming curing compound. Alizadeh et al. [11] tested
the values of diffusion coefficient and surface chloride content
under different curing conditions. Radlinski et al. [12] evaluated
the effect of curing compounds on scaling resistance of ternary
concrete produced with fly ash and silica fume.
According to Yilmaza and Turken [13], each curing materials
presented various results for concrete specimens produced with
no admixture and different chemical admixtures. For concrete
specimens produced with some particular types of chemical
admixture, curing materials increased the compressive strength
of specimens. However, curing materials reduced the compressive
strength of specimens produced with another types of chemical
admixture. It is necessary to make preliminary tests in the labora-
tory to select the most suitable curing material for the concretes
produced with different chemical admixtures.
So far in the literature, ample researches have been conducted
to evaluate the effect of curing conditions on the properties of con-
cretes. However, little research results have been reported at this
point concerning the effect of curing compounds on the durability
of the concrete, especially drying shrinkage, impermeability, crack-
ing resistance. In addition, the effects of curing compound on
micro-properties of concretes remain unclear. This study was con-
ducted to evaluate the effect of four types of curing compound on
the strength, drying shrinkage, impermeability, crack resistance
and microstructure of cement concretes with the aim of specifying
the type of curing compound for water-scarce areas.
2. Methodology
2.1. Materials
GB 175-2007 PO42.5 type cement was used to prepare the concrete mixture.
Table 1 shows the chemical compositions of PO42.5 type cement. Fine and coarse
aggregates complying with standard JTG E42-2005 were used. The properties of
these aggregates are shown in Table 2.
The concrete mixtures were proportioned on a weight basis. The slump of con-
crete mixtures should be controlled within 30–50 mm. In order to control the test
variables, no else cementing material and chemical admixture was used. And the
following parameters were kept constant in the study.
Fine aggregate (river sand)
Apparent density (g/cm3) 2.65
Fineness modulus 2.6
Sediment percentage (%) 1.7
Coarse aggregate (crushed limestone)
Type of gradation Continuous grading
Crushed stone value (%) 4.2
Grain size (mm) 5–20
Flat and elongated particles (%) 5.3
(1) Cement content: 360 kg/m3.
(2) Fine/coarse aggregate ratio: 0.61.
(3) Water cement ratio: 0.5.
The basic properties of curing compounds are shown in Table 3.
2.2. Specimen preparation
The concrete constituents were plunged into 60 L mixer at once and mixed for
3 min. The temperature of materials and environment should be remained at
20 ± 5 °C, and the relative humidity should be controlled at 50 ± 10%. Plastic molds
were used and the hole of mold was sealed. The specimens of microstructure test
were chosen from the surface coat of concretes.
2.3. Curing condition
The concrete specimens were cured by water or air, or one of curing com-
pounds. The concrete specimens cured by water or air were treated as control spec-
imens. The specimens cured by water were conserved in a standard curing room
(20 ± 2 °C, RH P 95%) and kept surface moist at all times. The specimens cured by
air were conserved in the same environmental conditions (20 ± 2 °C,
RH = 50 ± 10%) with the specimens cured by curing compounds, and only difference
between these two curing methods is the use of curing compound.
The curing compounds were sprayed evenly onto the top surface of concrete
specimens until the surface water of concretes disappeared. The dosage of curing
compound was controlled at 200 g/cm2. The vertical surface and the bottom surface
of specimens were sprayed by curing compounds after the removal of molds.
2.4. Test techniques
3 d, 7 d and 28 d compressive and flexural strengths of concrete specimens
cured by four curing compounds were tested. Besides, third point load was used
for flexural strength test. 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, 21 d, 28 d, 56 d and 90 d drying
shrinkage of concrete specimens were tested by Horizontal shrinkage tester (see
Fig. 1(a)). Data was recorded in real time by dial indicator.
Impermeability of concrete specimens after curing for 3 d, 7 d and 28 d was
tested. During the test, water pressure of permeability instrument was kept at
1.2 ± 0.05 MPa for 24 h. The test was end until the top surface of specimens had
seepage or the test time had reached 24 h. Then the truncated cone-shaped speci-
mens were taken out from the instrument, and split up under the press machine
(see Fig. 1(b)), and permeation height of each specimen was recorded.
Crack resistance of concrete specimen was tested according to standard CCES
01-2004. At first, the concrete specimen with a size of 600 mm  600 mm  63 mm
was poured into a cuboid mold, which has several bolts welded around it as to
induce the development of cracks (see Fig. 1(c)). After curing for 8 h by each curing
method, specimens were put in a dry and windy condition (20 ± 2 °C, RH = 35 ± 5%
and wind velocity = 0.6 m/s), and then test began. Lastly, the numbers and areas of
crack at the first 3 testing days were observe and recorded by crack observation
instrument timely.

Table 1
The chemical compositions of PO42.5 cement. Table 3
Constituent (wt.%) PO42.5 cement The basic properties of curing compounds (according to standard JC 901-2002).

SiO2 24.19 Properties Acrylic- Paraffin- Silicate- Composite-based

Al2O3 4.07 based based based
Fe2O3 3.79 Main ingredients Acrylic Paraffin Silicate Acrylic + paraffin
CaO 59.21 + silicate
MgO 2.64 Effective water 76.6 63.4 45.5 78.7
Na2O 0.17 retention (%)
K2O 0.61 Solid content (%) 29.82 38.26 25.30 35.58
SO3 2.63 Drying time (h) 1.2 2 2.5 1.5
IL 2.67 Water solubility Insoluble Insoluble Soluble Insoluble
412 B. Xue et al. / Construction and Building Materials 101 (2015) 410–416
(a) Horizontal shrinkage tester
The microstructure of concrete specimen was test by XRD and SEM. For XRD
test, specimens with 3–5 mm diameter size were removed from the surface layer
of concrete cured for 3, 7 and 28 days, and then the hydration of specimens was ter-
minated by acetone, and then tested by X-ray diffractometer. For SEM test, concrete
particles with a smooth surface were selected. S-4800 type field emission scanning
electron microscopy was used to observe the microstructure of cement hydration
products. In this paper, only the SEM results of 28 days were chosen to highlight
the difference between curing methods.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Mechanical properties
3.1.1. Compressive strength
Fig. 2 shows the compressive strengths of concrete cured by
curing compounds. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the compressive
strengths of concrete specimens increased continually with the
age, irrespective of the curing methods used. However, the com-
pressive strength of specimens cured by water was higher than
that of specimens cured by curing compounds or air at each age.
Moreover, specimens cured by air always showed the lowest com-
pressive strength.
With the increasing of age, the gap of the compressive strengths
between specimens cured by water and specimens cured by air
became larger. At the age of 3 days, the gap was 5.6 MPa, but it
increased to 9.3 MPa at the age of 28 days. The compressive
strength of concrete specimen cured by air and composited-
based curing compounds could reach 80.9% and 95.5% of that of
specimen cured by water respectively. In addition, we can also find
that the compressive strengths of concrete specimens cured by
composited-based, acrylic-based, paraffin-based and silicate-
based curing compound were 46.6 MPa, 47.6 MPa, 43.2 MPa, and
41.4 MPa respectively at the age of 28 day, indicating that the
composited-based and acrylic-based curing compound performed
55
Water
Acrylic-based
50
Compressive stength, MPa
Composite-based
Silicate-based
45 Paraffin-based
Air
40
35
30
25
0 5 10 15 20
Age, days
Fig. 2. Compressive strengths of concrete specimens cured by curing compounds.
(b) Permeation height test (c) Crack mold
Fig. 1. The instrument or specimen of the test.
better than paraffin-based and silicate-based curing compound in
increasing compressive strength. Comparing this result with
previous test result of the effective water retention of each curing
compound (see Table 3), we can draw a conclusion that a curing
compound with higher water retention ability may perform better
in promoting the compressive strength of the concrete. This is
because higher water retention would make the concrete maintain
higher humidity inside as to promote the hydration which would
result in a strong micro-structure.
3.1.2. Flexural strength
Fig. 3 shows the flexural strengths of the concrete cured by
curing compounds. According to Fig. 3, the flexural strengths of
concrete specimens increased continually with age, irrespective
of the curing methods used. Even though the concrete specimens
cured by air always had the lowest flexural strength, specimens
cured by water didn’t always show the maximum strength during
the curing age. For example, the concrete specimens cured by
composite-based curing compound had greater flexural strength
than those cured by water at the age of 3 and 28 days. This may
be because, to some extent, the sealing effect of curing compound
makes the concrete keep relatively higher hydration temperature
which is benefit for cement hydration. The gap of flexural strengths
between different curing methods was not as obvious as
compressive strength. At the age of 3 and 28 days, the maximum
differences of flexural strengths were only 0.82 MPa and
0.52 MPa respectively. This result may be due to the failure mech-
anism and strength criterion of the concrete. Furthermore, the
composited-based and acrylic-based curing compound showed
better performance than paraffin-based and silicate-based curing
compound on the flexural strength of concrete specimens.
6.5
6.0
Flexural stength, MPa
5.5
5.0
Water
Acrylic-based
4.5
Composite-based
Silicate-based
4.0
Paraffin-based
Air
3.5
3.0
25 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Age, days
Fig. 3. Flexural strengths of concrete specimens cured by curing compounds.
 B. Xue et al. / Construction and Building Materials 101 (2015) 410–416 413

3.2. Durability 140

Air Acrylic-based
Silicate-based Composite-based
3.2.1. Drying shrinkage Paraffin-based Water
130

Permeation height, mm
Fig. 4 shows the drying shrinkage of concrete specimens cured
by curing compounds. These values increased rapidly during the
early curing age and then tended to be stable. The concrete speci- 120
mens cured by all types of curing compound exhibited lower dry-
ing shrinkage than those cured by air. Maximum drying shrinkage 110
in the concrete specimens cured by air for 3 days was
227  10 6 mm/mm, by contrast, the drying shrinkages in speci-
100
mens cured by composite-based, acrylic-based, paraffin-based
and silicate-based were 117, 143, 156 and 162  10 6 mm/mm.
What’s more, drying shrinkage in concrete specimens cured by 90
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
curing compounds reached the stable state earlier than those in
Age, days
concrete specimens cured by air. For the age of 90 days, specimens
cured by curing compounds show less drying shrinkages than Fig. 5. Permeation heights of concrete specimens cured by curing compounds.
those cured by air. About 40.4%, 35.5%, 33.8% and 31.6% reduction
in drying shrinkage of specimens cured by composite-based,
acrylic-based, paraffin-based and silicate-based curing compounds 80 Air Paraffin-based

The number of cracks, optical/m2

respectively for 90 days was observed. According to Bissonnette Silicate-based Composite-based
et al. [14], the shrinkage of cement paste is approximately inver- 70 Acrylic-based
sely proportional to relative humidity. Based on the capillary ten- 60
sion theory, we think curing compound can reduce surface 50
tension of concave meniscus by improving the humidity of con-
40
crete, which results in the decrease of drying shrinkage.
30
3.2.2. Impermeability 20
Fig. 5 shows the permeation height of concrete specimens cured 10
by curing compounds. A decrease in the permeation height as curing
0
age increased was noted in Fig. 5. Application of curing compounds
on the concrete specimens caused a reduction in 3, 7 and 28 days -10
1 2 3
permeation height, in comparison to those of concrete specimens
Time, days
cured with air. This finding means the application of curing com-
pounds could improve the impermeability of concretes. Besides, Fig. 6. The number of cracks of concrete cured by curing compounds.
the concrete specimens cured by water always showed the lowest
permeation height. Maximum decrease of 14.1%, 9.9%, 8.3% and
7.4% for 28 days permeation height were obtained in the concrete 50 ± 5%, wind speed 0.6 m/s), the concrete flat plate would crack
specimens cured by composite-based, acrylic-based, paraffin- under the induction of bolts. As can be seen from Fig. 6, the number
based and silicate-based curing compounds respectively. of cracks of concrete specimens increased with age. However,
Inadequate curing can result in a very weak and porous material application of curing compounds on the concrete specimens
near the surface of the concrete [15,16], but curing compound can caused a reduction in the number of cracks, in comparison to those
make the surface of the concrete keep high humidity which is ben- of concrete specimens cured with air. What’s more, the composite-
efit for the hydration of surface concrete. Then sufficient hydration based curing compound delayed the development of cracks. It
products can fill the void of the surface to make the surface dense, wasn’t until third day that some cracks were observed in the con-
which will result in the improvement of the impermeability. crete specimens cured by composite-based curing compound.
Noted that paraffin-based curing compound performed better than
3.2.3. Crack resistance acrylic-based curing compound in preventing cracks, which is not
Fig. 6 shows the number of cracks of concrete specimens cured consistent with the results of other properties. This may be
by curing compounds. In a dry and windy environment (RH because paraffin membrane has a great thickness which may influ-
ence the observation of crack.
700 Fig. 7 showed the average size of cracks of concrete specimens
cured by curing compounds. As can be seen from Fig. 7, the average
Drying shrinkage, mm/mm×10-6

600
size of cracks of concrete specimens was increasing trend. The
500 average size of cracks of concrete specimens cured by air was lar-
ger than that of cracks of concrete specimens cured by each curing
400 compound. A slight decrease of the average size of cracks was
observed in concrete specimens cured by paraffin-based curing
300 Air compound, which could be the results of generation of smaller
Acrylic-based
200 Composite-based
crack as to reduce the average size of cracks.
Silicate-based Fig. 8 shows the total area of cracks of concrete specimens cured
100 stable state Paraffin-based by curing compounds. The concrete specimens cured by air had a
larger total area of cracks than those cured by curing compound.
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 The decrease in total area of cracks reached a percentage of
Time, days 98.7%, 82.1%, 94.3% and 50.2% for the specimens cured by
composite-based, acrylic-based, paraffin-based and silicate-based
Fig. 4. Drying shrinkages of concrete specimens cured by curing compounds. curing compounds respectively.
414 B. Xue et al. / Construction and Building Materials 101 (2015) 410–416

1.2
Air Paraffin-based :CH •:Alite ∗:Belite
1.0 Silicate-based Composite-based :AFt :C4AF
The average size of cracks,

Acrylic-based
0.8
• ∗
∗
mm2/optical

0.6 ∗ Curing compound

Intensity, a.u.
∗ • •∗ •
0.4

0.2

0.0 Water
-0.2
1 2 3
Time, days
Air

Fig. 7. The average size of cracks of concrete specimens cured by curing

compounds. 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
2θ, degree
a 3d
70
Air Paraffin-based
60 Silicate-based Composite-based
The total area of cracks,

Acrylic-based
50 :CH •:Alite ∗:Belite
:AFt :C4AF
40
mm2 /m2

30 • ∗
∗
Intensity, a.u.

20
∗ Curing compound
∗ • •∗ •
10
0
-10
1 2 3 Water
Time, days

Fig. 8. The total area of cracks of concrete specimens cured by curing compounds. Air

20 30 40 50 60 70 80
3.3. Microstructure 2θ, degree
3.3.1. XRD b 7d
Fig. 9 shows the XRD test results of hydration products of con-
crete specimens cured by different curing methods. As can be seen
from Fig. 9, different curing methods had significant effect on the :CH •:Alite ∗:Belite
content of Ca(OH)2. At 2h = 18.1°, 34.2° and 47.1°, the XRD diffrac- :AFt :C4AF
tion intensity of Ca(OH)2 varied greatly. According to the studies of
Mounanga et al. [17] and Wang et al. [18], Ca(OH)2 content is usu- • ∗
ally considered as a good indicator of the evolution of hydration ∗
Intensity, a.u.

∗ Curing compound
reactions. For pure cement hydration system, the hydration degree ∗ • •∗ •
of cement can be describe as the ratio between the Ca(OH)2 con-
tent at specific time and the final Ca(OH)2 content at the time of
complete hydration. In order to further understand the effect of Water
curing method on the hydration of the cement, we highlighted
the Ca(OH)2 separately. Moreover, we induced an new evaluation
parameter to evaluate the efficacy of a curing compound, namely
Curing Degree Index (CDI), which was the ratio of the highest Air
diffraction intensity of Ca(OH)2 of the specimen cured by specific
method to that of specimens cured by water. Although researchers
had proposed some similar evaluation parameters, such as Curing
20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Effectiveness (CE) and Evaluation Index (EI) [6], Curing Efficiency 2θ, degree
Index (CEI) [9] and Kcuring [19], all these parameters were based
c 28d
on the macro-properties of concrete, while the micro-properties
had not received much attention. The test result of CDI which is Fig. 9. XRD test results of concrete specimens cured by curing compound.
based on the relative strength of Ca(OH)2 diffraction peak is shown
 B. Xue et al. / Construction and Building Materials 101 (2015) 410–416 415

140 Air
in Fig. 10. As can be seen from Fig. 10, the CDI with regard to the
131 content of Ca(OH)2 varied from 97.7% to 131% in the concrete spec-
Water 121.2
120 Curing compound imens cured by curing compound, while the CDI varied from 58.8%
100 97.7 100 100 to 85.1% in the concrete specimens cured by air, indicating that the
100
application of curing compound can promote the hydration of the
85.1
CDI, %

80 cement.
Besides, the diffraction peaks of Alite and Belite appeared near
60 58.8 59.0
2h = 29.5°, which mean there were still some unhydrated cement
clinkers in specimens. Comparing with Fig. 9(a), (b) and (c), we
40
found that the intensity of diffraction peak of Alite and Belite
20 decreased with the increase in the age. However, the specimen
cured by air still had the greatest intensity of diffraction peak of
0 Alite and Belite, that is to say the specimen cured by air had lower
3 7 28
degree of hydration than those cured by water or curing
Age, days
compound.
Fig. 10. CDI with regard to the content of Ca(OH)2 in concrete specimens.

a cured by air

b cured by water

c cured by curing compound

Fig. 11. SEM test results of concrete specimens cured by curing compound.
416 B. Xue et al. / Construction and Building Materials 101 (2015) 410–416
3.3.2. SEM
Fig. 11 shows the SEM test results of concrete specimens cured
by curing compound. As indicated in Fig. 11, specimens cured by
curing compound or water formed more compact and homogenous
microstructure than those cured by air. More C–S–H was produced
in the specimens curing by water or curing compound than those
cured by air. Such C–S–H contacted with CH to fill the micropore
of the hydration of the cement. C–S–H is the main hydration pro-
duct and binding phase in all Portland cement-based systems,
which determine the strength and durability of concrete [20].
Due to lack of C–S–H, the microstructure of specimens cured by
air was porous and loose arrangement. These findings indicate that
curing compound makes the concrete maintain high humidity
inside, which results in sufficient combination between cement
particles and water particles as to produce more hydration prod-
ucts. On the contrast, poor curing condition hampers the
microstructure of the concrete, which can lastly lead to the degra-
dation of macro-performance. From Fig. 11(a) it can be clear seen
that the AFt in specimens cured by air was fine acicular and acicu-
lar structure, by contrast, AFt in specimens cured by curing com-
pound was rod-like with a larger size (see Fig. 11(c)), indicating
curing compound exerted the crystallization inducing effect.
Furthermore, lots of rod-like AFt overlapped each other to form a
compact microstructure in specimens cured by curing compound.
4. Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn based on the testing
conducted in this study.
The curing compounds investigated in this study, namely
composite-based, acrylic-based, paraffin-based and silicate-based
curing compound, were effective in increasing the compressive
and flexural strength of cement concretes. Besides, the improve-
ment of flexural strength was not obvious as compressive strength.
Each curing compound presented results in improving the
impermeability, and decreasing the dry shrinkage and cracks of
the concrete. However, the curing efficiencies of four types of cur-
ing compound varied a lot. In general, the composite-based and
the acrylic-based curing compound performed better than the
paraffin-based and the silicate-based curing compound. So, the
composite-based and the acrylic-based curing compound might
have greater application value in water-scarce areas.
In addition, microstructure test results indicated that curing
compound could promote the hydration of the cement to produce
lots of hydration products to form a compact and homogenous
microstructure. AFt in specimens cured by air was fine acicular
and acicular structure, by contrast, AFt in specimens cured by cur-
ing compound was rod-like and overlapped each other to form a
compact microstructure with few micropore.
The data achieved in this study have indicated that curing com-
pounds could be used for curing the cement concrete without any
negative effect on the mechanical and durable properties and
microstructure. It is of great applicable significance for regions
with scarcity of water or in situations where curing with water is
difficult. However, the effect of curing compound on the surface
property of the concrete remains to be further studied.
Acknowledgements
Funding for this study was provided by ‘‘The Fundamental
Research Funds for the Central Universities” (Grant No.
2014G2310020) and ‘‘National Natural Science Funds of China”
(Grant No. 51408043, No. 51408047, No. 51408048 and No.
51378073).
References
[1] ACI Committee 308, Guide to curing concrete (ACI 308R-01), American
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, 2001.
[2] T.S. Poole, Structures laboratory ERDC. Guide for curing of Portland cement
concrete pavements, vol. II. Federal Highway Administration, Report No.
FHWA-HRT-05-038, 2006.
[3] A.A. Almusallam, Effect of environmental conditions on the properties of fresh
and hardened concrete, Cem. Concr. Compos. 23 (2001) 353–361.
[4] X. Sharon Huo, Ling Ung Wong, Experimental study of early-age behavior of
high performance concrete deck slabs under different curing methods, Constr.
Build. Mater. 20 (10) (2006) 1049–1056.
[5] M. lbrahim, M. Shameem, M. AL-Mehthel, M. Maslenhuddin, Effect of curing
methods on strength and durability of concrete under hot weather conditions,
Constr. Build. Mater. 41 (2013) 60–69.
[6] D. Ye, C. Shon, A. Mukhopadhyay, D. Zollinger, New performance-based
approach to ensure quality curing during construction, J. Mater. Civil Eng. 22
(7) (2010) 687–695.
[7] Kejin Wang, James Cable, Zhi Ge, Evaluation of pavement curing effectiveness
and curing effects on concrete properties, J. Mater. Civil Eng. 18 (3) (2006)
377–389.
[8] P.C. Aitcin, The durability characteristics of high performance concrete: a
review, Cem. Concr. Compos. 25 (2003) 409–420.
[9] A.S. Al-Gahtani, Effect of curing methods on the properties of plain and
blended cement concretes, Constr. Build. Mater. 24 (2010) 308–314.
[10] Seongcheol Choi, Jung Heum Yeon, Moon C. Won, Improvements of curing
operations for Portland cement concrete pavement, Constr. Build. Mater. 35
(2012) 597–604.
[11] R. Alizadeh, P. Ghods, M. Chini, Effect of curing conditions on the service life
design of RC structures in the Persian Gulf Region, J. Mater. Civil Eng. 20 (1)
(2008) 2–8.
[12] M. Radlinski, J. Olek, T. Nantung, Effect of mixture composition and initial
curing conditions on scaling resistance of ternary (OPC/FA/SF) concrete, J.
Mater. Civil Eng. 20 (10) (2008) 668–677.
[13] Ulku Sultan Yilmaz, Hakan Turken, The effects of various curing materials on
the compressive strength characteristic of the concretes produced with
multiple chemical admixtures, Sci. Iranica 19 (1) (2012) 77–83.
[14] Benoît Bissonnette, P. Pierre, M. Pigeon, Influence of key parameters on drying
shrinkage of cementitious materials, Cem. Concr. Res. 29 (10) (1999) 1655–
1662.
[15] N. Gowripalan, J.G. Cabarera, A.R. Cusens, P. Wainwright, Effect of curing on
durability, Concr. Int. 12 (1990).
[16] C. Ewertson, P.E. Petersson, The influence of curing conditions on the
permeability and durability of concrete. Results from a field exposure test,
Cem. Concr. Res. 23 (3) (1993) 683–692.
[17] P. Mounanga, A. Khelidj, A. Loukili, V. Baroghel-Bouny, Predicting Ca(OH)2
content and chemical shrinkage of hydrating cement pastes using analytical
approach, Cem. Concr. Res. 34 (2) (2004) 255–265.
[18] P.M. Wang, S.X. Feng, X.P. Liu, Research approaches of cement hydration
degree and their development, J. Build. Mater. 8 (6) (2005) 646–652.
[19] R. Alizadeh, P. Ghods, M. Chini, M. Hoseini, M. Ghalibafian, M. Shekarchi, Effect
of curing conditions on the service life design of RC structures in the Persian
Gulf Region, Am. Soc. Civil Eng. 20 (1) (2014) 2–8.
[20] I.G. Richardson, The nature of C–S–H in hardened cements, Cem. Concr. Res. 29
(8) (1999) 1131–1147.