CURING CONCRETE Adding water to Portland cement to form the water-cement paste that holds concrete together starts

a chemical reaction that makes the paste into a bonding agent. This reaction, called hydration, produces a stone-like substancethe hardened cement paste. Both the rate and degree of hydration, and the resulting strength of the final concrete, depend on the curing process that follows placing and consolidating the plastic concrete. Hydration continues indefinitely at a decreasing rate as long as the mi ture contains water and the temperature conditions are fa!orable. "nce the water is remo!ed, hydration ceases and cannot be restarted. #uring is the period of time from consolidation to the point where the concrete reaches its design strength. $uring this period, you must take certain steps to keep the concrete moist and as near %&'( as practical. The properties of concrete, such as free)e and thaw resistance, strength, watertightness, wear resistance, and !olume stability, cure or impro!e with age as long as you maintain the moisture and temperature conditions fa!orable to continued hydration. The length of time that you must protect concrete against moisture loss depends on the type of cement used, mi proportions, re*uired strength, si)e and shape of the concrete mass, weather, and future e posure conditions. The period can !ary from a few days to a month or longer. (or most structural use, the curing period for cast-in-place concrete is usually & days to + weeks. This period depends on such conditions as temperature, cement type, mi proportions, and so forth. Bridge decks and other slabs e posed to weather and chemical attack usually re*uire longer curing periods. (igure ,-. shows how moist curing affects the compressi!e strength of concrete. Curing Methods /e!eral curing methods will keep concrete moist and, in some cases, at a fa!orable hydration temperature.

Figure (1) Moist curing effect on compressive strength of concrete

They fall into two categories0 those that supply additional moisture and those that pre!ent moisture loss. Table ,-. lists se!eral of these methods and their ad!antages and disad!antages. MET!O"
%prin&'ing (ith )*ter or Covering (ith +ur'*p %tr*( Moist E*rth ,ending on F'*t %urf*ces Curing Compounds

#"$#NT#GE
1 cellent results if kept constantly wet 4nsulator in winter #heap but messy 1 cellent results, maintains uni- form temperature 1asy to apply and ine pensi!e

"I%#"$#NT#GE%
2ikelihood of drying between sprinklings3 difficult on !ertical walls #an dry out, blow away, or burn /tains concrete3 can dry out3 remo!al problem 5e*uires considerable labor3 un- desirable in free)ing weather /prayer needed3 inade*uate co!erage allows drying out3 film can be broken or tracked off before curing is completed3 unless pigmented, can allow concrete to get too hot Hea!y cost can be e cessi!e3 must drying be kept in rolls3 storage and handling problem /hould be pigmented for heat protection3 re*uires reasonable care and tears must be patched3 must be weighed down to pre!ent blowing away

)*terproof ,*per

1 cellent protection, pre!ents

,'*stic Fi'm

Absolutely watertight, e cellent protection. 2ight and easy to handle

T*-'e (1) . Curing Methods MET!O"% T!#T %U,,/0 #""ITION#/ MOI%TURE 1 6ethods that supply additional moisture include sprinkling and wet co!ers. Both these methods add moisture to the concrete surface during the early hardening or curing period. They also pro!ide some cooling through e!aporation. This is especially important in hot weather. /prinkling continually with water is an e cellent way to cure concrete. Howe!er, if you sprinkle at inter!als, do not allow the concrete to dry out between applications. The disad!antages of this method are the e pense in!ol!ed and !olume of water re*uired. 7et co!ers, such as straw, earth, burlap, cotton mats, and other moisture-retaining fabrics, are used e tensi!ely in curing concrete. (igure ,+. shows a typical application of wet burlap. 2ay the wet co!erings as soon as the concrete hardens enough to pre!ent surface damage. 2ea!e them in place and keep them moist during the entire curing period. 4f practical, hori)ontal placements can be flooded by creating an earthen dam around the edges and submerging the entire concrete structure in water.

Figure (2) . Curing * (*'' (ith (et -ur'*p s*c&s MET!O"% T!#T ,RE$ENT MOI%TURE /O%% 1 6ethods that pre!ent moisture loss include laying waterproof paper, plastic film, or li*uid- membrane-forming compounds, and simply lea!ing forms in place. All pre!ent moisture loss by sealing the surface. 7aterproof paper ,figure ,&.. can be used to cure hori)ontal surfaces and structural concrete ha!ing relati!ely simple shapes. The paper should be large enough to co!er both the surfaces and the edges of the concrete. 7et the surface with a fine water spray before co!ering.

Figure (3) . )*terproof p*per used for curing 2ap ad8acent sheets -+ inches or more and weigh their edges down to form a continuous co!er with closed 8oints. 2ea!e the co!erings in place during the entire curing period. Plastic film materials are sometimes used to cure concrete. They pro!ide lightweight, effecti!e moisture barriers that are easy to apply to either simple or comple shapes. Howe!er, some thin plastic sheets may discolor hardened concrete, especially if the surface was steel-troweled to a hard finish. The co!erage, o!erlap, weighing down of edges, and surface wetting re*uirements of plastic film are similar to those of waterproof paper. #uring compounds are suitable not only for curing

fresh concrete, but to further cure concrete following form remo!al or initial moist curing. 9ou can apply them with spray e*uipment, such as hand-operated pressure sprayers, to odd slab widths or shapes of fresh concrete, and to e posed concrete surfaces following form remo!al. 4f there is hea!y rain within & hours of application, you must respray the surface. 9ou can use brushes to apply curing compound to formed surfaces, but do not use brushes on unformed concrete because of the risk of marring the surface, opening the surface to too much compound penetration, and breaking the surface film continuity. These compounds permit curing to continue for long periods while the concrete is in use. Because curing compounds can pre!ent a bond from forming between hardened and fresh concrete, do not use them if a bond is necessary. (orms pro!ide ade*uate protection against moisture loss if you keep the e posed concrete surfaces wet. :eep wood forms moist by sprinkling, especially during hot, dry weather.

"mar Quoted.