Optimizing internal curing parameters for autonomous curing of normal-strength concrete

Autogenous curing, also known as internal curing (IC), has revolutionized the way high-performance and high-strength concrete (HPC and HSC) are cured. It has improved concrete's service life by lowering early-age cracking and enhancing its durability. However, normal-strength concrete (NSC) is still the most commonly used type of concrete in the industry, and it is typically cured using conventional methods with poor oversight. As a result, researchers are looking at ways to reproduce the positive results observed in internally cured HSC/HPC. Studies show that IC is feasible in NSC despite the higher permeability, which results in the loss of internal curing water. However, no comprehensive research has attempted to assess how the type, size, and amount of internal curing agents affect the properties of NSC. Thus, this study aims to optimize the IC parameters for the autonomous curing of NSC. The outcomes of this study support the notion that IC is possible in high w/c ratio concrete and that, compared to lightweight aggregates (LWA), superabsorbent polymers (SAP) significantly impact the durability properties of NSC. Moreover, varying the size of the IC agent (LWA) had little effect on NSC properties, and increasing the amount of IC water content considerably improved the NSC's durability properties.