Curing is a procedure that is adopted to promote the hardening of concrete under conditions of humidity and temperature which are conducive to the progressive and proper setting of the constituent cement.
Curing requires adequate Moisture, Temperature and Time. If any of these factors are neglected, the desired properties will not develop.
Why Curing is Needed?
The essential component materials of concrete:-
coarse aggregates
fine aggregates
cements
water.
when mixed together in various proportions will produce a reaction between the cementitious products and the free water within the mix called the hydration process. The reaction allows the formation of a micro-crystalline structure which bonds to the other constituent materials and also binds all the individual particles together to produce a hardened matrix. This reaction produces latent heat and chemical changes within the mix, both of which
are important contributors to ensuring the concrete realizes its full potential in terms of:-
strength gain
dimensional stability
durability.
Effect of adequate curing on properties of hardened concrete:
Increase in following
Strength of the concrete
Water-tightness of concrete
Abrasion resistance of concrete
Freeze-thaw resistance of concrete
Volume stability of concrete
Effect of moist curing on strength of the concrete
Effect of curing temperature on strength of the concrete
Impact of curing temperature on strength of concrete
Methods of concrete curing
Ponding or immersion
Spraying or fogging
Saturated wet coverings
Plastic sheets
Membrane- forming curing compounds
Strength gain is accelerated with:
Live steam
Heating coils
Electrically heated forms or pads
It is false economy to neglect the correct curing program for all concrete items produced either on site or in factory processes.
Most pre-cast concrete producers employ some sort of curing system that is appropriate to their production regime.
Most reinforced concrete constructors pay scant regard to this critical step in realising the full potential of a ‘designed’ concrete and therefore compromise the design of the structure under construction.
It is a fairly simple exercise to determine the correct selection of curing system needed for a particular application. However, it is a far easier selection to choose.
Curing requires adequate Moisture, Temperature and Time. If any of these factors are neglected, the desired properties will not develop.
Why Curing is Needed?
The essential component materials of concrete:-
coarse aggregates
fine aggregates
cements
water.
when mixed together in various proportions will produce a reaction between the cementitious products and the free water within the mix called the hydration process. The reaction allows the formation of a micro-crystalline structure which bonds to the other constituent materials and also binds all the individual particles together to produce a hardened matrix. This reaction produces latent heat and chemical changes within the mix, both of which
are important contributors to ensuring the concrete realizes its full potential in terms of:-
strength gain
dimensional stability
durability.
Effect of adequate curing on properties of hardened concrete:
Increase in following
Strength of the concrete
Water-tightness of concrete
Abrasion resistance of concrete
Freeze-thaw resistance of concrete
Volume stability of concrete
Effect of moist curing on strength of the concrete
Effect of curing temperature on strength of the concrete
Impact of curing temperature on strength of concrete
Methods of concrete curing
Ponding or immersion
Spraying or fogging
Saturated wet coverings
Plastic sheets
Membrane- forming curing compounds
Strength gain is accelerated with:
Live steam
Heating coils
Electrically heated forms or pads
It is false economy to neglect the correct curing program for all concrete items produced either on site or in factory processes.
Most pre-cast concrete producers employ some sort of curing system that is appropriate to their production regime.
Most reinforced concrete constructors pay scant regard to this critical step in realising the full potential of a ‘designed’ concrete and therefore compromise the design of the structure under construction.
It is a fairly simple exercise to determine the correct selection of curing system needed for a particular application. However, it is a far easier selection to choose.
