Influence of shrinkage-reducing admixture on drying shrinkage and mechanical properties of high-performance concrete

High-performance concrete (HPC) has specific performance advantages over conventional concrete in strength and durability. HPC mixtures are usually produced with water/binder mass ratios (m_W/m_B) in the range of 0.2-0.4, so volume changes of concrete as a result of drying, chemical reactions, and temperature change cannot be avoided. For these reasons, shrinkage and cracking are frequent phenomena. It is necessary to add some types of admixture for reduction of shrinkage and cracking of HPC. This study used a shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA) for that purpose. Concrete was prepared with two different m_W/m_B (0.22 and 0.40) and four different mass fractions of SRA to binder (w(SRA) = 0%, 1%, 2%, and 4%). The mineral admixtures used for concrete mixes were: 25% fly ash (FA) and 25% slag by mass of binder for the mixture with m_W/m_B = 0.40, and 15% silica fume (SF) and 25% FA for the mixture with m_W/m_B = 0.22. Tests were conducted on 24 prismatic specimens, and shrinkage strains were measured through 120 days of drying. Compressive strength, splitting strength, and static modulus of elasticity were also determined. The results show that the SRA effectively reduces some mechanical properties of HPC. The reductions in compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and elastic modulus of the concrete were 7%-24%, 9%-19%, and 5%-12%, respectively, after 90 days, compared to concrete mixtures without SRA. SRA can also help reduce drying shrinkage of concrete. The shrinkage strains of HPC with SRA were only as high as 41% of the average free shrinkage of concrete without SRA after 120 days of drying.