| dc.description.abstract | The lack of adequate curing conditions, and related problems such as poor hydration, shrinkage and cracking, are among the main reasons for the reduction in durability of reinforced concrete structures. Considering the increasingly tight schedules practiced in current building construction projects, these reasons tend to worsen once there are recurring failures in the post-concrete placement and finishing activities. Concrete curing, which aims to keep adequate moisture conditions for the proper hydration of cement and to minimize shrinkage and cracking, has been evolving into a new field of research: the practice of internal curing. This is based on the incorporation, into a cement matrix, of materials able to retain water and release it in a gradual manner during the curing period. Most internal curing studies conducted so far have focused primarily on high performance concretes; however, conventional concretes are often neglected in the practice of proper wet curing and also tend to evolve and apply this technology. Among the most studied materials in this context, superabsorbent polymers (SAP) have presented satisfactory performance as an internal curing agent, presenting themselves as internal water reservoirs dispersed throughout the matrix. They were presented to the construction industry in 2001, as internal curing agents, employed to improve the durability of the structures, reduce shrinkage and promote better hydration of the cement particles. Even with the disadvantage of generating internal voids, its use presents advantages due to its plasticizing effect (when pre-saturated), with a capacity to reduce w/c ratio and shrinkage. Among the studies published so far, there are no records of the use of residual SAP. The objective of this study is to evaluate the technical feasibility of using residual SAP (FCSAP), composed of cellulose fiber and SAP, from hygiene products companies, in conventional cement matrices as an internal curing agent. The RSAP absorption and plasticizing effects were evaluated, as well as mechanical strength and shrinkage in mortars cured at 100%, 60% and 30% relative humidity (RH), in addition to analysis of cracking and plastic shrinkage up to 24h, for two types of cements (CP II-F and CP IV). Results show that the use of RSAP as an internal curing agent improves the workability of fresh mortars when added pre-saturated, thus allowing a reduction of w/c ratio for a given workability. In the hardened state: (a) it works mainly in the minimization of initial cracking, being able to reduce the cracked area by up to 22.5% for CP II-F and 76.18% for CP IV; (b) acts in the reduction of shrinkage in high temperature and low relative humidity conditions; and (c) presents similar compressive strengths to the control mortars, when mixed in proper amounts, for both types of cement tested. | |
