Behaviour of slag cement concrete under restraint conditions

Abstract

Some constructions built with slag cement concrete exhibit cracking at early age due to restrained shrinkage. To determine the slag effect on cracking, this study focuses on the autogenous deformation evolution of concretes characterized by different percentages of slag (0 and 42% of the binder mass) under free and restraint conditions by means of the TSTM device (Temperature Stress Testing Machine). Despite the fast kinetics of its autogenous deformation, the cracking appears later for the slag cement concrete than for the Portland cement concrete. This behaviour is related to the swelling of its cementitious matrix at early age and its large capacity for relaxing the stresses. © 2011 Lavoisier, Paris.