Creep and shrinkage of high strength concrete

Abstract

Creep although not critically affecting a structure is responsible for cracking and deflection. The volume changes in concrete due to shrinkage can also lead to its cracking. It is therefore important to know the creep and shrinkage of concrete. To investigate the creep and shrinkage behaviour of high strength concrete (HSC), specimens cast using concrete of design strengths 60, 80, 90, 95 and 100 MPa were tested for creep and shrinkage strains. The obtained results are compared with five published creep and shrinkage models. These include the model prescribed in the recently published Australian Standard AS3600-2009, which is the first major code in the English speaking world to contain provisions for up to 100 MPa concretes. The other four models are meant for normal strength concrete. The preliminary findings confirm the suitability of AS 3600 model (compared to other models) to HSC for the satisfactory prediction of creep and shrinkage.