Early-age autogenous cracking of cementbased systems: from physico-chemical analysis to micro/macro investigations

Abstract

High-performance cement-based materials, characterized by a low water-tocement (W/C) ratio and a high cement content, are particularly sensitive to early-age cracking because the magnitude and the rate of autogenous shrinkage they develop during this period, are particularly high. This article presents a parametric study carried out in order to quantify the influence of W/C ratio, cement type, curing temperature and aggregates content on the evolution of physico-chemical deformations and the early-age cracking risk they can generate.