DETERMINATION OF DRYING SHRINKAGE OF CONCRETE

OBJECTIVE
To determine the drying shrinkage or change in length of concrete specimen due to
changes in moisture content.

RELATED THEORY
Drying shrinkage is a phenomenon that occurs in hardened concrete as a result of
moisture loss. When concrete is exposed to a dry environment or has inadequate
moisture curing, the water within the concrete evaporates, causing the volume of the
concrete to shrink. This shrinkage can lead to various issues, such as cracking,
distortion, and reduced durability of the structure.

Drying shrinkage is defined as the contracting of a hardened concrete mixture due to

the loss of capillary water. This shrinkage causes an increase in tensile stress, which
may lead to cracking, internal warping, and external deflection, before the concrete is
subjected to any kind of loading. All Portland cement concrete undergoes drying
shrinkage or volume change as the concrete ages. The volume change in concrete is
very important to the engineer in the design of a structure. Drying shrinkage can occur
in slabs, beams, columns, bearing walls, prestressed members, tanks, and foundations.

Drying shrinkage is dependent upon several factors. These factors include the
properties of the components, proportions of the components, mixing manner, amount
of moisture while curing, dry environment, and member size. Concrete cured under
normal conditions will undergo some volumetric change. Drying shrinkage happens
mostly because of the reduction of capillary water by evaporation and the water in the
cement paste. The higher amount of water in the fresh concrete, the greater the drying
shrinkage affects. The shrinkage potential of a particular concrete is influenced by the
amount of mixing, the elapsed time after the addition of water, temperature fluctuation,
slumping, placement, and curing.

APPARATUS
• Comparator - A length measuring apparatus incorporating a dial gauge
capable of measuring the length accurately to 0.005 mm
• Drying Oven
• Standard Mold (7.5 cm x 7.5 cm x 15 cm)
• Curing Tank
 Fig1: Comparator

PROCEDURE
A. SAMPLE PREPARATION
1. A test sample consists of specimens which cast conforming to the following
dimension:

o 7.5 cm x 7.5 cm x 15 cm

o 7.5 cm x 7.5 cm x 30 cm

2. Cast concrete specimens as per the required dimension and store it in moist air for 3
to 7 days.

3. Drill a shallow depression at the center of each end of the specimen so that it can
accommodate a 6.5 mm diameter steel ball. These steel balls are fixed in to this
depression by cementing the balls with neat rapid hardening Portland cement.

4. After fixing the steel balls, clean the balls to remove any cement adhering to it and
then apply lubricating grease to prevent corrosion.

5. Then the test specimens are kept in moist condition for at least 24 hours in order to
allow the cement to harden. After 24 hours, immerse the test specimens in water
maintained at a temperature of 24 to 300 C until 28 days. (Remember the no of days
are counted starting from the day when the specimens are casted)

B. TEST PROCEDURE
1. After removing the specimens from water, clean the grease from the balls and
immediately measure the length of the specimen to an accuracy of 0.005mm by the
length measuring apparatus.
2. Then dry the specimens in oven for at least 44 hours. After 44 hours of drying,
remove it from oven and cool it for at least 4 hours in a desiccator. After cooling,
again measure the length of the specimen using the length comparator. Record this
reading as the ‘original wet measurement’.
3. Repeat the process of oven drying, cooling and measuring until constant length is
attained, that is, when the difference between two consecutive length measurement
readings is less than 0.01 mm for a 15 cm specimen and proportionately greater for
larger specimen. Record the final reading as ‘dry measurement’.
4. After the dry measurement has been taken, measure the length of the specimen
adjacent to the balls to the nearest 0.5 mm and record this as the ‘dry length’.

OBSERVATIONS AND CALCULATIONS

The initial drying shrinkage or drying shrinkage is calculated as the difference between
the original wet measurement and the dry measurement expressed as a percentage
of dry length.

Where,
L 1 = original wet measurement
L 2 = dry measurement
RESULT
Length of sample measured to an accuracy of 0.005 mm.