Early-age Crack Control in Concrete

Early-age crack control in concrete (CIRIA Report R91, 1981) is still widely used but needs updating.

CIRIA has raised substantial funds to update this guidance and is planning to get a project underway this autumn. In outline, this is what the project will aim to do:

• Incorporate new information available from research on concretes made with cement replacements and when low heat or very low heat cements or higher strength concretes (Grade 100) are specified.
• Recast the report as a design-guidance focused document, omitting some of the original scientific data and including experience of using the report since it was published; related material in (CIRIA Report R135, 1995)
• Concreting deep lifts and large volume pours will also be incorporated.
• Focus the report to provide advice needed to use BS8110. BS5007 and the EC suite.
• Consider related issues such as: the introduction of more holistic considerations (water tightness, durability and aesthetics) to better connect design with construction and use and to adopt a risk-assessment approach advice to be within the wider context of continuing problems with cracks, either formed due to restraint to early thermal movements or due to shrinkage the greater use of visual concrete and higher owner expectation ideally, providing computational methods for predicting peak temperature, restraint factors, cooling rates matching predictions with experience provision of advice on the significance (or not) of pour size on cracking provision of advice on the role of autogenous healing.

Further funding is being sought from industry prior to selecting a research contractor. Parties interested in contributing to and/or participating in the project should contact [email protected].