Autogenous Shrinkage as a Viscoelastic Response to

Self-Desiccation
Zachary C. Grasley & David A. Lange

MOTIVATION MODEL BASICS MEASUREMENTS

Why is autogenous shrinkage important? Flexible corrugated tubing for sealed, restraint-free
The reduction in pore fluid pressure caused by self-desiccation and the measurement of autogenous shrinkage
Modern concretes incorporate mineral admixtures and low w/c development of curved menisci may be used by modeling the hardened
Hydration and pozzolanic reaction of these materials leads to self- cement paste as a solid with spherical pores
dessication (internal drying that causes a reduction in internal RH) Embedded pins for length measurement
Reduction in RH  reduction in capillary pressure  bulk shrinkage
If shrinkage is restrained, early-age cracking may be a significant problem 
Saturated pore
Embedment
Why do we need a viscoelastic model? strain gage
K0 = viscoelastic
96 100
non-ageing
Hardened cement paste acts 94
Internal Relative Humidity (%)

0
Internal RH
as a viscoelastic material 92 Shrinkage
under shrinkage stresses -100 

Shrinkage(me)
90
Hydraulic pump and
(see Fig. 1) 88 -200
Strain indicator box pressure regulator
To accurately predict stress 86 Hydrostatic creep test for determination
distributions in concrete 84
-300
of viscoelastic bulk modulus
Empty pore
caused by self-desiccation or -400 K = viscoelastic Internal RH measurement
82
drying, we need to determine ageing
80 -500
the time-dependent stress- 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

strain relationship Elapsed Time (hr)

Fig. 1: RH (~stress) and shrinkage plots indicating

probable viscoelastic response of hardened cement paste
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
Are there any other uses for this model? The approximate linear elastic solution for the strain in the model system
Since autogenous shrinkage and drying shrinkage are driven is given by:
by the same mechanism, viscoelastic models for predicting S 1 1 S = saturation factor 200 100

autogenous shrinkage may be useful for predicting drying  sh  paste  (  )  = pore fluid pressure determined by K-L equation and RH
K = bulk modulus of porous solid
0 0.25
95
0.25 w/c
0.30 w/c
0.35 w/c

3 k k0
0.30
-200
shrinkage as well K0 = bulk modulus of solid material alone
0.35
90

Shrinkage (mstrain)
-400

Internal RH (%)
-600
85
-800
To obtain the viscoelastic solution, the transform analogy may be used -1000 80

Viscoelastic stiffness parameters are shown with a bar -1200

75
Shrinkage is simply a response to pore pressure and is analogous to any
MECHANISMS
-1400

-1600 70
other loading such as uniaxial tension 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Elapsed time (d) Elapsed time (d)
Fig. 2: Autogenous shrinkage of Fig. 2: Internal RH reduction in
Constant Uniaxial Tension Autogenous Shrinkage 0.25, 0.30, and 0.35 w/c pastes. 0.25, 0.30, and 0.35 w/c pastes.
Stress  Stress 200 100
 
As water is removed from small pores, curved menisci develop
SRA25 avg

    100
SRA25 avg
98
SRA30 avg
 96 SRA35 avg

This causes a pressure reduction in the pore fluid which can be related to  0 SRA30 avg
94
Time Time SRA35 avg

Shrinkage ( mstrain)
-100
RH through the Kelvin-Laplace equation

Internal RH (%)
92
Elastic Viscoelastic Elastic Viscoelastic -200

In low w/c materials, enough water is removed from small pores to cause
90

S 1 1 * S 1 1 -300
88
  J  (  )  (  )*
curved menisci simply by hydration   J 3 K K0 3 K K0 -400 86

-500 84

J K0 K -600 82
 = pore fluid pressure
RH = internal humidity J K0 K -700 80

ln( RH ) RT 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 10 20 30 40 50

C-S-H C-S-H   R = univ. gas constant Elapsed time (d)

Fig. 2: Autogenous shrinkage of 0.25,

Elapsed time (d)

Fig. 2: Internal RH reduction in 0.25,

v' T = temp. in kelvins
0.30, and 0.35 w/c pastes with SRA. 0.30, and 0.35 w/c pastes with SRA.
v’ = molar vol. of water

* Not an exact analytical solution for partially saturated material

“Extra” water remains in
small pores even at =1
Since hardened cement paste exhibits instantaneous deformation
0.50
plus some recoverable creep, some variation of the standard linear model FUTURE WORK
w/c should be used for the viscoelastic stiffness parameters
Aging should be accounted for (e.g. solidification theory)
Cement grains Chemical shrinkage
Initial set locks in
initially separated by ensures some porosity
paste structure
water remains even at  Standard linear model Autogenous
shrinkage Finish hydrostatic creep testing
0.30 Autogenous
Predict autogenous and drying shrinkage strains using model
w/c shrinkage Expand model to determine stress development due to aggregate,
Viscoplastic Instantaneous elastic
external restraint, and moisture gradient
Measure viscoelastic Young’s modulus to complete constitutive relations
Pores to 50 nm Internal RH and pore fluid
emptied pressure reduced as Viscoelastic Recoverable shrinkage for hardened cement paste
smaller pores are emptied Use FEM to apply model to more complex structures
Increasing degree of hydration

Time