Cracking Tendency of Self-Compacting Concrete Subjected to Restrained Shrinkage: Experimental Study and Modeling

Abstract

This paper presents a study on cracking risk due to shrinkage of self-compacting concrete (SCC). Cracking of SCC was investigated through a comparison of material properties, such as shrinkage, modulus of elasticity, creep, and fracture parameters, between SCC mixtures and ordinary concrete (OC) mixtures. Restrained shrinkage tests (ring tests) were also performed on the same mixtures. Numerical simulations were then used to assess the correlation between material properties and results of restrained shrinkage tests. SCC and OC were found to have equivalent shrinkage cracking tendency, provided that compressive strength is kept the same and that SCC has adequate segregation resistance.