Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 308–314

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Construction and Building Materials

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Effect of curing methods on the properties of plain and blended cement concretes
A.S. Al-Gahtani *
Department of Civil Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper reports result of a study conducted to investigate the effect of curing methods on the proper-
Received 15 June 2009 ties of plain and blended cement concretes. The concrete specimens were prepared with Type I, silica
Received in revised form 13 August 2009 fume, and fly ash cement concretes. They were cured either by covering with wet burlap or by applying
Accepted 14 August 2009
two types of curing compounds, namely water-based and acrylic-based. The effect of curing methods on
Available online 14 November 2009
the properties of plain and blended cement concretes was assessed by measuring plastic and drying
shrinkage, compressive strength, and pulse velocity. Results indicated that the strength development
Keywords:
in the concrete specimens cured by covering with wet burlap was more than that in the specimens cured
Curing
Plain and blended cement concretes
by applying water – and acrylic-based curing compounds. Concrete specimens cured by applying curing
Plastic and drying shrinkage compounds exhibited higher efficiency in decreasing plastic and drying shrinkage strain than specimens
Compressive strength cured by covering with wet burlap. The performance of acrylic-based curing compound was better than
Pulse velocity that of water-based curing compound. The data developed in this study indicate that curing compounds
Curing efficiency index could be utilized in situations where curing with water is difficult. Among the two curing compounds
investigated, acrylic-based curing compound performed better than the water-based curing compound.
Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The objective of curing is to keep concrete saturated or as nearly
wet to assist the hydration of cement. The rate and degree of
hydration, and the resulting strength of concrete and other proper-
ties, depend on the curing process that follows placing and consol-
idation of the plastic concrete. Hydration of cement continues for
years at a decreasing rate as long as the mixture contains water
and the temperature conditions are favorable. Once the water is
lost, hydration ceases.
Curing of concrete is very essential for its strength gain and
durability. Proper curing becomes very difficult under hot weather
conditions as low humidity and high ambient temperature greatly
assist in the evaporation of the mix-water. Concrete is generally
cured by water ponding. However, membrane-forming curing
compounds are also utilized for this purpose. Curing compounds
are utilized in situations where curing by water ponding is not
practical. However, with increasing scarcity of water, there is pres-
sure on the construction industry to decrease its water consump-
tion. This problem is more acute in countries where natural
sources of water are scarce and it has to be obtained from other
sources, such as desalination of the seawater.
In general, curing ensures that the mix water is available for ce-
ment hydration. According to Powers [1] a minimum of 80%
humidity is required for hydration of cement. Moreover, he sug-
* Fax: +966 38602565.
E-mail address: agahtani@kfupm.edu.sa
gested that the permeability of the surface concrete may increase
five to ten folds if concrete is insufficiently cured. High wind and
temperature increases the drying of concrete skin. Therefore, the
recommendations of ACI Committee 305 regarding minimizing
the rate of water evaporation, such as lowering concreting temper-
ature, increasing the humidity by water spraying, and erecting
wind barriers, should be adopted. The protection of concrete
against corrosion of steel, which is mainly due to the ingress of
chloride ions, is greatly decreased with an increase in the period
of curing [2].
Curing becomes even more important if it contains supplemen-
tary cementing materials, such as fly ash, ground granulated blast
furnace slag, or silica fume, and it is subjected to hot and dry envi-
ronments immediately after placement and consolidation. How-
ever concretes moist cured for only two days exhibited
significant improvement in strength and other characteristics, as
compared with concrete without any curing [3].
Concrete is mostly cured by covering it with wet burlap. In
some cases it is also done by coating the freshly cast surface with
a curing compound. The curing compound acts as a barrier coating
and does not allow the mix water to evaporate from the concrete in
case of dry conditions prevailing on the surface of concrete. In
some cases a curing compound is applied after initial water curing
for a certain period of time.
The most effective method of curing is to keep the exposed con-
crete surfaces continuously moist by ponding or spraying with
water. In this method, the concrete is kept fully saturated during
the period, the ideal condition for strength development and

0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2009.08.036
 A.S. Al-Gahtani / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 308–314 309

hydration of cement. Another curing method is to cover the surface 2. Methodology of research
with an impermeable sheet, such as polyethylene. Owing to
2.1. Materials
restrictions encountered in the field, curing by water-retaining
techniques, which also includes the application of curing mem- As stated earlier, the concrete specimens were prepared with plain, very fine fly
branes, are also used. When applied onto a concrete surface, curing ash (VFFA), silica fume, and fly ash cements. The VFFA cement concrete specimens
compounds leave a moisture retentive membrane, either upon were prepared with 10% VFFA while silica fume cement concrete specimens con-
tained 7% silica fume. Fly ash constituted 30% of the cementitious material in the
evaporation of their volatile component (solvent-based com-
fly ash cement concrete specimens.
pounds) or through their reaction with the alkaline concrete sur- ASTM C150 Type I cement was utilized in the preparation of both plain and
face (water-based curing compounds). blended cement concrete specimens. Table 1 shows the chemical composition of
Wang et al. [4] evaluated the performance of membrane curing Type I cement and the pozzolanic materials used in the preparation of concrete
and the experimental results showed that the effectiveness of specimens.
The concrete mixtures were proportioned on a weight basis. The following
membrane curing was dependent markedly on the time of its
parameters were kept constant in all the mixtures:
application. Among curing compounds studied, chlorinated rubber
was found to be the most effective one, followed by the solvent- (1) Cementitious material content: 370 kg/m3.
based curing compound, and the least effective was water-based (2) Coarse/fine aggregate ratio: 1.64.
type. (3) Effective water to cementitious materials ratio: 0.45.
Austin and Robins [5] indicated that wet burlap curing was the
Crushed limestone was used as coarse aggregates in all the concrete mixtures. It
most effective and air curing was the least effective between 7 and
was washed to remove dust and other fines. The maximum size of the coarse aggre-
28 days in hot climate. Moist cured blast furnace slag cement con- gates was 12.5 mm and its grading corresponded to ASTM C 33 size # 7. Dune sand
crete exhibited a greater increase in the pulse velocity than simi- with a fineness modulus of 1.3, absorption of 0.57%, and specific gravity of 2.57 was
larly cured plain cement concrete mixes. Wang and Black [6] used as fine aggregate.
evaluated the performance of curing membranes. It was reported
that the Curing Efficiency Index (CEI) correlated well with the 2.2. Specimen preparation
capability of the curing membranes in retaining moisture within
concrete. The concrete constituents were mixed in an electrically operated revolving
drum type concrete mixer. The ingredients were initially mixed in dry condition
Tests conducted by Grafe and Grube [7] on the influence of
and then water was added. Table 2 lists the sizes of specimens that were utilized
curing on the gas permeability of concrete prepared with differ- to evaluate the performance of curing methods. The molds were filled in two layers
ent types of cement indicated that concrete containing GGBFS and vibrated until the consolidation of concrete, indicated by the formation of a thin
and PFA had greater permeability than Portland cement concrete, sheen of mortar on the surface.
when curing was poor (1 day curing). However, they concluded
that with prolonged sealed curing, mixes prepared with cement 2.3. Exposure
replacement materials may become more impervious than analo-
gous concretes (same water–cement ratio and same cement con- The concrete specimens were cured by one of the following methods:
tent) containing only Portland cement. Data developed by
(i) By covering with wet burlap.
Rasheeduzzafar et al. [2] indicated that the protection provided
(ii) By applying one of the following curing compounds:
by concrete against corrosion of steel by migration of chlorides – acrylic-based;
into the concrete is greatly dependent upon the duration of – water-based.
curing.
It has generally been accepted that curing is more important for The concrete specimens for normal curing were covered with plastic sheet and
allowed to harden under laboratory conditions for 24 h. Thereafter, they were
concrete with mineral admixtures than for normal concrete [8]. demoulded and an epoxy coating was applied on the molded surfaces. They were
Water curing has more effect on the permeability than on the then cured for 7 days by covering with wet burlap. The epoxy coating was applied
strength of concrete. Dinku and Reinhardt [9] have shown that to represent conditions similar to those for the specimens cured by the application
the gas permeability is sensitive to changes in curing duration, of the curing compounds in the field.
In the second group of concrete specimens, curing compound was applied when
water/cement ratio, age of testing and moisture history of con-
the bleeding water, if any, had evaporated from the surface. The application rate
crete; according to their research, it is possible to predict the gas was similar to that recommended by the supplier. After 24 h of casting, the speci-
permeability from the capillary sorptivity measurements. Martys
and Ferraris [10] have shown that the sorptivity coefficient is
essential to predict the service-life of concrete as a structural mate-
rial and to improve its performance. Table 1
According to Khan and Ayers [11], the minimum length of cur- Chemical composition of Type I cement and supplementary cementing materials.
ing should be optimized in terms of several properties, such as Constituent Type I Very fine fly ash Silica Fly
strength, permeability and the movement of aggressive gases (wt.%) cement (VFFA) fume ash
and/or liquids from the environment. Their results show that the SiO2 20.52 53.5 93.7 52.8
minimum lengths of curing for, Portland cement, fly ash and the Al2O3 5.64 34.3 0.16 34.3
silica fume cement concrete mixtures were 3, 3.75 and 6.5 days, Fe2O3 3.8 3.6 0.12 3.6
CaO 64.35 4.4 0.65 4.4
respectively. In general, it has been shown that concretes prepared
Mgo 2.11 1 0.39 1.1
with mineral admixtures are more sensitive to water curing than SO3 2.1 – 0.23 0.1
concretes prepared with ordinary Portland cement. Loss on ignition 0.7 – 5.14 0.8
Though few studies have been conducted earlier to evaluate ef- K2O 0.36 0.8 0.02 0.5
fect of curing methods on the properties of concrete, data are Na2O 0.19 – 0.02 0.4
Na2O equiv 0.43 – –
sparse on the effect of curing compounds on the properties, espe- MnO2 – – 0.1
cially shrinkage and denseness, of plain and blended cement con- TiO2 – 1.7 – 1.6
cretes. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of curing C3S 56.7 – – –
methods on the properties of plain and blended cement concretes C2S 16.05 – – –
C3A 8.25 – – –
with the aim of specifying type of curing compound for areas with
C4AF 11.56 – – –
water scarcity.
310 A.S. Al-Gahtani / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 308–314

Table 2 by applying a curing compound. Further, the plastic shrinkage

Details of concrete specimen utilized to evaluate the performance of curing
compounds.
Specimen size (mm)
100  100  300
100  100  300
100  100  100
100  100  100
50  100  300
mens were demoulded and an epoxy coating was applied on the moulded surfaces
of the specimen. The epoxy coating was applied such that the water evaporation, if
any, took place from the surface on which the curing compound was applied.
2.4. Test techniques
The concrete specimens were tested for the following:
(i) Plastic shrinkage.
(ii) Drying shrinkage.
(iii) Pulse velocity, according to ASTM C 597.
(iv) Compressive strength after 3, 7, 14, 28 and 90 days, according to ASTM C 39.
The plastic shrinkage strain was measured by embedding metallic studs placed
at two sides of each specimen. The details of the experimental set up have been de-
scribed elsewhere [12]. The movement of studs was monitored using LVDTs con-
nected to a data acquisition system for a period of 24 h after casting. Shrinkage
displacements were recorded every 5 min continuously up to first 6 h and then
every 30 min continuously up to a period of 18 h.
The drying shrinkage readings were carried out on the same specimens that
were used to measure the plastic shrinkage. Two aluminum dollies were fixed on
the surface of the specimen with strong epoxy glue to ensure good bond between
the dollies and surface of the concrete specimen. The specified gauge length and ini-
tial gauge readings were recorded. Further, the drying shrinkage readings were ta-
ken every 2 days up to first 2 weeks then taken every week continuously until they
were stable. The average values of three readings/tests were recorded for the eval-
uation and analysis.
3. Results
3.1. Plastic shrinkage strain
Fig. 1 shows the variation of plastic shrinkage strain in plain ce-
ment concrete specimens. The plastic shrinkage strain increased
linearly and then stabilized to almost a constant value. The plastic
shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens initially cured by cover-
ing with a plastic sheet or applying water-based, or acrylic-based
curing compound stabilized to a constant value after about 15,
12, and 5 h, respectively, from the time of casting. However, the
plastic shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens cured by cover-
ing with a plastic sheet was more than that in the specimens cured
strain in the concrete specimens cured by applying the acrylic-
based curing compound was less than that in the concrete speci-
Property mens cured by applying the water-based curing compound.
Plastic shrinkage Though this difference was not that significant. The maximum
Drying shrinkage plastic shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens cured by cover-
Compressive strength ing with a plastic sheet or by applying water-based, or acrylic-
Pulse velocity
Moisture retention
based curing compound was 520, 395, and 36810 6 mm/mm,
respectively.
Fig. 2 shows the plastic shrinkage strain in the VFFA cement
concrete specimens. In these specimens also the plastic shrinkage
strain increased from the time of placement and then stabilized
to a constant value later. The plastic shrinkage strain in the con-
crete specimens cured by covering with a plastic sheet or by apply-
ing water-based or acrylic-based curing compound stabilized to a
constant value after about 13, 12, and 10 h, respectively, from
the time of casting. The plastic shrinkage strain in the concrete
specimens cured by applying the acrylic-based curing compound
was relatively less than those cured by covering with a plastic
sheet or by applying the water-based curing compound. The max-
imum plastic shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens cured by
covering with a plastic sheet or applying water-based or acrylic-
based curing compound was 329, 255, and 23810 6 mm/mm,
respectively.
The plastic shrinkage strain in the silica fume cement concrete
specimens is shown in Fig. 3. An increase in the plastic shrinkage
strain was noted in all the concrete specimens. The plastic shrink-
age strain in the concrete specimens cured by covering with a plas-
tic sheet or by applying water-based or acrylic-based curing
compound stabilized to a constant value after about 12, 7, and
3 h, respectively, from the time of casting. The maximum plastic
shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens cured by covering with
a plastic sheet or by applying a water-based or acrylic-based curing
compound was 299, 117, and 8710 6 mm/mm, respectively.
The plastic shrinkage strain in the fly ash cement concrete spec-
imens is shown in Fig. 4. The plastic shrinkage strain in the con-
crete specimens cured by covering with a plastic sheet was less
than that in the specimens cured by applying acrylic-based or
water-based curing compound. The maximum plastic shrinkage
strain in the concrete specimens cured by covering with a plastic
sheet or by applying water-based or acrylic-based curing com-
pound was 404, 296, and 24210 6 mm/mm, respectively.
3.2. Drying shrinkage strain
Fig. 5 shows the drying shrinkage strain in the plain cement
concrete specimens. These values initially increased very rapidly
and then stabilized. The concrete specimens cured by the applica-

600 Air Water-compound Acrylic-compound

Air Water-compound Acrylic-compound 350
-6
Plastic shrinkage strain, mm/mm x10

-6
Plastic shrinkage strain, mm/mm x10

500
300

400 250

200
300
150
200
100

100
50

0 0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Time, Minutes Time, Minutes

Fig. 1. Plastic shrinkage strain in the plain cement concrete specimens. Fig. 2. Plastic shrinkage strain in the VFFA cement concrete specimens.
 A.S. Al-Gahtani / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 308–314 311

400 600
Air Water-compound Acrylic-compound
-6

-6
Drying shrinkage strain, mm/mm x10
Plastic shrinkage strain, mm/mm x10

500
300
400

200 300

200
100 7days-burlap
100 Water-compound
Acrylic-compound
0 0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Time. Minutes Time, days

Fig. 3. Plastic shrinkage strain in the silica fume cement concrete specimens. Fig. 6. Drying shrinkage strain in the VFFA cement concrete specimens.

pound was less than that in the specimens cured by covering with
500 wet burlap or by the application of the water-based curing com-
-6

450 pound. The maximum drying shrinkage strain in the concrete spec-
Plastic shrinkage strain, mm/mm x10

400
imens cured by covering with wet burlap for 7 days or applying
water-based or acrylic-based curing compound was 540, 501,
350
and 47010 6 mm/mm, respectively.
300 The drying shrinkage strain in the silica fume cement concrete
250 specimens is shown in Fig. 7. An increase in the drying shrinkage
200 strain was noted in all the concrete specimens. The maximum dry-
ing shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens cured by covering
150
Air with wet burlap for 7 days or applying water-based or acrylic-
100
Water-compound based curing compounds was 508, 469, and 45510 6 mm/mm,
50 Acrylic-compound respectively.
0 The drying shrinkage strain in the fly ash cement concrete spec-
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 imens is shown in Fig. 8. The maximum drying shrinkage strain in
Time, Minutes
the concrete specimens cured by covering with wet burlap for
Fig. 4. Plastic shrinkage strain in the fly ash cement concrete specimens. 7 days or applying water-based or acrylic-based curing compounds
was 451, 439, and 42810 6 mm/mm, respectively.

600 3.3. Compressive strength

-6
Drying shrinkage strain, mm/mm x10

500 The compressive strength development in the plain cement

concrete specimens is shown in Fig. 9. An increase in the compres-
400 sive strength with age was noted in all the concrete specimens,
irrespective of the curing methods utilized. However, the compres-
300 sive strength of concrete specimens cured by covering with wet
burlap was more than that of concrete specimens cured by apply-
200 ing the water-based or acrylic-based curing compound. Further,
7days-burlap
the compressive strength of concrete specimens cured by applying
100 Water-compound acrylic-based curing compound was more than that of concrete
Acrylic-compound
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Time, days 500
-6
Drying shrinkage strain, mm/mm x10

Fig. 5. Drying shrinkage strain in the plain cement concrete specimens.

400

300
tion of water-based curing compound exhibited higher drying
shrinkage strain than those cured by covering with wet burlap
200
for 7 days or by applying acrylic-based curing compound. Maxi-
mum drying shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens cured by 7days-burlap
100
covering with wet burlap for 7 days or applying water-based or ac- Water-compound
rylic-based curing compounds was 491, 526, and 47510 6 mm/ Acrylic-compound
mm, respectively. 0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Fig. 6 shows the drying shrinkage strain in the VFFA cement
Time. days
concrete specimens. The drying shrinkage strain in the concrete
specimens cured by the application of acrylic-based curing com- Fig. 7. Drying shrinkage strain in the silica fume cement concrete specimens.
312 A.S. Al-Gahtani / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 308–314

500 40
-6

35
Drying shrinkage strain, mm/mm x10

400

Compressive strength, MPa

30
300
25

200
20
wet burlap
7days-burlap
100 15 acrylic-compound
Water-compound
water-compound
Acrylic-compound
10
0 0 20 40 60 80 100
0 20 40 60 80 100
Age, days
Time, days
Fig. 11. Compressive strength development in the silica fume cement concrete
Fig. 8. Drying shrinkage strain in the fly ash cement concrete specimens.
specimens.

35
the compressive strength of concrete specimens cured by covering
with wet burlap for 7 days or applying acrylic-based, or water-
based curing compound was 34.2, 30.9, and 29.4 MPa, respectively.
30 Fig. 11 shows the compressive strength development in the sil-
Compressive strength, MPa

ica fume cement concrete specimens. The compressive strength of

25
20
15
10
0 10 20
Fig. 9. Compressive strength development in the plain cement concrete specimens.
specimens cured by applying the water-based curing compound.
After 90 days, the compressive strength of concrete specimens
cured by covering with wet burlap for 7 days or applying acrylic-
based or water-based curing compounds was 33.3, 28, and
26.5 MPa, respectively.
Fig. 10 shows the compressive strength development in VFFA
cement concrete specimens. The compressive strength of concrete
specimens cured by applying a water-based curing compound was
less than that of concrete specimens cured by covering with wet
burlap or applying acrylic-based curing compound. After 90 days,
concrete specimens cured by covering with wet burlap for 7 days
was more than that of concrete specimens cured by applying the
acrylic-based or water-based curing compound. After 90 days,
the compressive strength of concrete specimens cured by covering
with wet burlap or applying acrylic-based or water-based curing
wet burlap compound was 37.2, 31.9, and 30.3 MPa, respectively.
acrylic-compound The compressive strength development in the fly ash cement
water-compound
concrete specimens is shown in Fig. 12. The compressive strength
of concrete specimens cured by covering with wet burlap was
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
more than that of concrete specimens cured by applying a curing
Age, days
compound. However, the compressive strength of concrete speci-
mens cured by applying either water-based or acrylic-based curing
compound was not significantly different from each other. After
90 days, the compressive strength of concrete specimens cured
by covering with wet burlap for 7 days, or applying acrylic-based
or water-based curing compound was 36, 32.9 and 33.2 MPa,
respectively.
3.4. Pulse velocity
Fig. 13 shows the pulse velocity in the plain cement concrete
specimens. An increase in the pulse velocity with age was observed
in all the concrete specimens. The pulse velocity in the concrete

40
35

35
Compressive strength, MPa

30
Compressive strength, MPa

30
25
25

20
20
wet burlap wet burlap
15 acrylic-compound 15 acrylic-compound
water-compound water-compound
10 10
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
Age, days Age, days

Fig. 10. Compressive strength development in the VFFA cement concrete Fig. 12. Compressive strength development in the fly ash cement concrete
specimens. specimens.
 A.S. Al-Gahtani / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 308–314 313

wet burlap acrylic-compound water-compound wet burlap acrylic-compound water-compound

4.2 4.700

4.650
4.1
4.600
Pulse Velocity, Km/s

Pulse Velocity, Km/s

4.550
4.0
4.500
3.9 4.450

4.400
3.8
4.350

3.7 4.300
4.250
3.6
4.200
14 28 90
Age,days 14 28 90
Age, days
Fig. 13. Pulse velocity in the plain cement concrete specimens.
Fig. 15. Pulse velocity in the silica fume cement concrete specimens.

specimens cured by covering with wet burlap for 7 days was more
than that of concrete specimens cured by applying a curing com-
pound. Further, the pulse velocity in the concrete specimens cured wet burlap acrylic-compound water-compound
by applying the acrylic-based curing compound was more than 4.600

that in the concrete specimens cured by applying the water-based 4.550

curing compound. After 90 days, the pulse velocity in the concrete Pulse Velocity, Km/s 4.500
specimens cured by covering with wet burlap or applying acrylic- 4.450
based or water-based curing compound was 4.121, 4.049, and 4.400
3.974 km/s, respectively. 4.350
Fig. 14 shows the effect of curing methods on the pulse velocity 4.300
in the VFFA cement concrete specimens. The specimens cured by 4.250
applying acrylic-or water-based curing compound exhibited simi- 4.200
lar values of pulse velocity until 14 days of curing. However, after 4.150
this time the pulse velocity in the concrete specimens cured by 4.100
applying the acrylic-based curing compound was more than that 14 28 90
in the concrete specimens cured by applying the water-based cur- Age, days
ing compound. After 90 days, the pulse velocity in the concrete
Fig. 16. Pulse velocity in the fly ash cement concrete specimens.
specimens cured by covering with wet burlap, or applying the ac-
rylic-based or water-based compound was 4.399, 4.335, and
4.286 km/s, respectively. compound. After 90 days, the pulse velocity in the concrete speci-
Fig. 15 shows the pulse velocity in the silica fume cement con- mens cured by covering with wet burlap or applying acrylic-based
crete specimens. The pulse velocity in the concrete specimens or water-based curing compound was 4.552, 4.464, and 4.438 km/
cured by covering with wet burlap for 7 days or applying acrylic- s, respectively.
based or water-based curing compound was 4.651, 4.601, and
4.532 km/s, respectively, after 90 days.
Fig. 16 shows the pulse velocity in the fly ash cement concrete 4. Discussion
specimens. Maximum pulse velocity was noted in the concrete
specimens cured by covering with wet burlap for 7 days compared The data developed in this study indicate that the compressive
to those cured by applying acrylic-based or water-based curing strength development was more evident in the concrete specimens
cured by covering with wet burlap for 7 days than those cured by
applying acrylic-based or water-based curing compound. Further,
wet burlap acrylic-compound water-compound the compressive strength of concrete specimens cured by the
4.450 application of acrylic-based curing compound was more than that
of concrete specimens cured by applying the water-based curing
4.400
compound. The efficiency of the curing compounds is generally
4.350 indicated by the term Curing Efficiency Index (CEI). CEI is the ratio
Pulse Velocity, Km/s

of the property under consideration for specimens cured by apply-

4.300
ing the curing compound to that of the specimens cured by wet
4.250 burlap.
The CEI varied from 86% to 91% in the concrete specimens cured
4.200 by the application of acrylic-based curing compound. In the con-
4.150
crete specimens cured by applying the water-based curing com-
pound the CEI ranged from 84% to 89%. The lowest CEI was noted
4.100 in the concrete specimens cured by applying the water-based cur-
14 28 90
ing compound. This may be related to the availability of the free-
Time, Day
water on the surface of concrete when it is fresh. The presence of
Fig. 14. Pulse velocity in the VFFA cement concrete specimens. water on the surface of concrete causes inconsistencies in the sur-
314 A.S. Al-Gahtani / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 308–314
50
acrylic compound
water-compound
40
wet burlap
Compressive Strength, MPa
30
20
10
0 curing compound is effective in developing the quality of concrete.
Plain VFFA Silica fume
Fig. 17. Compressive strength of plain and blended cement concretes after 90 days
with different curing methods.
face of the water-based curing compound leading to its poor
performance.
Another aspect to be mentioned is that the compressive
strength of silica fume, fly ash, and VFFA cement concretes, was
more than that of plain cement concrete (Fig. 17), indicating that
the application of curing compound has not negatively affected
the strength development of blended cement concretes. This is
an encouraging outcome as blended cement concretes are known
to be sensitive to curing since the mix water is required for both
the hydration of cement and the pozzolanic reaction.
The CEI with regard to the pulse velocity was in the range of 95–
97%, indicating that the application of either acrylic-or water-
based curing compound did not affect the pore structure develop-
ment of both plain and blended cement concretes.
The plastic shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens initially
cured by covering with plastic sheets for 24 h prior to curing by
covering with wet burlap was more than that in the specimens
cured by the application of the selected curing compounds. This
indicates that the application of the curing compound decreased
the plastic shrinkage strain which is highly desirable to minimize
the chances of concrete cracking due to plastic shrinkage. The cur-
ing efficiency was in the range of 150–400%.
The drying shrinkage strain in the concrete specimens cured by
applying the selected curing compounds was less than that in the
specimens cured by covering with wet burlap for 7 days. The CEI
varied from 105% to 122%.
In general the data developed in this study indicate that curing
compounds could be utilized for curing concrete as they do not ad-
versely affect its quality. Among the two curing compounds inves-
tigated, acrylic-based curing compound performed better than the
water-based curing compound.
5. Conclusions
The following conclusions could be drawn from the data devel-
oped in the reported study.
The curing compounds investigated in this study, namely ac-
rylic-and water-based, were effective in decreasing the plastic
and drying shrinkage strain in both the plain and the blended ce-
ment concretes. The lower drying shrinkage generally noted in
the concrete specimens coated with the curing compounds, partic-
ularly the acrylic-based curing compound, indicates that the appli-
cation of a curing compound is beneficial in terms of both
decreasing the plastic and drying shrinkage strains.
The curing compounds investigated, namely the acrylic-and
water-based curing compounds were effective in retaining the
moisture required for the development of denseness and compres-
sive strength of both plain and blended cement concretes. The cur-
ing efficiency with respect to the compressive strength was in the
range of 84–96% while with respect to the pulse velocity it was in
the range of 95–97% indicating that curing by the application of a
Fly ash
The data developed in this study have indicated that curing
compounds could be utilized for curing plain and blended cement
concretes without any negative effect on plastic and drying shrink-
age and strength development and denseness. This is a positive
implication for regions with scarcity of water or in situations
where curing with water is difficult. Among the two curing com-
pounds investigated, acrylic-based curing compound performed
better than the water-based curing compound.
Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the support provided by King Fahd
University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
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