hasitha

Better curing of concrete

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   Dr. Hasitha Bandara

Concrete requires two weeks of curing. During this time, adequate moisture must be maintained on the concrete surface, to develop its strength. This process increases construction time, and may result in early age cracks which affect the durability and strength.

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            Supervisor:
        Prof. Wasantha.            Mampearachchi

Internal curing which maintains water reservoirs in lightweight porous aggregates within the concrete is a better process, though less understood.

Hasitha set out to understand more about the structure and the production process of internal curing aggregates, and to develop an effective aggregate using non-expansive clay.

He chemically analyzed several local and imported clay samples, and established an aggregate production process in which fine aggregates were produced.  Their pore structures and curing properties were analyzed in detail.

To validate his analysis, Hasitha produced conventional and superior aggregates for internal curing in large quantities and tested them with three types of concrete. Results confirmed superior curing properties of the identified aggregate.

An Initiative by MoraMinds                                                                                           1 this post on 1

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