Understanding some of the most common concrete volume changes.
By Kayla Hanson, P.E.
Since concrete is typically restrained by foundations, reinforcement or connecting elements, volume changes can cause significant stresses. Concrete volume changes begin immediately as cement hydrates and continues throughout the life of the product. Understanding the nature of these changes and the effects of curing, temperature changes, applied loads, and organic and chemical factors helps eliminate detrimental or irreversible volume changes.
Volume reduction
Chemical Shrinkage
Chemical shrinkage, a result of cement hydration, is the reduction in absolute volume of cement paste. The total volume of constituent paste materials before mixing and hydration is greater than the volume after hydration. The process begins when cement grains come in contact with water and continues at a decreasing rate beyond initial set. Some forms of shrinkage are evidenced by subsidence and autogenous shrinkage prior to initial set.
The settlement of solids relative to liquids, air voids or water rising to the surface as aggregates settles causes subsidence, or settlement shrinkage. Subsidence is considered minor when concrete is appropriately consolidated and bleeding is kept to a minimum. The use of air entrainment and appropriate quantities of fine materials, in addition to a low water-cementitious material ratio, can reduce subsidence and resultant cracking.
The severity of autogenous, or internal, shrinkage is related to the presence of external curing water. The additional moisture applied through moist curing methods helps replenish the liquid lost to evaporation and during hydration. When moist curing methods aren’t used, hydration reactions are only able to consume pore water. This dehydrates the cement paste and intensifies the severity of volume loss and the extent of autogenous shrinkage.
Air voids are also a result from cement hydration. Voids begin accumulating at the beginning of hydration, progress through initial set and continue beyond final set. The reduction in relative volume, combined with the development of void space, makes up the total change in the concrete’s absolute volume caused by chemical shrinkage.
Plastic Shrinkage
Another form of volume reduction in fresh concrete is plastic shrinkage. This is typically evidenced by rough-edged tears or cracks in the surface of concrete. Plastic shrinkage is caused when surface water evaporates faster than bleed water can travel to exposed surfaces. Like autogenous shrinkage, moist curing methods reduce plastic shrinkage.
Drying Shrinkage
Drying shrinkage, another common cause of concrete cracking, can cause a significant amount of stress within concrete. The stress intensifies as the level of restraint increases. As it cures and loses moisture to hydration and evaporation, concrete transfers stress to reinforcement and embedded objects. Unless special curing procedures are applied, the innermost portion of concrete retains unreacted mix water longer than the surrounding concrete. Interior concrete applies additional stress to the setting, drying concrete, which can result in cracks as it reduces in volume. Monitoring and adjusting curing procedures and moisture levels as needed can help control concrete volume reduction caused by drying. The most significant factor is the amount of water used per unit volume of fresh concrete.
Volume increase
Swelling
Moisture lost through chemical shrinkage can be replenished by external water sources, referred to as swelling. Cement paste and concrete are able to absorb external water in an attempt to equalize concentrations on either side of the concrete surface. In this process, some of the absorbed water is held in capillaries and pores while another portion is consumed through hydration, which results in additional crystal growth. Removal of the external water source enables autogenous and drying shrinkage, which reverses swelling and the temporary increase in absolute volume caused by water absorption.
Creep
Applied loads can also cause an increase in the relative volume of concrete. Although there is an initial, immediate deformation when the load is applied, concrete continues to deform at a decreasing rate for the duration of the loading. This deformation is called creep. The curing method used before application of the load can affect the magnitude of creep. Although steam curing has been shown to reduce concrete creep, this method has a smaller impact on reducing drying shrinkage.
Thermal expansion and contraction
Some of the most influential factors in thermal expansion and contraction of concrete are aggregate characteristics and gradation, water-cementitious material ratio, relative humidity and fluctuations in temperature.
Cement hydration produces a significant amount of heat, which dissipates throughout thin concrete sections but is retained in larger elements. The increase in internal temperature causes minor, temporary expansion that counteracts chemical shrinkage. Additionally, the ambient temperatures concrete is exposed to play a role in its volume fluctuations.
As temperatures decrease, particularly below freezing, concrete contracts. Low temperatures have less of an impact on dry concrete than moist or wet concrete. The types of aggregate present and the concrete’s water-cementitious material ratio has a significant impact on the volume change that occurs at sub-freezing temperatures. Cracking at low temperatures is more likely when high levels of restraint such as rigid reinforcement, embedded objects and secondary pours exist, or when freezing water expands.
After reaching final set, high temperatures are generally less of a concern than low temperatures. Ambient temperatures exceeding 200 F that last for at least a few hours can cause irreversible damage to the concrete and its constituent materials. High temperatures cause the cement paste to dehydrate and shrink and the aggregate to expand. Due to varying coefficients of thermal expansion, aggregate volume increases tend to exceed the magnitude of paste shrinkage, resulting in an overall expansion.
Concrete is designed with the expectation that it will expand and contract in service due to ambient temperatures. Implementing a low water-cementitious material ratio; use of appropriate placement, consolidation, finishing and curing techniques; and use of aggregates ideal for certain environments can help mitigate the effects of temperature fluctuations.
Controlling volume changes
Concrete volume changes are inevitable and result from a wide range of factors. Understanding how and why concrete volume changes occur is the first step to ensuring that concrete products do not suffer any detrimental effects. Using this understanding, the next step is to implement proper design, manufacturing and curing techniques to control the level of volume change that occurs. If you have further questions about volume changes, the National Precast Concrete Association technical department can help. Visit precast.org to learn more or to contact NPCA staff.
Kayla Hanson, P.E. is a technical services engineer with NPCA.
The volume on my concrete wasn’t exactly what I want it, so I need to find a way to get it just right. There’s way to much volume, so it seems like it would be best to go with your tips to use chemical shrinkage. I’ll try using water to help make my concrete shrink to the size that I want it to be at. Thanks for the tips!
I’m glad we were able to help you with your volume issue. I’ll pass along your kind words to the author for providing great tips.
concrete is a mixture of fine aggregate and coarse aggregate and cement and amount of water that will be suitable for the mix .
wen we talk of fine aggregate (sand) is the one passes through 5mm sieve and the coarse(stone) one is opposite..means the one that cannot pass through the 5mm sieve is the one call coarse aggregate. so in all what makes concrete volume increases?
I think its stone that increases concrete volume.
Thank you for the comment asabee. I forwarded your question to our Technical Services engineers. The following response is from Kayla Hanson:
About 60% to 75% of concrete’s volume is comprised of aggregates (both fine and coarse aggregates). Fine aggregates typically consist of sands or certain types of crushed stone, with most particles being smaller than 5mm. Coarse aggregates are usually made of gravel, crushed stone or a mix of both. The majority of coarse aggregate particles are greater than 5mm.
ASTM C33 dictates gradation requirements for both fine and coarse aggregate. The standard requires certain percentages of an aggregate sample, by mass, to pass through various sieve sizes. For example, Table 1 in ASTM C33 states that 100% of a fine aggregate sample (by mass) must pass through a 9.5mm sieve, 95% to 100% of the sample must pass through a 4.75mm sieve, 80% to 100% must pass through a 2.36mm sieve, 50% to 85% must pass through a 1.18mm sieve and so on. The standard also states requirements for coarse aggregate sizes.
When we refer to volume change in concrete, we are talking about changes after the concrete is batched and placed. We are not talking about volumetric changes while materials are being added to the mix. Volumetric changes to concrete after placement and during its life, can be caused by many factors, the least of which being aggregates. As a matter a fact, aggregates play a role in restraining volume change. It is the paste and its constituents that contribute mostly to volumetric expansion and contraction. This is why water content for example is critical. The more water in the mix, the more chance for shrinkage.
Thanks for that Sara.
All of these volume changes seem to relate to the time when the concrete is curing… After the concrete is set(lets say for over 1 year) will concrete volume increase due to exposure to and absorption of surface water? Or will the volume be relatively fixed and water will just occupy internal porosity within the concrete?
Thank you for your comment Tom. I forwarded this to our technical services engineers. The following response is from Kayla Hanson, director of technical services.
A significant amount of concrete volume changes will occur in the first 24 hours of placing concrete. Other types of volume change can occur after the concrete has hardened, and may take place for years or even throughout the concrete’s service life. Early age volume changes can affect long-term volume changes.
Concrete that has been designed and manufactured to specific quality standards should have a low porosity and permeability. When air-entraining admixtures are used, very small air bubbles ranging from about 10-1,000 micrometers in diameter are intentionally incorporated into the concrete matrix. When moisture is absorbed into hardened concrete, these evenly distributed microscopic air bubbles provide an area for the water to expand into as it freezes, which helps prevent cracking and other issues that can be associated with freeze/thaw cycles. Entrapped air, which is a result of certain raw material characteristics and is largely attributed to mixing, placing and poor consolidation practices, are usually 1 micrometer in diameter and larger. When concrete cures, these entrapped air bubbles turn into void spaces, which in turn results in greater porosity, greater permeability, lower strength and lower durability. They could technically provide a space for absorbed water to expand into as it freezes, however, the voids are sporadically spaced which makes that behavior unlikely. Entrapped air results in so many detrimental behaviors and characteristics that it shouldn’t be rationalized as means of attempting to manage water expansion.
Drying shrinkage can occur in hardened concrete for years after placement. The amount concrete shrinks, however, is affected by the curing methods when the concrete was first placed. Moist curing methods, higher relative humidity and other favorable curing methods can help reduce the amount of shrinkage.
Temperatures also affect hardened concrete volume. Concrete contracts in lower temperatures and expands in higher temperatures. The raw materials used in the concrete have a significant impact on concrete’s thermal expansion and contraction potential.
Curling and warping can also occur. These behaviors are most common in slabs on grade, rather than precast concrete applications. The degree to which a specimen may curl or warp is highly dependent upon the raw materials and curing procedures used, and can be minimized when appropriate precautions and considerations are taken during material selection, design, placing, and curing.
Creep is another potential avenue for hardened concrete volume change. Creep is deformation caused by long-term application of loads. When loads are applied, this deformation begins to take place immediately and continues to occur over time, but at a decreasing rate. The severity of creep depends on the applied load, the age and strength of concrete to which the load is applied, and the duration the load is applied to the concrete, as well as the concrete’s raw materials, curing conditions, etc. Creep in “younger” concrete is more likely to result in a higher degree of permanent deformation, while creep in more mature concrete is less likely to result in permanent deformation.