Concrete shrinkage mechanism and examples of concrete with different recycled aggregates

Abstract

Concrete shrinkage is reduction of its volume which is caused by hydration of cement and loss of moisture, independently of the external load. Aggregate can be considered inert in terms of volume changes, so concrete shrinkage is related only to cement paste shrinkage. Extent of shrinkage depends on the quantity and type of cement, water-cement factor, granulometric composition, type of the aggregate, strength of concrete, thermo-hygrometric conditions of the environment, wind velocity, etc. The paper presents two examples: the results of shrinkage of self-compacting concrete with recycled aggregate of crushed concrete and the results of shrinkage of vibrated concrete with recycled brick.