Abstract
The water absorption by shallow immersion and capillary rise of concrete with and without slag is investigated. Paste specimens representing the binder phase of the concrete mixes were prepared to study their porosity and pore size distribution. Specimens were subjected to elevated and normal temperature curing at different relative humidities. The results show that the inclusion of slag is beneficial when mixes are subjected to some initial moist curing. However, concrete containing slag is more sensitive to dry curing than concrete without slag. The influence of sample location within a concrete or paste specimens on absorption and pore size distribution is also considered. Substantial difference in absorption exists between samples taken from the top (trowelled) face and the bottom face of concrete cube of 100 mm in size for both the control and slag mixes. Also the intruded pore volume and pore size distribution of paste vary depending upon the location within a cube relative to the casting position. Correlation between the intruded pore volume of the paste and absorption of concrete shows a relationship between these parameters.
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Khatib, J.M. Effect of initial curing on absorption and pore size distribution of paste and concrete containing slag. KSCE J Civ Eng 18, 264–272 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-014-0449-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-014-0449-7