Shrinkage of high-strength engineered cementitious composite with zeolite particles as internal curing agent

Abstract

The shrinkage and internal relative humidity (RH) of internally cured high-strength engineered cementitious composites (HSECCs) based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC) were experimentally investigated. Natural zeolite and calcined zeolite particles were used as internal curing agents. The effect of calcination and substitution ratio of zeolite on the shrinkage reduction efficiency and the compressive strength of the composites was evaluated. The test results showed that the development of shrinkage and internal RH of the OPC-HSECCs followed a two-stage pattern. Regarding shrinkage reduction of the OPC-HSECCs, the efficiency of the pre-wetted calcined zeolite particles was greater than that of the natural zeolite; the total shrinkage was reduced by more than 54% at 28 days and the compressive strength was similar to the control. The optimum replacement ratio of calcined zeolite was determined to be around 30%.