Low Shrinkage Concrete Mixtures for Arkansas

Details

• Creators:
  Ouoba, Shuyah ; Murray, Cameron D. ; Hale, Micah W. ; Jones, Casey
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Department of Civil Engineering
• Corporate Contributors:
  Arkansas. Department of Transportation
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Admixtures Aggregates Bridge Decks Coarse Aggregates Drying Drying Shrinkage Evaluation Field Tests Fly Ash Laboratory Tests Literature Reviews Low-Shrinkage Concrete Shrinkage Shrinkage-Compensating Admixture Shrinkage-Reducing Admixture

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• Publication/ Report Number:
  TRC2203
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Arkansas
• Edition:
  Final Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  Arkansas. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  Drying shrinkage-induced cracking is a major concern for concrete bridge decks, compromising both durability and service life. This study, conducted for the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), aimed to develop and evaluate low-shrinkage concrete mixtures using locally available aggregates. A literature review identified effective shrinkage mitigation strategies, including mixture optimization and the use of shrinkage-reducing or shrinkage-compensating admixtures. A field survey of approximately 100 Arkansas bridge decks constructed between 2016 and 2022 revealed that half had early-age cracking, often associated with high cement contents and poor aggregate gradation. Laboratory testing was performed on mixtures using four coarse aggregate types (limestone, dolomite, sandstone, and gravel). Each was tested in Standard ARDOT S(AE) mixtures and three optimized mixtures: two reduced cement mixtures with aggregate gradation optimization, and a reduced cement mixture with 30 percent fly ash substitution. Results showed that optimized mixtures achieved equivalent or superior shrinkage and strength performance compared to standard mixtures. Limestone and sandstone aggregates yielded the best compressive strength, while sandstone showed the highest shrinkage values. Electrical resistivity testing indicated that optimized mixtures also offer potential improvements in durability if they include fly ash. The study proposes specification changes aimed at mitigating early-age cracking and improving concrete durability while maintaining ARDOT performance standards. New mixture design recommendations are provided to facilitate the adoption of these practices in Arkansas bridge decks.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  TRC2203
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fa485d1c6c7d1366f1609e7fdb514b6a6c23c781fbb2f1641642ac5db1b08de264adb276461a33d799ace688d311de35ebdcd408e06a071d3642bd12191f1d7f
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89874/dot_89874_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.64 MB ]