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NUST Institute of Civil Engineering

Curing
• Sequence of Lecture
(Curing of Concrete)
• Curing?
CE 816 • Importance?
• Objectives?
Advance Structural Materials
• Techniques?
• Procedure?
Dr. Hammad Anis Khan • Duration?

Curing ?
• Curing is the process of maintaining satisfactory
moisture and temperature
• Moisture is required for the creation of satisfactory
Hydration product
• Temperature affects the rate of hydration
• Moreover improperly cured concrete leads to:

• Reduced strength • Effective Hydration:

• Plastic shrinkage loss of by self
• Increase in permeability desiccation,
capillary water
• Reduces abrasion resistance
must be prevented
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Effect of RH, Temp, wind and difference in temp of

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concrete and air 6

Moisture Effect / RH

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Curing Curing
W/C 0.5 Curing and rate of strength development?

Loss of strength at 28 days is proportional to loss of water during first 3 days

Conclusions

Temperature Effects

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Effect of Curing Temperature Effect of temperature

• CAS
Curing temperature is more
important that casting
temperature

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Curing
•Objectives
• Relative Humidity >80%
• Temperature >0oC & <50oC for a definite period of time
• High Temperatures, Low Humidity, and High Wind Speeds require
more strict control

•Targets
• Predictable Strength Gain
• Improved Durability
• Better Serviceability and Appearance

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Curing
Water in concrete is present as

• Gel Pores (28%)

Moisture Control • Non-Evaporable (19-23%)
• Capillary

• Only 50-60% water is utilized for hydration

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Curing
Which method curing to be used?
• Depending on w/c ratio
• Either water is required by concrete for hydration or
• Water is enough and the requirement is the prevention
of loss of that water
• External add water to provide 100% saturation
• Prevent loss of moisture

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Techniques-General

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Curing Water Curing

Immersion
• Additional Water
• Ponding or Immersion
• Spraying or Fogging
Fogging
• Prevention
• Plastic Sheets
• Impervious Paper
• Wet Coverings
• Membranes by Curing Compounds

Sprinkling Ponding 28
Plain and Reinforced Concrete - 1
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Curing Membrane Curing

Ponding or Immersion
• Plastic sheet can
• Provision of Standing Water be used to cover
• Temperature of water should not be lesser than concrete as a
concrete by 10oC retarder.
• Advantages • White sheet
• Maintain uniform temperature reflect heat and
• Continuous supply of water for low w/c ratios light and reduces
• Disadvantages heat gain from
• Considerable labor and supervision sun.
• Impractical for big jobs • Can cause patchy
• Strength for high w/c ratios? appearance if
• Not for vertical members wrinkled
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Membrane curing Curing

Curing Compounds
• Plastic Sheets
Liquid membrane • Polyethylene (4-mil thickness)
forming compounds • Overlaps with waterproof taps
consisting of waxes,
resins, chlorinated • Advantages
• Lightweight
rubber and other
• Effective Moisture Barrier
materials are used to • Easy for Complex forms as well
retard evaporation.
These are clear, • Disadvantages
translucent or white • Discoloration
• More if film is wrinkled

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Curing
Curing
• Impervious Paper
• Wet Coverings
• Advantages • Moisture-retaining fabrics saturated with water: burlap,
• No addition of water cotton mats, rugs
• Reusable • Advantages
• Tears and Holes can be patched • No discoloration
• Disadvantages • Resistant to rot and fire
• High cost • Disadvantages
• Periodic addition of water
• Use of polyethylene sheet may be required
• If becomes dry?

Internal Moist Curing

• Moisture is provided from within concrete by special
fine aggregate.
• Low density fine aggregate or absorbent polymer
particles with ability to retain significant amount of
water are used to provide water for curing.
Steam Curing
•Advantageous where early strength is required.
•Live steam at atmospheric pressure is used for
enclosed cast in place concrete.
•High pressure steam in Autoclave is used for
small units.

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Curing
Special Curing
•Insulating blankets or covering with heating • Procedure
arrangement to avoid freezing in cold weather.
•Heated oil, electrical heating and microwave • Horizontal Surfaces
and infrared curing methods are applied. • Vertical Surfaces
•Electrical curing uses concrete as conductor,
use of steel bar as heater element, use of
special wire as heater, electrical blanket and
use of electrically heated steel form

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Curing
Curing
Vertical Surfaces
Horizontal Surfaces • Keep the formwork for at least 24 hours
• Cover with polythene sheeting immediate after finishing • On removal of formwork, cover with wet burlap and then plastic sheet
• After sufficient stiffening, (not later than 24 hours), remove sheet and cover • Tie with ropes
with wet burlap and cover with polythene sheet • Water continuously
• Keep burlap continuously wet • After not less than 7 days, remove the arrangement, and spray curing
• Alternately Ponding could be performed compounds
• After not less than 7 days, remove the arrangement, and spray curing
compounds
• Don’t spray on construction joints or bonding surface

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Curing - Duration
Curing
Duration
•Gel formation continues for very long period of
times; Concrete
•After 14 days 40% hydration
•After 28 days, 70% hydration

Curing
Rules
• If concrete becomes dry during setting or early stages of
hardening, hydration is interrupted, and although it
restarts on rewetting, the effect is irrecoverable.
• Dry Concrete, all reactions stop; Dead Concrete
• Depth of Curing is only 30-50 mm is affected by curing
• Higher w/c ratios and low strength development is critical
• Cool Water-Thermal Shock (diff not less than 10 degree
Celsius)

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