Plastic Shrinkage

in Hot and
Arid Environments
Influence of dosage of water-reducing and retarding admixture and concrete
temperature on crack development

by Abdulrahman M. Alhozaimy and Abdulaziz I. Al-Negheimish

K ing Saud University and its Center of Excellence for

Concrete Research and Testing are located in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia, in the center of the Arabian Peninsula. The
Mixture T32-R04 had a WRR admixture dosage of 400 mL/
100 kg (6 fl oz/100 lb) of cement.
Three exposure conditions—outdoor, indoor with fan,
summer weather in Riyadh can be severe—the average and indoor static—were investigated. For indoor-with-fan
daytime temperature ranges from 40 to 45 °C (104 to 113 °F), tests, slabs were cast inside the laboratory and airflow
and the average relative humidity is about 15%—so it’s from a fan was directed across their surfaces. For out-
fitting that faculty, staff, and students at the Center have door-exposure tests, slabs were cast outdoors and
engaged in a comprehensive study of the effects of such exposed to the sun and the summer environment. For
climate conditions on concrete construction. indoor-static exposure tests, slabs were cast inside the
To date, these studies have verified that using water- laboratory but were not exposed to moving air. For
reducing and retarding (WRR) admixtures and controlling indoor-with-fan and outdoor tests, two slabs were cast
concrete temperature can mitigate harmful effects on the
production and delivery of concrete in hot weather.1 WRR
admixtures have been shown, however, to increase
plastic shrinkage, reduce tensile strength, and thus
increase the risk of plastic shrinkage cracking in hot,
dry environments.2 This article describes the initial
evaluation of the effects of WRR admixtures on the plastic
shrinkage cracking of ready mixed concrete (RMC)
produced and placed in this harsh summer climate.

Experimental Procedure
Because no standard procedures are available, various
techniques have been used to study plastic shrinkage
cracking of concrete.3-5 We used 1 x 1 m (3.2 x 3.2 ft),
100 mm (4 in.) thick slab specimens. Each slab was
reinforced in both directions with four 8 mm (0.31 in.)
diameter steel bars spaced at 317 mm (12.5 in.) (Fig. 1).
Five concrete mixtures were supplied by a local RMC
producer. Mixtures T25-R06, T32-R06, and T38-R06 had
respective concrete temperatures of 25, 32, and 38 °C (77, 90,
and 100 °F) and WRR admixture dosages of 600 mL/100 kg
(9 fl oz/100 lb) of cement, per the manufacturer’s recommen-
dations. Two additional mixtures had concrete temperatures Fig. 1: Reinforcing bars and forms prior to casting of outdoor-
of 32 °C (90 °F). Mixture T32-NR had no WRR admixture, and exposure test specimens

26 september 2009 / Concrete international

from each of the five mixtures. For
the indoor-static tests, two slabs
from each of Mixtures T38-R06,
T32-NR, and T32-R04 were cast. A
total of 26 slabs were tested.
Material Properties
Coarse aggregates were typically a
blend of 20 and 10 mm (3/4 and
3/8 in.) crushed limestone obtained
from quarries around Riyadh. The
fine aggregates were a blend of
natural silica sand and manufactured
sand obtained from crushed lime-
stone with the blend ratio selected
by the RMC plant to meet the
gradation limits of ASTM C33 for fine
aggregate. The specific gravity and
absorption values were, respectively,
2.62 and 1.2% for the coarse aggregate
and 2.61 and 1.5% for the fine aggregate.
A local company manufactured the
cement, which conformed to ASTM
C150, Type I. No other cementitious
materials were used. The WRR
admixture conformed to ASTM C494,
Type D requirements.
Casting and Testing
Procedures
The basic concrete mixture used
in the study was typical of the
structural-grade concrete used in
Riyadh, with a cement content of
350 kg/m3 (590 lb/yd3) and specified
28-day cube strength of 35 MPa
(5000 psi). For all five mixtures, initial
slump measured at the RMC plant
was maintained within the range of
160 to 180 mm (6-1/4 to 7 in.) by
adjusting the water content. The
corresponding water-cement ratio
(w/c) was 0.47 to 0.54 for all mixtures
except T32-NR, which had a w/c of
0.65. The slump was kept constant to
replicate actual RMC industry
practice in Riyadh. The specified
concrete temperatures of 25, 32, and
38 °C (77, 90, and 100 °F) were
obtained at the RMC plant by adjusting
the temperature of the mixing water.
The mixture proportions for the 20
and 10 mm (3/4 and 3/8 in.) crushed
limestone, crushed sand, and silica
sand were 630, 420, 390, and
390 kg/m3 (1062, 708, 657, and
657 lb/yd3), respectively.
Casting was done at midday
during August to represent extreme
weather conditions. The casting was
carried out on separate days for each
mixture and appropriate measures
were taken at the plant to achieve
roughly the specified concrete
temperature and slump. Concrete
quantity was kept constant for each
mixture. The trip to deliver the
concrete to the concrete laboratory
at King Saud University took 75 to
85 minutes. Upon arrival at the lab,
the concrete in the drum of the truck
was agitated at high speed for
approximately 2 minutes.
For all mixtures, measurements
taken during the time of casting
indicated outdoor temperature
ranged from 38 to 42 °C (100 to
108 °F), relative humidity (RH)
ranged from 9 to 14%, and the
maximum wind speed, taken about
500 mm (20 in.) above the surface,
ranged from 9 to 16 km/h (5.6 to
9.9 mph). For the laboratory
conditions (both exposures), the
temperature was 28 ± 1 °C (82.4 ±
1.8 °F) and RH was 16 ± 2%. For the
fan-exposure condition, the wind
speed was 14 ± 2 km/h (8.7 ± 1.2 mph).
Steel forms were used for the
slabs. Reinforcing bars were placed
in the forms and supported on
mortar spacers to keep the bars at
middepth of the slab. Outdoor forms
and reinforcing bars were misted
with water to cool them before
placing the concrete. Concrete
was placed in the forms in one
layer, consolidated by rodding,
and finished by screeding in one
direction using a wooden straightedge.
For each mixture, the following tests
were performed on the fresh concrete:
■■ Concrete temperature test according
to ASTM C1064;
■■ Slump test according to ASTM
C143; and
■■ Setting time according to
ASTM C403. CIRCLE READER CARD #11
Concrete international / september 2009 27
 To evaluate compressive strength, standard 150 x 150 x compressive strengths for the mixtures were in the range
150 mm (6 x 6 x 6 in.) cubes were cast and tested at 28 days of 40 to 45 MPa (5700 to 6400 psi). The plastic shrinkage
in accordance with BS 1881.6,7 Ambient temperature and cracking characteristics for all mixtures are summarized in
relative humidity were recorded for each casting. Immedi- Table 1.
ately after finishing, slabs were monitored to observe the Table 2 lists the elapsed times from start of mixing to
time of initiation of cracking, and concrete samples were end of finishing operations, from end of finishing to initial
monitored to determine the initial setting time. cracking, and from end of finishing to initial setting. Table 2
Specimens for outdoor tests were left outdoors for the values are limited to indoor-with-fan and outdoor tests.
duration of testing, until the concrete had hardened and
cracks had been mapped. For indoor-with-fan tests, the General behavior
electric fan was left on overnight. The surfaces of the slabs All mixtures in the indoor-with-fan and outdoor conditions
were examined after the concrete had hardened. Crack exhibited plastic shrinkage cracking. Of the mixtures placed
patterns were sketched, and crack lengths and widths in the indoor-static environment, two showed no cracking,
were measured. The length of each crack was determined and one exhibited only marginal cracking.
by placing a string along the crack and then measuring the Of the slabs cast in the outdoor and indoor-with-fan
length of the string. The width of each crack was measured environments, those cast using Mixtures T25-R06 and
at intervals along its length using a handheld microscope. T32-R06 exhibited greater unit crack areas and average
The area of each crack was calculated by multiplying its crack widths than those produced using the other mixtures.
length by its average width. The crack areas were summed The dominant cracks were typically long and appeared near
for each slab, and the unit crack area was calculated by and along underlying reinforcing bars (Fig. 2).
dividing this sum by the slab area. The average crack Slabs cast using Mixture T38-R06 showed relatively short
width for a slab was obtained by dividing the total crack and discontinuous cracks in outdoor and indoor-with-fan
area by the total crack length. tests and even less cracking in the indoor-static tests.
Slabs cast using Mixture T32-R04 exhibited only short
Results and discontinuous cracks in indoor-with-fan tests, but
With the exception of Mixture T32-NR, which had a they exhibited a combination of long continuous and
compressive strength of about 30 MPa (4300 psi), the 28-day short discontinuous cracks in outdoor tests. The long
continuous cracks appeared near underlying reinforcing
Table 1:
Summary of plastic shrinkage cracking characteristics for the five mixtures. Each tabulated value is the average of
data taken from two test slabs
Exposure conditions
Indoor Indoor
Mixture designation Cracking characteristics with fan Outdoor with static air
Crack area, mm2/m2 (in.2/ft2) 1972 (0.284) 1718 (0.247) —
T25-R06 Crack length, mm (in.) 2353 (92.6) 2560 (100.8) —
Average crack width, mm (in.) 0.83 (0.032) 0.63 (0.025) —
Crack area, mm /m (in. /ft )
2 2 2 2
2230 (0.321) 1230 (0.177) —
T32-R06 Crack length, mm (in.) 2863 (112.7) 1693 (66.7) —
Average crack width, mm (in.) 0.78 (0.031) 0.71 (0.028) —
Crack area, mm2/m2 (in.2/ft2) 420 (0.06) 279 (0.04) 116 (0.017)
T38-R06 Crack length, mm (in.) 2610 (102.8) 1378 (54.3) 1130 (44.5)
Average crack width, mm (in.) 0.16 (0.006) 0.19 (0.007) 0.10 (0.004)
Crack area, mm /m (in. /ft )
2 2 2 2
663 (0.095) 1306 (0.188)
T32-R04 Crack length, mm (in.) 3533 (139.1) 2735 (107.7) No visible cracks
Average crack width, mm (in.) 0.18 (0.007) 0.47 (0.019)
Crack area, mm /m (in. /ft )
2 2 2 2
409 (0.059) 335 (0.048)
T32-NR Crack length, mm (in.) 2135 (84.1) 1068 (42.0) No visible cracks
Average crack width, mm (in). 0.19 (0.007) 0.31 (0.012)

28 september 2009 / Concrete international

bars, but in one direction only. No visible cracks were directly to setting times. Figure 5 shows unit crack
observed for Mixture T32-R04 in the indoor-static tests. area versus initial setting time for mixtures with varying
Slabs cast using Mixture T32-NR showed cracking WRR admixture dosage and similar concrete temperature
patterns similar to those for slabs cast using Mixture (Mixtures T32-NR, T32-R04, and T32-R06) and for mixtures
T32-R04. The only exception was that there were no short with varying concrete temperatures and fixed retarder
discontinuous cracks in the outdoor test. dosages (Mixtures T25-R06, T32-R06, and T38-R06). In
both cases, increased setting time resulted in more
Effects of concrete temperature and plastic shrinkage cracking.
retarder dosage
As indicated in Fig. 3, mixtures with WRR dosages of Combined effect of high temperature and
600 mL/100 kg (9 fl oz/100 lb) showed the least crack area use of retarder
and average crack width when the mixing temperature In most cases, cracks were first observed in the first 1 to
was 38 °C (100 °F). The relationship between plastic 2.5 hours after casting and finishing operations (Table 2). As
shrinkage cracking and concrete temperature is linear for shown in Fig. 6, the time of initial cracking can be related to
the outside condition. The reduced cracking observed at setting times, irrespective of the exposure conditions. This
higher concrete temperatures is most likely related to
the decreased setting time associated with higher
temperatures. As indicated in Fig. 4, crack area and
average crack width tended to increase with increasing
dosages of WRR admixture.

Correlation of cracking with setting time

The effect of concrete temperature and retarder
dosage on plastic shrinkage cracking can be linked

Table 2:
Summary of the initial cracking and setting times for the
five test mixtures for indoor-with-fan and outdoor
exposure conditions

Exposure conditions
Indoor with fan Outdoor
Initial cracking time after finishing, hours

Initial cracking time after finishing, hours

Setting time after finishing, hours

Setting time after finishing, hours

End of finishing operation, hours

End of finishing operation, hours

Mixture designation

Initial setting time, hours

Initial setting time, hours

T25-R06 2.1 3.9 10.4 6.5 1.4 2.2 8.7 6.5

T32-R06 2.5 2.5 7.5 5.0 2.0 2.0 6.6 4.6
T38-R06 2.0 1.8 5.2 3.4 1.4 1.8 4.7 3.0
T32-R04 2.1 1.4 4.5 3.1 1.6 1.7 4.2 2. 6
Fig. 2: Cracking pattern after indoor-with-fan test, using Mixture
T32-NR 2.3 0.9 3.6 2.6 1.6 1.3 3.4 2.2 T25-R06. Long cracks were clearly associated with reinforcing bars

Concrete international / september 2009 29

finding is significant, as it indicates that, for any temperature
or admixture combination, there should be sufficient
time to take preventive measures to control plastic
shrinkage cracking.
Extending the setting time by either lowering the
temperature of the mixture or by adding WRR admixtures
will increase the potential for plastic shrinkage cracking.
Increased concrete temperature decreases the setting
time of concrete, whereas the increase in the retarder
dosage increases the setting time (Table 2).
(a)
(b)
Fig. 3: Mixtures with a WRR admixture dosage of 600 mL/100 kg
(9 fl oz/100 lb) of cement exhibited a significant reduction in: (a)
crack areas; and (b) average crack widths when the mixture
temperature was 38 °C (100 °F)
30 september 2009 / Concrete international
The offsetting influence of increased retarder dosage and
high concrete temperature is clearly reflected in the plastic
shrinkage cracking data for Mixture T38-06. Although this
mixture had both the highest initial concrete temperature
and the highest retarder dosage, its plastic shrinkage
cracking was generally the lowest among the five mixtures
in both indoor-with-fan and outdoor conditions (Table 2).
For the indoor-static condition, the same mixture showed
limited plastic shrinkage cracking.
Depending on the exposure conditions, the use of
a WRR admixture may or may not increase plastic
shrinkage cracking. As shown in Table 1, mixtures in the
indoor-static environment exhibited limited or no visible
(a)
(b)
Fig. 4: Mixtures with a temperature of 32 °C (90 °F) tended to
exhibit increases in: (a) crack areas; and (b) average crack
widths with increasing dosages of WRR
cracks (including those with high
retarder dosage). In the outdoor
environment, however, significant
plastic shrinkage cracking was
observed even for mixtures with
moderate (T32-R04) or no (T32-NR)
WRR dosages.

Implications for
Industry Practice
Hot weather concreting requires
unique measures to maintain quality.
The decreased setting time associated
with hot weather impacts the overall
workability of the concrete mixture
and significantly reduces the time
available for placing and finishing.
The use of a WRR admixture to
counteract the accelerating effect of
hot weather on setting time is a
practical and prudent measure.
The amount of retarder dosage Fig. 5: Crack area versus setting time for outdoor and indoor-with-fan exposure tests
used in practice, however, should
be adjusted with changes in
temperature. A low concrete
temperature combined with a high
retarder dosage will significantly
extend the setting time of the
concrete, thus substantially increasing
the risk of plastic shrinkage cracking.
The same retarder dosage at a
higher concrete temperature results
in a reasonable setting time, which
provides ample time for concrete
finishing without increasing the risk
of plastic shrinkage cracking.
The proper dosage of retarder
allows a contractor to maintain an
appropriate working time for the
mixture to provide quality finishing
in such harsh environmental
conditions. Extending the setting
time beyond that required for hot
weather finishing should be avoided.
The delays in the first appearance of
cracks associated with longer
setting times indicate that there
will be time to take preventive
measures to control plastic shrinkage
cracking. Of course, appropriate
measures to reduce evaporation of
water from the surface of fresh
concrete as outlined in ACI 305R-99 8
should be implemented. CIRCLE READER CARD #12

Concrete international / september 2009 31


Fig. 6: The time to initial cracking versus setting time for outdoor
and indoor-with-fan exposure tests
Based on the study results, we can draw the following
conclusions:
1. Plastic shrinkage cracking tends to decrease with
increasing concrete temperature;
2. For mixtures with similar concrete temperature, the
use of WRR admixtures tends to increase plastic
shrinkage cracking;
3. Plastic shrinkage cracking tends to increase with setting
time, but when retarders are used to maintain (not to
extend) the setting time of concrete, the risk of in-
creased plastic shrinkage cracking will be limited; and
4. The first appearance of cracks tends to be delayed by
increasing the setting time. This result is beneficial as
it allows sufficient time to take preventive measures
to control plastic shrinkage cracking.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology under Grant No. LGP-1-54. Testing was done at the
Concrete Laboratory at King Saud University. The help of S.Z. Gadri,
H. Khitam, A. Wakeel, and other members of the concrete and
structural laboratories is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks
and gratitude are extended to R.A. Mirza for his dedication and
inputs throughout this study.
References
1. Al-Negheimish, A.I., and Alhozaimy, A.M., “Impact of Extremely
Hot Weather and Mixing Method on Changes in Properties of RMC
During Delivery,” ACI Materials Journal, V. 105, No. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2008,
pp. 438-444.
32 september 2009 / Concrete international
2. Ravina, D., and Soroka, I., “Admixture Effects on Hot-Weather
Concrete,” Concrete International, V. 24, No. 5, May 2002, pp. 34-38.
3. Kraai, P.P., “A Proposed Test to Determine the Cracking
Potential Due to Drying Shrinkage of Concrete,” Concrete Construction,
V. 30, No. 9, Sept. 1985, pp. 775-778.
4. Soroushian, P.; Mirza, F.; and Alhozaimy, A., “Plastic Shrinkage
Cracking of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete,” ACI Materials
Journal, V. 92, No. 3, Sept.-Oct. 1995, pp. 553-560.
5. Johansen, R., et al., “Control of Plastic Shrinkage in Concrete at
Early Ages,” 18th International Conference—Our World in Concrete &
Structures, Singapore, Aug. 1993, pp. 149-154.
6. BS 1881-108, “Testing Concrete. Method for Making Test Cubes
from Fresh Concrete,” British Standards Institution, London, UK,
1983, 6 pp.
7. BS 1881-116, “Testing Concrete. Method for Determination of
Compressive Strength of Concrete Cubes,” British Standards
Institution, London, UK, 1983, 8 pp.
8. ACI Committee 305, “Hot Weather Concreting (ACI 305R-99),”
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 1999,
20 pp.
Note: Additional information on the ASTM standards discussed
in this article can be found at www.astm.org.
Received and reviewed under Institute publication policies.
Abdulrahman M. Alhozaimy is an
Associate Professor of civil engineering and
Director for Technology Transfer and
Testing Services at the Center of Excellence
for Concrete Research and Testing, King
Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He
received his BS from King Saud University
and his MS and PhD from Michigan State
University, Lansing, MI. His research
interests concentrate on concrete technology with an emphasis
on hot weather concreting and concrete durability.
ACI member Abdulaziz I. Al-Negheimish is
an Associate Professor of civil engineering
and Executive Director of the Center of
Excellence for Concrete Research and Testing,
King Saud University. He received his BS and
MS from the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, MI, and his PhD from the University of
Texas, Austin, TX. His research interests
include housing construction, ready mixed
concrete quality, and hot weather concreting.