WELCOME TO THE WEBINAR ON: CONCRETE SHRINKAGE MITIGATION

▪ The webinar will start at 3 PM (EST). Presenter is Chris Christidis.

▪ All the participants will be muted during the presentation.

▪ Ask your questions in the Q & A section and my colleague Frank Mazzocco will answer them, by writing, in
real time.

▪ Fill the « pop up » form at the end of the webinar to request your accreditation certificate. Stay logged into
the webinar until the presenter ends the presentation to get the “pop up” form.

▪ To request the presentation in PDF format, please email the presenter at [email protected]

April 16, 2020

 MAKING STRUCTURES THAT INSPIRE…
STEEL

WOOD

CONCRETE

April 16, 2020

 NO OTHER MATERIAL IS AS VERSATILE AND LONG LASTING…

② Built 113-125AD

④
April 16, 2020
 HOW TO ACHIEVE VERSATILITY AND LONG SERVICE LIFE?
Higher Slumps Integral Color

Sika® Viscocrete®
Sika® Scofield® Chromix®

① ②

Increasing/Decreasing Time to Work

Steel Corrosion Resistance

Sika® CNI

SikaSet®/Sika® Plastiment ®
③ ④

April 16, 2020

 HOW TO ACHIEVE VERSATILITY AND LONG SERVICE LIFE?

Water Tightness

Crackless slabs

Sika® Watertight Concrete

Sika® Control® ①

April 16, 2020

 HOW TO ACHIEVE VERSATILITY AND LONG SERVICE LIFE?

UNDER SIKA CONTROL:

CONCRETE SHRINKAGE MITIGATION

April 16, 2020

 UNDER SIKA CONTROL:
CONCRETE SHRINKAGE MITIGATION
PRESENTED BY: CHRIS CHRISTIDIS
QUESTION/ANSWERS: FRANK MAZZOCCO
April 14, 2020
 WEBINAR CONTENTS AND STRUCTURE

▪ Versatility and Service Life

▪ Durability

▪ Cracking
▪ Cause & Effect

▪ Types of Shrinkage
▪ Cause
▪ Providing Solutions

▪ Applications

▪ Case Studies

▪ Recap

April 16, 2020

 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE VERSATILITY AND HAVE A LONG SERVICE LIFE?

▪ Versatility : is the ability to adapt or be adapted to many different

functions or activities.
▪ Concrete can be shaped into any shape that can be moulded
as it starts out semi-fluid and then hardens.
▪ The final properties can be easily modified by playing with the
raw materials and using admixtures.

▪ Service Life: is the time the structure can remain in place before
needing to be replaced/significantly rehabilitated.
▪ This time is greatly influenced by the durability of the
①
concrete used.
▪ Maintenance will also influence service life, but will also
depend on the durability of the concrete.

April 16, 2020 ②

 OK, SO WHAT DOES DURABILITY MEAN FOR CONCRETE?

April 16, 2020

 WHAT IS WRONG WITH A LITTLE CRACKING???

▪ Why we avoid cracks:

▪ Cracks allow water to penetrate the concrete.
▪ Works against water tight structures.
▪ If the water gets to the steel, it will corrode the steel.
▪ Size of the crack matters

▪ Freezing and thawing conditions can amplify the issue.

▪ Even minor cracks will increase in crack width.
▪ Chipping of the surface around crack.

▪ Aesthetically not appealing and signifies to the customer that

there is an issue, even if the concrete otherwise is sound.

April 16, 2020

 LOTS OF REASONS FOR CRACKING

April 16, 2020

 OK CRACK NO GOOD… SO HOW DO WE PREVENT IT?

▪ What causes cracks in a concrete structure?

▪ Settlement/movement.
➢Proper compaction of subgrade.
➢Avoid large vibrations.
➢Differential movement.

▪ Improper placement of steel reinforcement.

➢Use chairs or ties to maintain proper position.
➢Avoid stepping on and bending light gauge steel.

①
April 16, 2020
 OK CRACK NO GOOD… SO HOW DO WE PREVENT IT?

▪ What causes cracks in a concrete structure?

▪ Improper concrete design/strength.
➢Use right strength for right application.

▪ Stress focus point.

➢Reduce bond from wires/pipes/corners/etc...
➢Impurities in the concrete.

April 16, 2020

 OK CRACK NO GOOD… SO HOW DO WE PREVENT IT?

▪ What causes cracks in a concrete structure?

▪ Crack propagation.
➢Fill in and repair cracks in contact with new
concrete pour using a Sika repair product.

▪ Concrete Shrinkage.
➢Take restraining the element into consideration.
➢Proper and timely saw cuts.
➢Apply and maintain curing agents.

Is it 100% guarantee that

conventional concrete will What if we could reduce shrinkage
crack…no, but it will shrink which is of concrete?... Or could we
why it cracks in the first place? eliminate it altogether?

April 16, 2020

 THERE IS MORE THAN 1 TYPE OF SHRINKAGE?
Concrete Cracking

Early Age Long Term

<24 hrs >24hrs
Plastic Shrinkage Thermal Cracking
(due to external temp.)

Thermal Cracking
Autogenous Shrinkage
(due to internal temp.)

Chemical Shrinkage
Drying Shrinkage

NOTE: approx. 80% of all shrinkage occurs in the first 2 months

April 16, 2020

 PLASTIC SHRINKAGE

▪ Caused by the loss of water due to

evaporation or lost to the form/subbase
where the concrete is poured.

▪ This creates a differential in volume from

the top, center, and bottom of the slab.

▪ This contraction causes tension which leads

to cracks to alleviate the pressure.

▪ Plastic Shrinkage can be estimated by

comparing the evaporation rate vs bleed
rate.

▪ CSA Standard A23.1 estimates the zone of

precaution to be any evaporation rate
exceeding 0.5kg/m² per hour.

April 16, 2020

 THERMAL CRACKING

▪ Early Stage Thermal Cracking

▪ When cement reacts in concrete a exothermic
reaction occurs providing a small amount of heat. This
heat has difficulty dissipating in larger elements
creating a differential in temperatures from the
exposed surface to the interior of the concrete.

▪ According to ACI 301-16, the maximum temperature

in mass concrete after placement shall not exceed
160 °F (70 °C); and the maximum temperature
difference between center and surface of placement
shall not exceed 35 °F (19 °C).

▪ In the harden state, concrete (a decent insulator) can

also be exposed to temperature differences that can
result in concrete contraction and expansion.
①

▪ If the heat is brought on suddenly, such as in a fire,

the water within the concrete can instantly turn to
vapour and cause explosive spalling as the vapour
tries to find the quickest path to escape the concrete.

April 16, 2020

 CHEMICAL AND AUTOGENOUS SHRINKAGE

▪ Chemical shrinkage is a change in volume that occurs due to the cement reacting with water. The volume of
cement plus the water is greater than the resulting volume of paste. Autogenous shrinkage is a type of
chemical shrinkage but it is considered to start after initial set.

▪ Autogenous shrinkage is a change in volume due to the loss of water in the pore solution of a hardened
concrete being used in the hydration process. Therefore, shrinkage does not occur if the element is exposed
to enough water.

▪ Autogenous shrinkage is nearly half the shrinkage that occurs in concretes with a w/c of 0.30. At w/c of 0.42,
the amount of shrinkage that occurs due to autogenous shrinkage is considered to be negligible.

April 16, 2020

 DRYING SHRINKAGE

▪ Caused by a loss of water either by evaporation or the form/subbase.

▪ Water evaporates creating tension within the pores which ultimately leads to cracks to alleviate the tension.

evaporation

crack crack
concrete concrete

Capillary Pore (0.01 µm to 1 µm)

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE

▪ #1 rule… Good Mix Design

PRODUCT WEIGHT VOLUME %VOL

STONE 1080kg 400L 40%

SAND 730kg 270L 27%

Key components to
reducing cracking.

WATER 160kg 160L 16%

CEMENT 345kg 110L 11%

AIR - 60L 6%

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – PLASTIC SHRINKAGE

▪ Plastic Shrinkage
▪ Misting, fogging…applying water to the surface.
▪ Curing compounds or membranes, e.g. Sika® Florseal® WB
▪ Evaporative control agents, e.g. SikaFilm®
▪ Wind breaks.
▪ Shading.
▪ …

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – PLASTIC SHRINKAGE

▪ Plastic Shrinkage
▪ …
▪ Fibers, e.g. SikaFiber®
▪ Water Reducers, e.g. Sika Viscocrete®
▪ Accelerators, e.g. SikaSet®

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – THERMAL CRACKING

▪ Thermal Cracking
▪ Supplemental Cementing Materials.
▪ Ice – internally.
▪ Water misting of concrete and aggregates.
▪ Retarders, e.g. Sika® Plastiment® RX

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – C/A SHRINKAGE

▪ Chemical and Autogenous Shrinkage

▪ Fogging should be provided as soon as the
concrete is cast.
▪ Cure with water for at least 7 days.
▪ Adjust paste content and w/c.
▪ Shrinkage reducing admixtures, e.g. Sika® Control®

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – DRYING SHRINKAGE

▪ Drying Shrinkage
▪ No restraints.
▪ Joints/saw cutting.
▪ Curing compounds or membranes, e.g.
Sika® UltraCure®
▪ …

Sika® UltraCure®

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – DRYING SHRINKAGE

▪ Drying Shrinkage
▪ …
▪ Shrinkage reducing and controlling admixtures – Control 75/NS/SC
▪ …

Sika Control 75
Sika Control SC

concrete concrete

Capillary Pore (0.01 µm to 1 µm)

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – DRYING SHRINKAGE

▪ Shrinkage Reducing (Sika® Control® 75) and compensating Sika® Control® NS/SC.
Reference Concrete vs. EA vs. SCA vs. SRA
8

7 Expansive Additive

0% Change in volume
5
Shrinkage

Control NS/SC

Control 75
3

2
Standard Concrete

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Time

April 16, 2020

 PULL THE BREAKS!

▪ We need to talk about shrinkage lab testing to understand how to achieve real life low shrinkage products!!!

April 16, 2020

 TESTING STANDARDS FOR DRYING SHRINKAGE MEASUREMENT

CSA A23.2-21C ASTM C157

Procedure Procedure
1. Placement in mold (d=0) 1. Placement in mold (d=0)
2. Curing in mold for 24h 2. Curing in mold for 24h
3. Demolding at ≈ 24h 3. Demolding at ≈ 24h
4. Place in saturated lime water for 30 min 4. Place in saturated lime water for 30 min
5. Take initial reading (d=1) 5. Take initial reading (d=1)
6. Place in saturated lime water for 6 days 6. Place in saturated lime water for 27 days
7. Take sub. reading twice (d=7) and 7. Take sub. reading at d=28
consider as « time 0 » 8. Storage at 50% RH and 23°C or storage
8. Storage at 50% RH and 23°C in lime saturated water at 23°C
9. Measure at 1, 4, 7, 14 and 28d 9. Measure at 4, 7, 14 and 28d and 8, 16,
measurements (after « time 0 ») 32 and 64 weeks after curing ( air
storage only)
10. Measure at and 8, 16, 32 and 64 weeks
including curing (water storage)

April 16, 2020

STANDARDS FOR DRYING SHRINKAGE MEASUREMENT

CSA A23.2-C21
(air storage) Days
0 1 7 8
(graphic starts at 1 day)

ASTM C157
(air storage) Days
0 1 28 32
(graphic starts) (at 4th day)
 TESTING APARATUS - STANDARDIZED TEST METHOD… LATE AGE

• EN 12617, ASTM C490 and

C157 , AS 2350.13
• Prisms measured on the gauge
• After one day shrinkage only

Metal mould Diverse sizes Gauge

April 16, 2020

 TESTING APARATUS - EARLY AGE TEST METHOD

COMPLETE EARLY AGE CHARACTERIZATION

SIMPLE AND STANDRDIZED

• One instrument
• Inexpensive
• Easy to use
• Standardized

April 16, 2020

 TESTING APARATUS - SIKA SHRINKAGE MOULDS

April 16, 2020

 COMPARISON WITH CLASSICAL SHRINKAGE

 900um/m shrinkage in the first day

 300um/m in the next 10 days
 Good correlation with manual measurements (CSA A23.2-21C)

100 50

Displacement (um/m)
Displacement (um/m)

-100 0

-50
-300
-100
-500
-150
-700
-200
-900
-250
-1100 -300

-1300 -350
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time (day) Time (day)

April 16, 2020

 EXAMPLE 1 : CSA A23.2-21C (MODIFIED OR NOT)

C. Quebec Gub-SF: 425 kg/m3, Fly-ash (F): 75 kg/m3, w/b = 0.33

Modified NOT
Curing
0.01 0.00

0.00
Shrinkage (%)

Shrinkage (%)
-0.01

-0.01

-0.02
-0.02
Control NS @ 6% Control NS @ 6%
Reference Reference
-0.03 -0.03
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 0 2 4 6 8 10
Days (d) Days (d)

Same data… different interpretation!

April 16, 2020

 EXAMPLE 1 : CSA A23.2-21C (MODIFIED OR NOT)

C. Quebec Gub-SF: 425 kg/m3, Fly-ash (F): 75 kg/m3, w/b = 0.33

MODIFIED This expansion data is not accounted if

Curing measurement is not done during curing
0.01
NOT
0.00 0.00
Shrinkage (%)

-0.01 -0.01

Shrinkage (%)
-0.02 -0.02
Control NS @ 6%
Reference Control NS @ 6%
-0.03 -0.03
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 0 2 4 6 8 10
Days (d) Days (d)

To prove the effect of Constrol-NS and Constrol SC we should

measure during the curing period!

April 16, 2020

 OK, BACK TO YOUR SCHEDULED PROGRAM…

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – DRYING SHRINKAGE

SHRINKAGE REDUCING/CONTROLLING ADMIXTURE FEATURES &

BENEFITS

Features: Benefits:
• Reduces shrinkage cracks. • Can extend the range of saw cuts.
• Reduces permeability. • Improves the visual appearance of concrete.
• No negative effects on concrete • Can eliminate the requirement to repair
qualities. cracks.
• Decreases labour cost.
• Easy to use.
• Increases lifespan of concrete.
• Increases safety.

April 16, 2020

 WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT SHRINKAGE – DRYING SHRINKAGE

▪ Drying Shrinkage
▪ …
▪ Fibers.
SikaFibers

concrete concrete

Micro Shrinkage Crack (0.1 µm to 100 µm)

April 16, 2020

 TYPES OF FIBERS

Micro Macro
▪ Use – to reduce plastic shrinkage (PPM & HP) & for ▪ Use - to remove temperature & secondary
temperature shrinkage w/ reinforcement ratio <0.1 reinforcement steel w/ reinforcement ratio
(PPF) between 0.1 & 0.2
▪ Benefits – reduces plastic shrinkage and settlement ▪ Benefits – eliminates need for WWF and
cracking conventional steel bars as secondary
▪ Applications - slab on ground, stucco, precast, reinforcement.
pools and decks, water retention tanks, irrigation ▪ Applications – industrial/warehouse floors,
ditches commercial slab, pavement, thin wall precast,
▪ Diameter - small shotcrete
▪ Length – ½ - ¾” ▪ Diameter - large
▪ Certifications – ASTM C1116 ▪ Length – 1½ - 2.25”
▪ Certifications – ASTM C1116, C1018, C1399, C1550
▪ Products:
▪ SikaFiber® PPM ▪ Polypropylene and Steel….
▪ SikaFiber® PPF
▪ Products:
▪ SikaFiber® HP
▪ SikaFiber® Force® MS25
▪ SikaFiber® Force® 600
▪ SikaFiber® Force® 650
▪ SikaFiber® Force® Enduro® 800
▪ SikaFiber® Force® 1050 (Steel)

April 16, 2020

 FIBERS FEATURES & BENEFITS OF USING FIBERS

Features Benefits
• Reducing Plastic Shrinkage & Settlement • Prevent explosive spalling during fire.
Cracking. • Replace Light Steel.
• Reduces crack widths/Post Crack
• Replace WWF or # 3, # 4 rebar.
Reinforcement.
• Increase Flexural Strength, Extend joint spacing.
• Microfibers are not easily visible in
concrete (Stealth Fiber). • Uniform Bleeding.
• No negative effects on concrete qualities. • Decreases Labor Cost.
• Increases lifespan of concrete.
• Increases safety.

April 16, 2020

 APPLICATIONS

• Structure with Increased Service life:

• Bridge Decks/piers/caissons – precision/long
service
• Infrastructure Projects
• Water Retention Structures – no leaking:
• Water reservoirs.
• Water treatment plants.
• Hydro-Electric Dam.
• Jointless Slabs:
• Industrial Floors.

April 16, 2020

 CASES WHERE SIKA HELPED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

▪ United States Bureau of Reclamation

▪ Glen Elder Dam and Spillway – Repair

April 16, 2020

 CASES WHERE SIKA HELPED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

▪ USBR – Glen Elder Dam & Spillway

April 16, 2020

 CASES WHERE SIKA HELPED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

April 16, 2020

 CASES WHERE SIKA HELPED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

▪ Echo Reservoir – Salt Lake City, UT

▪ Spillway Remediation Project - USBR

April 16, 2020

 CASES WHERE SIKA HELPED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Initial – No Control SC Final – w/ Control SC

April 16, 2020

 CASES WHERE SIKA HELPED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

▪ University of Massachusetts
▪ Structural Slab 16,000 sq.ft un-jointed slab

April 16, 2020

 RECAP… WHERE SIKA CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Concrete Cracking

Early Age Long Term

<24 hrs >24hrs
Plastic Shrinkage Thermal Cracking
(due to external temp.)

Thermal Cracking
Autogenous Shrinkage
(due to internal temp.)

Chemical Shrinkage
Drying Shrinkage

NOTE: approx. 80% of all shrinkage occurs in the first 2 months

April 16, 2020

 THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION… ANY
QUESTIONS???

April 16, 2020