Experimental Investigation on Shrinkage and Creep of High Strength Concrete at Early Ages

This paper presents an experimental investigation on shrinkage and creep of high strength concrete, in which 200 x 250 x 300 mm specimens were used, sealed or dried and loaded at different ages, including earlier age after casting. For this purpose high strength concrete was made with high-early strength cement and silica fume. The effects of the age at which drying and loading started on shrinkage and creep properties are discussed. Creep at early age of loading develops very quickly. The earlier the age when drying, the larger the total shrinkage is, and the relation between increment of autogenous shrinkage after drying and increment of drying shrinkage is approximately linear, independent of the age when drying started. Based on the experimental results, the equations of CEB-FIP MODEL CODE 1990 are modified by using regression analysis for predicting autogenous shrinkage and creep of high strength concrete at various ages.