Internal Curing of Structural Concrete: A Closer Look

Mohamed Afifi, S.M.ASCE 1; Mohamed Nagib Abou-Zeid 2; and Reem Ahmed, S.M.ASCE 3

Abstract: Utilizing Internal Curing (IC) technology in the production of high performance concrete (HPC) for structural purposes is the
main focus of this investigation. Pre-wetted lightweight aggregates of perlite and pumice in addition to recycled aggregates were utilized to
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produce internally cured HPC mixtures. Results show that 10% replacement of crushed sand with pre-wetted perlite yields acceptable com-
pressive strength of the concrete. Also, flexural strength was improved with up to 15% replacement of coarse aggregates with pre-wetted
recycled aggregates. Shrinkage testing revealed the superiority of internal over conventional curing through decreased shrinkage and mini-
mized surface cracking, as a result of the enhanced hydration process. However, the results of air permeability and chloride ingress testing
showed worsened behavior of internally cured concrete as indicated by the amount of internal cracking and air pockets present after the end of
curing process. The empty pores in the lightweight aggregates created an interconnected network of voids that eased penetrability of chlorides
to reinforcing bars. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0004055. © 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Internal curing; High performance concrete; Air permeability; Chloride ingress.

Introduction water to cement ratio (Khan 2016; Neville 1995; Patel et al. 1988;
Spears 1983). Hindered strength development, reduced durability,
To ensure meeting both anticipated durability and performance lim- and potential for autogenous shrinkage and cracking are all caused
its, structural concrete must be adequately cured post casting by self-desiccation (Huo and Wong 2000; Schlitter et al. 2010).
(De Oliveira et al. 2019; Joseph 2016; Babcock and Taylor 2015; Curing can be done through varies techniques, most of which
NPCA 2013; Kovler and Jensen 2007). Curing is defined by Com- are based on external curing by adding water (i.e., water spraying/
mittee 308 of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) as the continu- sparkling) or a sealant (i.e., curing compound) (Suryakanta 2014).
ation of the hydration process in the presence of water and heat Internal curing is an alternative methodology through the addition
until the hydraulic cement achieves the mature level of developing of a component that serves as the curing agent to the concrete mix-
hardened properties (ACI 2017). The optimum environment needed ture (Etxeberria 2020). The ACI defines internal curing as the con-
to promote full hardening or hydration of freshly cast concrete is tinuation of cement hydration as a result of the presence of internal
achieved by means of proper curing (NPCA 2013). Curing directly water that is not part of the mixing water (ACI 2013). Internal curing
affects the performance and durability of concrete, including strength, can be achieved through two main ways; internal sealing by adding a
water tightness, abrasion resistance, volume stability, and resistance component that is capable of preventing or delaying water loss, and
to freezing, thawing, and de-icers (ACI 2017; Joseph 2016). internal water reservoirs that can gradually release water into the
Insufficiently hydrated concrete is a result of water evaporating system (Weiss 2018). The internal water reservoir concept has been
during or after concrete placement and finishing. The extent of ce- accomplished through the addition of pre-wetter lightweight aggre-
ment hydration is crucial step to achieve maximum possible strength gates or superabsorbent polymers (Etxeberria 2020; Weiss 2018).
of concrete and, with sufficient curing, cement can fully hydrate and Internal curing has the proven merits of producing concrete with
attain its specified strength (Bediako et al. 2015). Minimizing shrink- lower early-age cracking and improved durability as a result of en-
age is another major aspect that is promoted, alongside strength, hanced moisture reaching the confined zones of the concrete (Bentz
through a proper curing process (Kovler and Jensen 2007). Surface and Weiss 2011; Schlitter et al. 2010).
cracking in concrete happens as a result of the tensile stresses in- The main motivation of this research is to continue the research
duced as a result of shrinkage caused by water lost from the concrete performed by (Afifi and Abou-Zeid 2016) by further investigating
after placement and finishing. Self-desiccation or internal drying internal curing technology through the replacement of coarse and/
becomes a major concern in the case of high performance concrete or fine aggregates with locally available materials in order to pro-
(HPC), where the mixtures have a high cement content and a low duce high performance concrete for structural purposes. The need
for infrastructure increases the urgency of constructing highly pro-
1
Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, ductive and highly performing structures without compromising
McGill Univ., 817 Sherbrooke St., West, Montréal, QC, Canada H3A 0C3 durability or strength. Using lightweight or recycled aggregates
(corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8911-2583. will alter the properties of HPC; therefore, it is important to evalu-
Email: [email protected] ate the properties of the new internally cured HPC to determine
2
Professor, Dept. of Construction Engineering, American Univ. in whether it meets the requirements of ACI 308R-16 for adequate
Cairo, Cairo 11835, Egypt. Email: [email protected] concrete curing (ACI 2017).
3
Graduate Student, Dept. of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineer-
ing, Concordia Univ., Montréal, QC, Canada H3G 1M8. ORCID: https://
orcid.org/0000-0001-7955-7263. Email: [email protected]
Note. This manuscript was submitted on December 28, 2020; approved Experimental Program
on June 3, 2021; published online on November 16, 2021. Discussion per-
iod open until April 16, 2022; separate discussions must be submitted for Concrete is a heterogeneous material and thus its performance is
individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials in Civil highly dependent on the individual mechanical properties of its
Engineering, © ASCE, ISSN 0899-1561. contents (i.e., cement and aggregates) (Ahmed and Afifi 2019).

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 Table 1. Mixtures proportions
Coarse Fine Crushed Recycled
Group Mix code aggregates aggregates sand aggregates Perlite Pumice
Group 1: conventional Conv-NC 1,050 662 112
Conv-CC
Conv-WC
Group 2: recycled concrete aggregates RCA5% 997 662 112 48
RCA10% 945 95
RCA15% 892 142
RCA20% 840 190
RCA25% 788 236
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Group 3: perlite PR3% 1,050 642 110 2.6

PR7% 615 108 6
PR10% 595 106 8.7
PR15% 560 103 13
PR20% 525 100 17.3
PR25% 495 98 21.7
Group 4: pumice PM5% 997 662 112 24
PM10% 945 49
PM15% 892 74
PM20% 840 98
PM25% 788 124

This section explains the laboratory procedures, materials, and prewetted perlite aggregates replacing crushed sand with per-
equipment used to evaluate the different mixtures investigated. centages varying from 3% to 25%. Group 4 consisted of five
mixes of prewetted pumice aggregates with replacement concen-
Materials trations of 5% to 25%. Pumice lightweight aggregates replaced
Size 1 and Size 2 aggregates because of similar grain size. All
The cement used was ASTM C150/C150M-20 (ASTM 2020a) aggregate replacements were measured on a volume basis and
Type 1 ordinary portland cement with specific gravity of 3.15 replaced similar sized aggregates to obtain similar gradations
and a Blaine fineness of 313 m2 =kg. The Bogue compounds of to the control mixture. A summary of the mix proportions can be
the cement were as follows: C3 S ¼ 61.07%, C2 S ¼ 14.99%, found in Table 1.
C3 A ¼ 2.06%, and C4 AF ¼ 15.03%. All mixtures had a cement
content of 450 kg=m3 . Fine aggregates were siliceous sand with a
2.547 fineness modulus, a 2.64 saturated surface dry (SSD) specific Mixing Procedures
gravity, and a 0.52 absorption percentage. The conventional coarse Mixing procedures was performed in agreement with ASTM C192/
aggregates used were crushed dolomite with 20 mm of maximum C192M-07 (ASTM 2007). The lightweight aggregates were oven
nominal aggregate size, a 2.57 saturated surface dry specific gravity, dried, air cooled, and then submerged in water for 24  1 h before
and a 1.98 absorption percentage. Recycled aggregates were obtained mixing. All aggregates were mixed in SSD condition. Specimens
from the demolition of concrete, which had an original strength were cast immediately following the testing of the fresh mixtures’
25–30 MPa. The recycled concrete aggregates had 38 mm of maxi- concrete slump, air content, and unit weight.
mum nominal aggregate size, a 2.36 saturated surface dry specific Curing was caried out in three different ways; full water curing,
gravity, and a 5.3 absorption percentage. Two types of lightweight curing compound, and no curing. Full water curing refers to the spec-
aggregates were used in varying dosages. The first was structural imens being submerged in a curing tank until testing day, which was
perlite, with a specific gravity of only 0.32, and a 32 absorption done once for the control mixture. The curing compound mode was
percentage. The second was pumice, with a specific gravity of 1.1, done by spraying a curing compound (diluted 1∶6 with water) on
and an 18 absorption percentage. The BASF MasterRheobuild 850 the exposed surface of the specimen. The no external curing mode
admixture used conformed to ASTM C494/C494M-19 Type G was done by leaving mixtures in the open air to simulate no curing
(ASTM 2019a). The product is a modified lignosulfonate base with mode of the conventional concrete mixture and allow for simulation
an approximate solid content of 39% and a specific gravity of 1.21. of internal curing of the three different aggregate types.
Municipal water was used for washing aggregates as well as for
mixing and curing the concrete. BASF MasterKure 181 curing com-
Fresh and Mechanical Properties
pound was used, with a specific gravity of 0.82.
A total of 17 mixtures were prepared and tested in the current For fresh testing the following tests were executed: The slump of
study and were divided into groups as follows: Group 1 included the concrete in accordance with ASTM C143/C143M-20 (ASTM
control mixtures prepared based on proportion guidelines reported 2020c), the unit weight of the concrete in accordance with ASTM
by ACI Committee 363R for high strength concrete (ACI 2010). C138/C138M-17a (ASTM 2017b), and the air content of the con-
Group 1 mixes were cured in three modes: water curing, curing crete, conducted by the pressure method in accordance with ASTM
compound and no curing. Group 2 constituted five mixes of pre- C231/C231M-17a (ASTM 2017a). For strength testing the follow-
wetted recycled concrete aggregates with dosages varying from 5% ing tests were carried out: the compressive strength of the con-
to 25%. Recycled aggregates replaced dolomite aggregates in two crete cylinders [ASTM C39/C39M-20 (ASTM 2020b)] after 7, 28,
sizes: Size 1 (≈ 5–12 mm) and Size 2 (13–25 mm). Group 3 and 56 days, using an ELE brand machine of 2,000 kN capacity
consisted of perlite specimens with six different dosages of (ELE International, Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom); and the

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Fig. 1. Prisms and apparatus used to perform shrinkage assessment test.

flexural strength of the concrete using a simple beam with third-

point loading [ASTM C78/C78M-18 (ASTM 2018)] after 28 and
56 days, using the same ELE brand machine.

Durability Testing
Durability testing took place as follows: rapid chloride-ion penetra-
tion testing by evaluating the passing electric charges into concrete
discs in accordance with ASTM C1202-19 (ASTM 2019b), and
shrinkage testing of prismatic samples of 100-mm square cross-
section and approximately 285 mm height prepared for each mixture
in accordance with ASTM C157/C157M-17 (ASTM 2017c) (Fig. 1).
The air permeability of the samples was tested through a non-
destructive technique developed in the Sami Saad concrete lab at
the American University in Cairo; a similar technique was there-
after found to be used in Shaaban et al. (2021). Accessibility of
moisture and air into the concrete is an indicator of corrosion of
the steel rebars that can lead to a deterioration in overall strength. Fig. 2. Air permeability test setup.
Therefore, measuring the ease of maneuver of liquids and gases
through the concrete is a better method of assessing its soundness
and expected life than strength alone. A DeWalt brand air com-
pressor (DCC020IB, DeWalt, Towson, Maryland) with a maxi- Results and Discussion
mum rated pressure of 1.103 × 106 Pa (160 psi) was connected
to a pressure gauge through a reflux valve and eventually con-
Flowability and Air Content
nected to a perforated probe of 80 mm depth and 12 mm diameter
that was inserted inside the concrete cylinder. Air tightness was The results of the slump and air content tests are illustrated in Fig. 3.
ensured through careful sealing of the surface with construction The limit was set at 175 mm of slump and 3.5% of air content,
epoxy that was left to dry overnight. The valve reads the amount to follow common practice in producing non-structural concrete
of pressure decay of the compressed air provided by the pump. (e.g., grade slabs and pavements). As can be seen in Fig. 3, the
This setup is designed to measure pressure decay up to 0.1 bar. slump ranged from 130 to 240 mm for all the mixtures. Samples
The test setup is shown in Fig. 2. with lightweight aggregates, especially pumice, yielded the high-
Chloride ingress was further tested through the accelerated cor- est slump values. The slump values were highest for pumice mix-
rosion test with impressed voltage to test the relative resistance tures, followed by perlite, then recycled aggregates. The lowest
against chloride attack and reinforcement corrosion. Cylinders with slump values were those of the concrete made with conventional
100 mm diameter and 200 mm length were cast with an embedded aggregates. Slump values increased proportionally with higher re-
reinforcing rebar of 12 mm diameter and 200 mm length. The steel placements of saturated aggregates. The higher slump values are
rod protruded from the top surface of the cylinder by approximately indicative of the desorption property of the different aggregates,
40 mm and was connected to a constant 12 V power supply after or their ability to lose their internal water. This water was released
submerging the cylinders in a solution of 5% NaCl. The time of from the aggregates during mixing, causing an increase in the
initiation of first crack was recorded, as was as visual inspection flow of the concrete mixture. Desorption was lower for recycled
of the cylinders and rebars at the end of the test. aggregates and perlite compared to the pumice mixtures, thus

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Fig. 3. Slump and air content in mixtures.

yielding slightly lower slump values. Conventional concrete had content results reveal that mixtures with replacements of light-
the lowest slump, 130 mm. This is due to the absence of additional weight and recycled aggregates yield slightly higher air content.
water in the aggregate, because the conventional aggregates were
in a SSD state. The enhanced workability of the internally cured
Unit Weight
specimens was carefully monitored as to not hinder the strength.
Perlite dosages of 25% and pumice dosages of more than 15% The results of the unit weight tests are shown in Fig. 4. As can be
exceeded the 175 mm slump limit. observed, unit weights range from 2,234 to 2,444 kg=m3 . The
As can be seen in Fig. 3, the air content in the different mixtures highest values were obtained from concrete mixtures made with
ranged between 2% and 3.7%. Lightweight aggregate mixtures conventional dolomite aggregates. Unit weight values were margin-
yielded the highest air content values. The increase in air content ally diminished for mixtures with replacements of recycled aggre-
for mixtures with aggregate replacements can be attributed to the gates, perlite, and pumice. Likewise, unit weight dropped with
porosity of the individual types of aggregates. Lightweight and re- increased substitution levels of pre-wetted lightweight and recycled
cycled aggregates are by nature more porous than the dolomite ag- aggregates. This can be credited to the porosity and diminished
gregates used in conventional concrete mixtures, which increases unit weight of the substitute aggregates, compared to the dolomite
the entrapped air in those concrete mixtures. Perlite appears to have aggregates utilized in conventional mixtures. In any case, the de-
the least air content among the saturated aggregates mixtures, due crease in unit weight for replacement aggregates mixtures was
to the fact that the perlite replaced crushed sand, which occupies slightly different from the conventional dolomite mixtures. This
the least volume compared to the coarse aggregates. Generally, air happened predominantly because the replacement aggregates were

Fig. 4. Unit weight of different mixtures.

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Fig. 5. Compressive strength and development for different mixtures.

saturated with water, which makes such aggregates nearer in Pumice specimens, despite having the least compressive strength,
density to conventional aggregates. For the most part, replacing yielded strength development similar to the curing compound, aver-
conventional aggregates with recycled or lightweight aggregates aged at 13% for all replacement dosages. The most promising were
prompted a slight drop in unit weight. the perlite specimens, whose strength development showed an in-
creasing trend until surpassing the conventionally cured specimen
Compressive Strength at a 10% perlite dosage, which had a 20% strength development
between 7 and 56 days. Beyond 10% replacement, the strength de-
Fig. 5 illustrates the compressive strength test results for cubes velopment decreased, suggesting that the increased dosages might
tested in 7, 28, and 56 days. The strength development between have caused the aggregated to lose water earlier than ideal for opti-
7 and 56 days is also given as a percentage. As can be seen, the mum hydration of the concrete. The average strength development
56-day compressive strength results varied between 41.6 and for perlite specimens was 17%, similar to the full water curing mode
66.6 MPa. The highest value was achieved by the control mixture of the control specimens.
(Conv.) made with dolomite aggregates; namely, full water curing Generally, the results show that the overall compressive strength
(WC) followed by the curing compound (CC). The high compres- of the concrete samples was principally affected by the strength of
sive strength results can be credited to the strength of the conven- the replacement aggregates. Equally important was the dispersion
tional dolomite aggregates compared to that of the replacement of aggregates throughout the concrete section; the finer the aggre-
aggregates. A drop in strength is observed between water-cured gate the better its dispersion and scattering. The effectiveness of
(WC) and non-cured (NC) samples, which clearly outlines the im- internal curing was verified by the development in strength be-
portance of curing mode and its effect on strength. This can be tween 7 and 56 days.
understood as a consequence of an incomplete hydration process
in the non-cured samples, compared to water-cured samples.
Flexural Strength
As for the lightweight and recycled aggregates results, as can be
seen in Fig. 5 the perlite mixtures showed the highest strengths, As shown in Fig. 6, the results of the flexural strength tests ranged
followed by recycled aggregates mixtures, then pumice aggregates from 3.8 to 8.0 MPa. The highest score was achieved by the mixture
mixtures. This is mainly because both recycled aggregates and having 15% recycled aggregates. This can be attributed to the in-
pumice replaced coarse aggregates, in contrast to perlite, which re- terfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the concrete paste and the
placed crushed sand. Coarse aggregates are the primary load carry- aggregate surface. The ITZ significantly increases the interlocking
ing element, and hence their replacement directly affected the properties internally, leading to a reduced probability of the aggre-
overall strength. Noticeably, mixtures with a 10% replacement with gate’s separation from the mixture, and thus achieving greater
perlite aggregates surpassed the no curing sample of the control flexural strength. Moreover, the angular texture of the recycled ag-
mixture. This is largely attributed to the enhanced hydration process gregates caused an enhanced interlocking between the aggregates
taking place through the internal moisture supplied by water stored and the paste. On the other hand, the excessive substitution of do-
inside the perlite aggregates. The finer grain size also allowed the lomite aggregate with lightweight or recycled aggregates caused
perlite to be better dispersed through the concrete section, compared flexural strength to drop, mainly due to the weaker strength of those
to the pumice and recycled aggregates. replacement aggregates.
The effectiveness of the curing mode can be further illustrated These conclusions from the flexural testing are in agreement
through the gain in strength between 7 and 56 days (Fig. 5). The non- with the patterns of the compressive strength testing: Increasing
cured concrete showed the least development in strength (9%), fol- the percentage of perlite or recycled aggregates leads to some de-
lowed by the curing compound (14%) and full water curing (17%). crease in flexural strength. In contrast, a considerable number of the
The recycled aggregates showed strength development comparable mixtures made with perlite or recycled aggregates recorded a flexu-
to the water-cured concrete, but started declining after increasing ral strength that is higher than the conventional concrete mixtures.
the replacement dosages beyond 15% of the coarse aggregates. This highlights the impact of internal curing of the perlite and

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Fig. 6. Flexural strength and flexural/compressive strength ratios of different mixtures.

recycled aggregates in diminishing internal cracking. Generally, the specimens. This result can be associated with the deficient hydra-
consolidation of perlite prompted a reduction in flexural strength tion performance for this specimens’ type. Internally cured mix-
while the recycled aggregates replacements prompted flexural tures has less shrinkage. This was particularly evident in the 25%
strength that is comparable to or exceeds ordinary mixtures. These recycled aggregate mixtures, that had shrinkage values of 0.0162 mm,
outcomes suggest that the flexural strength test is better at deter- which is less than 50% of the value obtained by the conventional
mining the impact of internal curing than is the compressive concrete mixtures (0.0369 mm). The highest proportion of the total
strength test. The ratio of flexure to compressive strength is also shrinkage occurred before 28 days, followed by a decrease in the
given in Fig. 6. The ratio of flexural/compressive values range from values between 28 and 56 days. The internal curing mixtures
8% to 14%. The highest value obtained was that of the mixture with having perlite, recycled aggregates, and pumice exhibited a reduc-
15% recycled concrete, which had a 14% flexure/compression ratio, tion in the shrinkage values obtained as well, which became more
compared to 10% for fully water-cured concrete. The comparatively intense as the dosage of the replacement aggregates increased.
high percentage of flexural to compressive strength signals a better Generally, the shrinkage evaluation results illustrate the importance
resistance to tensile forces that eventually leads to reduced cracking. of internal curing. Internally cured concrete mixtures displayed the
lowest overall shrinkage values in the first 56 days, which can be as-
sociated with the improved hydration process. The moisture lying
Shrinkage within the concrete sections had a great influence on strengthening
The shrinkage test results are provided in Fig. 7. The values for the the mixture, as well as on enhancing its durability. It also contrib-
56 days testing extended from 0.0147 to 0.0369 mm. The highest uted to the decrease or prevention of self-desiccation. The reduction
values were achieved by the non-cured conventional concrete observed in the shrinkage values of the internally cured concrete

Fig. 7. Shrinkage test results.

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Fig. 8. RCPT test results.

mixtures reveals its potential benefits to the industry in general, permeability performance in terms of highest average time index
and especially to uses where minimal shrinkage and cracking are and development between 28 and 90 days. Although the non-cured
essential. sample showed no development in time index between 28 and
90 days, the internally cured concretes showed a negative behavior
Rapid Chloride Permeability Test of decreased development, as the time index declined between 28
and 90 days. That is, the permeability of the internally cured con-
The results obtained for the rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT) crete samples worsened as the replacement dosages increased. The
are shown in Fig. 8. As can be seen, the passing charges were be- recycled aggregates samples showed the best performance among
tween 1,202 and 2,598 C, and the lowest values were for concrete the internally cured samples due to their solid structure, unlike the
made with conventional dolomite aggregates. This was followed by porous structure of the pumice and perlite. From the lower time
the full water curing and the curing compound mixtures. Such a indices, it can be argued that replacement of conventional aggre-
result can be linked with the high density or unit weight of the con- gates with lightweight aggregates for internal curing purposes in-
ventional aggregate mixtures as opposed to their internally cured creases the permeability of the concrete. After internal curing has
counterparts. This lower density of the internally cured mixtures taken place through the dissipated water from the reservoir aggre-
is mainly due to the aggregate replacement process. Another pos- gates, the empty porous aggregates act as voids inside the concrete,
sible cause for such a phenomenon is the probable presence of thus with the increased dosage and porosity of the replacement ag-
internal cracking within the concrete section itself. All things con- gregates, the permeability performance is worsened. The voids left
sidered, the results of the RCPT highly favor the curing of concrete inside the concrete may be of concern in freezing and thawing envi-
mixtures, whether internally or externally. This is validated by their ronments (e.g., bridge piers crossing a freezing lake), where the
corresponding decreased penetrability results, shown in the 28- and voids will be filled with water and then expand as the temperature
56-day testing. By contrast, the non-cured specimen showed a
drops to freezing.
higher penetrability, scoring 1,588 charges in the 56-day test, which
indicated an increase of 24 units over the results obtained in the
28-day test. On average, the passing charges attained by the con- Accelerated Corrosion Test
ventional mixtures decreased by 29 units between the 28- and
the 56-day tests. The perlite mixtures had the most remarkable de- Fig. 10 shows the results of the accelerated corrosion test in terms
crease in the amount of passing charges between 28 and 56 days, of of time taken to first crack for specimens tested at 28, 56, and
63 units. Another important note that can be drawn from this test is 90 days. The time to first crack decreases with the incorporation
the deficient performance exhibited by the pumice mixtures, which of lightweight aggregates. While the control specimen cracked
can be related to the high porosity of this aggregate type. While at around 101 h, it took the internally cured samples an average
internal curing has proven effectiveness in reducing cracking, as of only 62 h. The pumice specimens were omitted from the com-
evidenced by the decreased shrinkage, it raises a question regarding parison as they showed very poor performance by cracking at only
the voids left in the replacement aggregates after they have dissi- 11 h due to the porous nature of the aggregates. The recycled
pated all their internal water to cure the surrounding zones. The aggregated concrete showed the best performance among the inter-
porous aggregates left inside the concrete may be problematic in nally cured samples, averaging 91 h. This is a result of the lower
harsh environments of chloride exposure or freezing and thawing. porosity and enhanced ITZ mentioned previously. All the perlite
samples showed a slight improvement between 28 and 56 days,
however, the time to first crack decreased at 90 days and was
Air Permeability even lower than the time achieved at 28 days. This behavior sug-
The results of air permeability test are illustrated in Fig. 9. The gests an impairment in the corrosion protection of the concrete.
values of the air permeability index ranged from 8 to 88.5 s. The improved internal cracking as a result of better concrete curing
The conventional concrete specimens demonstrated the best was eventually overcome by a decline in the time required to

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Fig. 9. Air permeability test results.

Fig. 10. Accelerated corrosion test results.

Fig. 11. Samples of the accelerated corrosion test: (a) control sample; and (b) internal curing by 15% perlite replacement.

© ASCE 04021416-8 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

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 first crack for all the lightweight aggregates specimens. The chlo- increased. The time taken to first crack was significantly decreased
ride penetration into the concrete specimens shows clearly the compared to the control specimens.
adverse effects of the voids left in the form of the lightweight ag- • It can be argued that, at extended ages, and after the internal
gregates after they emptied their curing water to the surrounding curing has taken place, the lightweight aggregates may act as
zone of paste. It can be strongly argued that the lightweight aggre- voids and potential reservoirs that increases concrete per-
gates eased the passage of the chlorides to the reinforcing rebar by meability and that can form an interconnected network of con-
acting as a network of interconnected chloride reservoirs that re- nected pockets easing ingress into the rebars.
sulted in the cracking of concrete cylinder and corrosion of the • Test results suggest that enhanced shrinkage and abrasion, in
rebar. addition to the expected mechanical behaviour, make internal
Fig. 11 shows the concrete samples and rebars after testing. By curing technology suitable for use in road construction and other
visual inspection, a through crack occurred at about 58 h in the non-structural purposes. However, further investigation must be
full cylinder diameter in the specimen with an internal curing mix- done before the technology can be recommended for structural
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ture of 15% perlite as well as full corrosion of the steel rebar purposes like bridge piers or decks.
[Fig. 11(b)]. This contrasts with the control specimen, where
the first crack was observed at 101 h and the rebar was partially
corroded [Fig. 11(a)]. Data Availability Statement

All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear
Conclusions in the published article.

This study demonstrates the viability of internally cured concrete in

producing high performance concrete. It has also demonstrated the Acknowledgments
process of producing a sustainable and environmentally safe inter-
nally cured concrete that satisfies fresh and hardened properties. The financial support provided by the Egyptian General Authority
Moreover, some durability aspects were enhanced after incorporat- of Roads, Bridges and Land Transport (GARBLT) is gratefully
ing the technology. The major conclusions of this study are: acknowledged. The technical support of the staff at Lafarge Egypt
• The concrete mixtures encompassing saturated lightweight and Central Materials Lab is appreciated.
recycled concrete aggregates demonstrate heightened slump val-
ues and air content percentages, and a slight decrease in unit
weight compared to conventional mixes. References
• The compressive strength of internally cured concrete was lower
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