Mechanical Properties of Internal Curing Of Concrete Using Light Weight Aggregates

The present paper discusses the experimental studies of internal curing of concrete using light expanded clay (LECA) and vermiculite. Water is an essential component for cement hydration which can be gained with proper curing. Under practical situations, many structures do not allow curing with water after the construction. In such a case often curing compounds are used to avoid loss of water from the concrete. However it is not sufficient for continuous hydration of cement. In this respect, the porosity of light weight aggregate provide source of water for internal curing of concrete which can provide continued enhancement of concrete strength and durability. For this reason, fine aggregate is replaced by 5% and 10% of LWA in the mix to find its enhancement of internal curing in this study. The properties studied reveal that incorporation of LWA does not have remarkable change in mechanical properties.