EFFECTS OF SHRINKAGE ON CONCRETE

I. Scope of Project:
The scope of project of to define the major effect of shrinkage on concrete what impact of shrinkage and root causes
in details.
II. Objectives of Project:
Based on the scope of the project, the objectives of the project are defined below:

 Study the shrinkages

 Study the related topic through books and research papers

 Recommend laboratory-based test methods that best assess shrinkage behavior.

 Recommend modifications to existing test methods, specifications, or design details, if necessary.

III. Report Layout

Report conssisit 4 major parts, chapter 1- overview of shrinkage and its types 2-Factor influence the shrinkage 3-
efffect of shrinkage 4- Laboratory Test recommendation .5- present the conclusion

CHAPTER 1
1.0 Introduction:
Shrinkage is the decrease in volume of concrete in the absence of leas with time. Shrinkage of concrete is
the time-dependent strain measured in an unloaded and unrestrained specimen at constant temperature
Measure cause of volume changes is evaporation of water from the concrete

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1.1 Effects of Shrinkage:

The structural effects of shrinkage area as

follow. 2. Other materials

1. Joints Where other materials, such as ceramic tiles,

Shrinkage of concrete between movement
joints causes joints to open or makes it
wider. Therefore joints must be designed to
accommodate the widening caused by
shrinkage.
4. Loss of Prestressing Force
Shrinkage causes a reduction in prestressing
force. When calculating prestresing forces,
designers take into account to ensure that
residual stress is structurally adequate.
are fixed on top of concrete surface,
shrinkage of the concrete causes relative
movement between the different materials.
The resulting stresses can cause failure at
the interface.
3. Cracking
If shrinkage is restrained, the concrete is put
into tension and when tensile stress becomes
equal to tensile strength, the concrete cracks.

5. Repairs

If concrete is used to fill a cavity in old concrete, shrinkage of the new concrete is restrained by
the surrounding old concrete. Repair concretes and mortars must be specially formulated (by
incorporating a polymer material) to prevent cracking caused by this restraint.

6. Bond Strength

Shrinkage of the concrete causes the concrete to grip reinforcing bars more tightly. This
increases friction between concrete and steel and so improves bond strength, especially for plain
bars.

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 7. Deflections

The deflection of flexural members is increased by shrinkage. This is because the lightly
reinforced compression zone is free to shrink more than heavily reinforced tension zone.

CHAPTER 2
2.0

2.1 Influences on Early-Age Shrinkage and Cracking:

 Compaction: and reducing the early-age shrinkage and potential

for cracking. Good compaction increases the
tensile strength of the concrete and hence its
Well compacted concrete limits the amount of
ability to resist tensile stress without cracking.
contraction that is possible by eliminating voids

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 Voids near the surface of the concrete are of
particular concern as they significantly reduce the
tensile capacity of the concrete in that location and
can provide sufficient weakness for crack
formation.
 Surface Drying
 Bleeding:
Inadequate bleed water on the surface of concrete
will increase the early-age shrinkage and the
propensity of the concrete to crack. The rate at
which concrete bleeds is more important than the
total amount of bleed water in predicting whether
or not the concrete will dry, shrink and crack at an
early age. While bleed water remains on the
CHAPTER 3
3.0 Review of Research report:
R.I .Gilbert – Serviceability of Concrete Structure:
 Shrinkage in Unrestrained and
Unreinforced Concrete Member:
Drying shrinkage is greatest at the surfaces exposed to
drying and decreases towards the interior of a concrete
member. In Fig.1a, the shrinkage strains through the
thickness of a plain concrete slab, drying on both the top
and bottom surfaces, are shown. The slab is unloaded and
unrestrained.
The mean shrinkage strain, cs in Fig. 1, is the average
contraction. The non-linear strain labeled cs is that
portion of the shrinkage strain that causes internal stresses to
develop. These self-equilibrating stresses (called Eigen
stresses) produce the elastic and creep strains required to
restore compatibility (ie. to ensure that plane sections
remain plane). These stresses occur in all concrete structures
and are tensile near the drying surfaces and compressive in
the interior of the member. Because the shrinkage-induced
stresses develop gradually with time, they are relieved by
creep. Nevertheless, the tensile stresses near the drying
surfaces often overcome the tensile strength of the immature
concrete and result in surface cracking, soon after the
commencement of drying. Moist curing delays the
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surface of the concrete there can be no suction
created in the capillaries of the concrete and no
danger of early-age shrinkage and cracking.
Surfaces that dry in the first few hours will exhibit
higher early-age shrinkage and are more prone to
cracking. Early-age shrinkage will lead to cracking
only if the surface of the concrete is allowed to dry
in the early hours of its life. This is of concern in
all environmental conditions and not merely in hot
or drying weather.
commencement of drying and may provide the concrete
time to develop sufficient tensile strength to avoid unsightly
surface cracking.
The elastic plus creep strains caused by the Eigen stresses
are equal and opposite to cs and are shown in Fig. 1b.
The total strain distribution, obtained by summing the
elastic, creep and shrinkage strain components, is linear
(Fig. 1c) thus satisfying compatibility. If the drying
conditions are the same at both the top and bottom surfaces,
the total strain is uniform over the depth of the slab and
equal to the mean shrinkage strain, cs . It is this quantity
that is usually of significance in the analysis of
concrete structures. If drying occurs at a different rate
from the top and bottom surfaces, the total strain
distribution becomes inclined and a warping of the member
results
 -Fig. 1 Strain components caused by shrinkage in a plain concrete slab
 Shrinkage in Unrestrained Reinforced
Concrete Member:
In concrete structures, unrestrained contraction and
unrestrained warping are unusual. Reinforcement
embedded in the concrete provides restraint to
shrinkage. As the concrete shrinks, the reinforcement
is compressed and imposes an equal and opposite
tensile force on the concrete at the level of the
reinforcement. If the reinforcement is not
symmetrically placed on a section, a shrinkage-
induced curvature develops with time. Shrinkage in
an unsymmetrically reinforced concrete beam or slab
can produce deflections of significant magnitude,
even if the beam is unloaded.
Consider the unrestrained, singly reinforced, simply-
supported concrete beam shown in Figure 2a and the
small beam segment of length x. The shrinkage
induced stresses and strains on an uncracked and on a
cracked cross-section are shown in Figures 2b and 2c,
respectively.
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As the concrete shrinks, the bonded reinforcement
imposes a tensile restraining force, T, on the
concrete at the level of the steel. This gradually
increasing tensile force, acting at some eccentricity to
the centroid of the concrete cross-section, produces
curvature (elastic plus creep) and a gradual warping
of the beam. It also may cause cracking on an
uncracked section or an increase in the width of
existing cracks in a cracked member. For a particular
shrinkage strain, the magnitude of T depends on the
quantity of reinforcement and on whether or not the
cross-section has cracked.
Shrinkage strain is independent of stress, but
shrinkage warping is not independent of the load and
is significantly greater in a cracked beam than in an
uncracked beam, as indicated in Fig. 2. The ability of
the concrete section to carry tensile stress depends on
whether or not the section has cracked, ie. on the
magnitude of the applied moment, among other things.
T is much larger on the uncracked section of Fig. 2b
than on the cracked section of Fig. 2c. Existing design
procedures for the calculation of long-term deflection
fail to adequately model the additional cracking that
occurs with time due to T and the gradual breakdown
of tension stiffening with time (also due to T), and
consequently often greatly underestimate final
deformations. Compressive reinforcement reduces
shrinkage curvature. By providing restraint at the top
of the section, in addition to the restraint at the bottom,
the eccentricity of the resultant tension in the concrete
is reduced and, consequently, so is the shrinkage
curvature. An uncracked, symmetrically reinforced
section will suffer no shrinkage curvature. Shrinkage
will however induce a uniform tensile stress which
when added to the tension caused by external loading
may cause time-dependent cracking

[6]
 Figure 2
 Shrinkage in Restrained Reinforced
Concrete Member:
Structural interest in shrinkage goes beyond its
tendency to increase deflections due to shrinkage
warping. External restraint to shrinkage is often
provided by the supports of a structural member and by
the adjacent structure. When flexural members are also
restrained at the supports, shrinkage causes a build-up
of axial tension in the member, in addition to the
bending caused by the external loads. Shrinkage is
usually accommodated in flexural members by an
increase in the widths of the numerous flexural cracks.
However, for members not subjected to significant
bending and where restraint is provided to the
longitudinal movements caused by shrinkage and
temperature changes, cracks tend to propagate over the
full depth of the cross-section. Excessively wide cracks
are not uncommon. Such cracks are often called direct
tension cracks, since they are caused by direct tension
rather than by flexural tension. In fully restrained direct
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tension members, relatively large amounts of
reinforcement are required to control the load
independent cracking.
Consider the fully-restrained member shown in Fig.
3a. As the concrete shrinks, the restraining force N(t)
gradually increases until the first crack occurs when
N(t) = Ac ft, usually within two weeks from the
commencement of drying, where Ac is the cross-
sectional area of the member and ft is the tensile
strength of the concrete. Immediately after first
cracking, the restraining force reduces to Ncr, and the
concrete stress away from the crack is less than the
tensile strength of the concrete.
The concrete on either side of the crack shortens
elastically and the crack opens to a width w, as
shown in Fig. 3b. At the crack, the steel carries the
entire force Ncr and the stress in the concrete is
obviously zero. In the region immediately adjacent to
the crack, the concrete and steel stresses vary
considerably and there exists a region of partial bond
breakdown. At some distance so on each side of the
crack, the concrete and steel stresses are no longer
influenced directly by the presence of the crack, as
shown in Figs 3c and 3d.
In Region 1, where the distance from the crack is
greater than or equal to so, the concrete and steel
stresses are c1 and s1, respectively. Since the steel
stress (and hence strain) at the crack is tensile and the
overall elongation of the steel is zero (full restraint),
s1 must be compressive. Equilibrium requires that
the sum of the forces carried by the concrete and the
steel on any cross-section is equal to the restraining
force.

Therefore, with the force in the steel in Region 1

being compressive, the force carried by the concrete
(Ac c1) must be tensile and somewhat greater than
the restraining force (Ncr). In Region 2, where the
distance from the crack is less than so, the concrete
stress varies from zero at the crack to c1 at so from
the crack. The steel stress varies from s2 (tensile) at
the crack to s1 (compressive) at so from the crack,
as shown.

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 Fig. 3 - First cracking in a restrained direct tension member.

To determine the crack width w and the concrete and concrete and steel stresses vary, needs to be known and
steel stresses in Fig. 3, the distance so over which the the restraining force Ncr needs to be calculated. An

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approximation for so maybe obtained using the
following equation, which was proposed by Favre et al.
(1983) [6] for a member containing deformed bars or
welded wire mesh:
So = db / 10  (6)
where db is the bar diameter, and  is the reinforcement
ratio As / Ac. Base and Murray (1982) used a similar
expression.
Gilbert (1992) showed that the concrete and
steel stresses immediately after first cracking are
; established, usually in the first few months after the
; 4. The final average crack spacing, s, and the final
and (7)
where C1 = 2 so /(3L - 2 so). If n is the modular ratio,
Es / Ec, the restraining force immediately after first
cracking is
longer fully restrained since the crack width can
increase with time as shrinkage continues.
A state of partial restraint therefore exists after first
cracking. Subsequent shrinkage will cause further
gradual increases in the restraining force N(t) and in the
concrete stress away from the crack, and a second crack
may develop. Additional cracks may occur as the
shrinkage strain continues to increase with time.
However, as each new crack forms, the member
becomes less stiff and the amount of shrinkage required
to produce each new crack increases.
The process continues until the crack pattern is
commencement of drying. The concrete stress history in
an uncracked region is shown diagrammatically in Fig.
average crack width, w, depend on the quantity and
distribution of reinforcement, the quality of bond
between the concrete and steel, the amount of
shrinkage, and the concrete strength. Let the final
shrinkage-induced restraining force be N().

(8)

With the stresses and deformations determined

immediately after first cracking, the subsequent long-
term behavior as shrinkage continues must next be
determined. After first cracking, the concrete is no

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 Fig. 4 - Concrete stress history in uncracked Region 1

*s2 = N()/As and

After all shrinkage has taken place and the final crack *c1 = N()(1 +0 C2 ) /Ac < ft (12)
pattern is established, the average concrete stress at a Provided the steel at the crack has not yielded, the final
distance greater than so from the nearest crack is *c1 crack width is given by
and the steel stresses at a crack and at a distance greater
than so from a crack are *s2 and *s1, respectively.
Gilbert (1992) [8] developed the following expressions (13)
for the final restraining force N() and the final When the quantity of steel is small, such that yielding
average crack width w: occurs at first cracking, uncontrolled and unserviceable
Provided the steel quantity is sufficiently large, so that cracking will result and the final crack width is wide. In
yielding does not occur at first cracking or this case,
subsequently, the final restraining force is given by

;
(9)
is the final shrinkage strain; is the final ; and
effective modulus of the concrete and is given by

; is the final creep coefficient;

n* is the effective modular ratio ; C2 = (14)

2so/(3s - 2so); and av is the average stress in the
uncracked concrete (see Fig. 4) and may be assumed to
be (c1 + ft )/2 . The maximum crack spacing is
and the final crack width is

(10)
and  is given by
(15)
where L is the length of the restrained members.

(11)
The final steel stress at each crack and the final
concrete stress in Regions 1 (further than so from a
crack) are, respectively,

CHAPTER 4

4.0 Laboratory Testing:

Several tests must be performed on the concrete in order to assess its performance in regards to drying shrinkage
cracking.

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 Laboratory Test Methods
ASTM C157 Drying Shrinkage of Concrete (Free Shrinkage)
ASTM C878 Restrained Expansion of Shrinkage-Compensating Concrete
AASHTO PP34 Restrained Shrinkage Cracking of Concrete

 Drying Shrinkage
Drying shrinkage (sometimes
called free shrinkage) tests were
performed on concrete prisms
measuring 3 in. x 3 in. x 10 in.
Two metal studs were cast into
the square faces of the prism to
serve as reference point
throughout the testing. One day
after casting, the prisms are
demolded, measured, and placed
in a lime-saturated water
solution at 73 ºF for seven days.
After the seven-day curing
period, the prisms are removed from the limewater bath and placed in the
drying shrinkage room. The drying shrinkage room is a large
environmental chamber that is maintained at 73 ºF and 50% relative
humidity as required in ASTM C157. Once exposed to the lower humidity
in the chamber, the prisms begin to shrink. While in the chamber, the
prisms are supported by two pieces of plastic pipe. The plastic pipes allow
dimensional change without inducing any stresses, producing a true free
shrinkage response (Figure 3.2). The shrinkage is measured as the change
in the length of the specimen between the two studs that were cast into the
prism. The prisms are measured daily for a week, weekly for a month, and
monthly thereafter. Three prisms are cast for
each mixture.

Free Shrinkage Prism (ASTM C157)

 Restrained Expansion of Shrinkage- The aforementioned free shrinkage test cannot be

applied to shrinkage compensating cement because
Compensating Concrete
the SCC must be restrained against expansion to
obtain the benefit of shrinkage compensation. To
achieve the restraint, the SCC is cast around a

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 threaded rod that has a steel plate attached to each
end. The threaded rod passes through the prism, and
the steel plates on the ends serve as the restraint. The
restraining cage is self-reacting and is pictured in
Figure 3.3. The curing and measurement regime for
the SCC prisms is identical to that of prisms
containing traditional concrete mixtures.

Mold and Restraining Cage for SCC Prism (ASTM C878)

 Restrained Shrinkage ways that are difficult to predict. To address the

None of the tests previously discussed truly capture
the interrelation between strength development,
shrinkage, and creep. In an actual structure, all three
mechanisms occur simultaneously and interact in
inability to test the interaction of all these
phenomena, AASHTO has adopted a provisional test
to fill the void. The provisional test, AASHTO PP34,
was based on work presented in NCHRP Report 380.
The test involves casting a concrete ring around the

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perimeter of a steel ring. A photo of the casting
process and a schematic drawing of the specimen can
be seen in Figure 3.6. This restrained shrinkage test
has been developed by a number of researchers in the
past (Weiss et al. 1998; Folliard and Berke 1997) as
an accurate method for predicting the length of time
until the concrete cracks. As per the specification, the
ring is cured at 73 ºF and 100% relative humidity for
a period of 24 hours. After the curing period, the top
surface of the ring is coated with a waterproof sealant
and the ring is placed in the drying shrinkage room
(73 ºF, 50% relative humidity). The sealant
eliminates drying from the top surface, and a wooden
base eliminates drying from the bottom surface. As a
result, the concrete ring is allowed to dry only from
its circumferential face. When the concrete shrinks
due to water loss, the ring is slowly placed into
tension as the drying front propagates radially inward
toward the center of the ring. Over time the tensile
stresses are relaxed due to creep. After some time has
elapsed, the tensile strain in the ring will exceed the
tensile strain capacity of the concrete producing a
crack. The time elapsed from the time of exposure to
Schematic Drawing of AASHTO PP34 Specimen (Shah 1997; Poston
1
CHAPTER 5
5.0 Conclusions:
I have tried to cover all major effect on RCC structure with respect to shrinkage. It covers, member effect of
shrinkage to over all effect of shrinkage. Also attached some laboratory test specimens.
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drying conditions until the time of the first crack is
then recorded.
In order to detect cracks accurately, four strain gages
are attached to the inner surface of the steel ring. The
gages are at mid-height of the steel ring and spread
equally around the circumference. These strain gages
are measured automatically every half hour. The
specification defines a crack as a decrease of 30 με or
more between successive readings on one strain gage.
For this study, the researchers visually inspected the
rings daily in addition to monitoring the digital strain
data. In this test, a minimal amount of curing and a
large amount of restraint are used to provide a worst-
case scenario in order to accelerate cracking. It is
believed that such harsh testing is needed to provide
meaningful results. If, however, less restraint and
more curing were used, the rings would not crack and
provide little meaningful data. Also, if a potential
concrete mixture performed well under the specified
laboratory condition, it likely will perform well under
more preferable conditions, which are expected in the
field.
 5.1 References:

1. ACI318-95, Building code requirements for reinforced concrete, American Concrete Institute,
Committee 318, Detroit, 1995.

2. Gilbert, R.I., “Shrinkage Cracking in Fully Restrained Concrete Members”, ACI Structural Journal,
Vol. 89, No. 2, March-April 1992, pp 141-149

3. Brown, Mike. “Evaluation of Innovative Materials to Control Restrained Drying Shrinkage

Cracking in Concrete Bridge Decks.” Master’s Thesis. The University of Texas at Austin. August,
2002.

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