Investigating the Effects of Curing Quality on Key Concrete Pavement Surface Properties

Abstract

The large surface-area-to-volume ratio of concrete pavements increases moisture loss through evaporation during placement and hydration. Moreover, ambient conditions might expedite water evaporation from a concrete surface. To minimize moisture loss in early aged concrete, curing compounds are often used in slab construction. The purpose of this paper is to show the viability of identified curing quality indicators. Two indicators were defined to evaluate the curing practices related to direct and indirect measures. These indicators were determined by measuring different factors for a given curing compound, such as moisture loss, surface abrasion resistance, surface porosity, and drying shrinkage. In addition, effectiveness index and dielectric constant measurements were utilized as non-destructive tests to assess curing quality. In this study, a wax-based curing compound was tested according to preset laboratory conditions at different application rates to evaluate its suitability for the curing method.