an effective way of minimizing the cracks • It's proportioned so the concrete will increase in volume after setting and during early-age hardening • When it's used in floor slabs, shrinkage- compensating concrete permits greater joint spacing’s DEFINITION
• “Shrinkage compensating concrete is
expansive cement concrete which, is used to minimise cracking caused by drying shrinkage in concrete slabs, pavements and structures.” HOW SCC DIFFERENT FROM NORMAL CONCRETE • Shrinkage-compensating concrete is created from expansive cement. This cement actually expands through the formation of ettringite crystals during the first week of curing • Shrinkage-compensating concrete minimizes and resists cracking and curling • The expansive property controls the shrinkage in such a way as to reduce or eliminate that seen in normal cement. CRACK AND SHRINKAGE OVERVIEW
• WHY DOES CONCRETE CRACKS?
Concrete cracks due to shrinkage, external effects, and detrimental internal expansion. Shrinkage cracking can be either a result of plastic or drying shrinkage. The most common type of cracks are drying shrinkage cracks. PLASTIC SHRINKAGE
Quick drying of concrete at the surface results
in shrinkage. Concrete at the plastic state cannot resist tension. Plastic shrinkage results in a crack depth by about 5-10 cm and about 3mm wide DRYING SHRINKAGE
The loss of free water contained in hardened
concrete does not result in any appreciable dimension changes. It is the loss water held in gel pores that causes the change in volume DRYING SHRINKAGE CRACK COMPOSITION OF SHRINKAGE COMPENSATING CONCRETE The expansive cement used for the production of shrinkage compensating concrete consists 15% of Tetracalcium Trialumino Sulphate (C4A3S) which is referred to as Type-K cement. Shrinkage compensating concrete is constituted and proportioned such that the concrete will increase in volume after setting and hardening. When properly restrained by reinforcement. Because of the restraint, compressive stresses will be induced in the concrete during expansion. Subsequent drying shrinkage will reduce these stresses. Ideally, a residual compression will remain in the concrete, eliminating the risk of shrinkage cracking. ADVANTAGES OF SHRINKAGE COMPENSATING CONCRETE • Shrinkage Compensating Concrete has lower permeability, higher durability & abrasion resistance, higher freeze-thaw resistance, and higher resistance to sulphates than ordinary Portland cement concrete. • It minimizes 1. Caulking 2. Cracking 3. Curling • Joint maintenance • Eliminate all control joints • Floor flatness will remain same even after building is in service REFERENCES • Shrinkage compensating concrete floors, Thesses concrete contracting, Inc. • Shrinkage compensating concrete for use in underground concrete structures- Matt Jabbari, Civil Engineer, CTS cement manufacturing corp, Cypress, California. • Solutions for crack free, joint free and maintenance free floors-www.slideshare.net