Curing

 The temperature of water used for curing should not differ from the
temperature of concrete more than 11 oC to prevent the concrete from
THERMAL SHOCK.
 Curing should be ensured 24 hours each day including holidays.
 Curing should continue at least 7days and until it attains 70% of its
specified strength.
 When low W/C is used, water curing is preferred.
 The method of curing shall be by water for the first seven days and by
water or membrane until the concrete has reached the full specified
strength.
 The method of curing shall not:
o disfigure permanently exposed surfaces
o affect bonding of subsequent coatings
o increase the temperature of the concrete.
 When liquid membrane is used to cure the concrete, it shall not be applied
if bleeding water is present on the surface of the concrete.
 The applied film of the liquid membrane shall be continuous and
protected from rain and any damages for at least 14 days.
 One of the most common methods for curing concrete is to hose it down
frequently with water—five to 10 times per day, or as often as you can—
for the first seven days. Known as “moist curing,”
 Steam shall be applied at a temperature between 65 C and 80 C.
 Excessive rates of heating and cooling shall be prevented during
steam curing and
 temperatures in the enclosure shall not be allowed to increase or decrease
by more than 22 C per hour.
 For unreinforced massive sections not containing ground granulated blast-
furnace slag or pozzolan, curing shall be continued for not less than 2
weeks. Where ground granulated blast-furnace slag or pozzolan is
included in the concrete, the minimum time for curing shall be not less
than 3 weeks.
 If strength is the key concrete performance criterion. For construction
joints, curing shall be continued until resumption of concrete placement
or until the required curing period is completed.
 For mass concrete, thermocouples shall be used to monitor the
temperature differential of the concrete.