Why is curing concrete important? And various methods of concrete curing.
Concrete is the foundation of reinforced cement concrete, buildings for home and commercial purposes are frequently constructed with it. Concrete curing can be defined as an effective process for developing its desired properties, especially compressive strength. This process required adequate maintenance, moisture content, and time to settle concrete to fully hydrate. You have probably heard that proper curing gives concrete its exceptional strength and durability, even though concrete already has such qualities. But does concrete require curing? What occurs if the remedy is not applied properly? It is important for you to comprehend as a home builder how appropriate concrete curing contributes to a strong and long- lasting construction structure for your dwelling. In this blog, we will examine the consequences of inappropriate concrete curing along with preventive measures.
Importance of curing concrete
- Proper curing of concrete provides compressive strength and also fuels it for long-term progress. At First Choice Ready Mix, we follow our standards to give adequate time in curing, and achieve the optimal output. A concrete with proper curing is able to ensure that it continues to hydrate and gain strength. If curing is not properly done that significantly affects the compressive strength of the concrete, whether the concrete is unable to achieve its intended strength so it may lead to structural weakness. This is a vital application requiring high strength concrete mix where any reduction in compressive strength can compromise the safety and structural life-span.
- Curing has a significant relevance with heat of hydration managing concrete cracking. Heat of hydration refers to an exothermic process that occurs during the mix of water and cement. First Choice Ready Mix, as a recognised ready mix concrete supplier we manage heat of hydration to prevent thermal cracking at initial stages of curing. Adequate curing involves the control over temperature increase, water- cement ratio in the concrete mix that helps to ensure the concrete's resistance and also prevent the risks of thermal cracking. If curing is not properly done then it results as improper hydration of cement that often leads to less strength gain as well as shrinkage of crack.
- In order to ensure curing of the surface, prevention of evaporation of water from the concrete surface is important. Company offers significant time in curing that means it allows the surface to retain adequate moisture within concrete. Alongside that, the major importance of curing is to prevent rapid evaporation of water so that the surface can continue the hydration process uniformly. A crucial application which needs high strength concrete mix that significantly requires presence of sufficient water within the concrete surface because of preventing drying shrinkage as well as cracking. However, inappropriate curing always leads to drying of concrete mix, rapid evaporation of water and structural weakness
- Modern construction structures require durability with rising porosity of concrete that comes with adequate curing. It often resulted in a rise in permeability of concrete causing seepage as well as efflorescence. We as a recognised ready mix supplier focused on increasing durability of concrete with notable procedures of curing. However, improper curing is able to reduce the concrete durability with decreasing porosity of the concrete surface that prevents permeability of concrete as well.
Methods of concrete curing
- Water Pounding: It is an effective solution, ensuring complete curing of concrete. Additionally, water Pounding is effective because it involves covering the concrete surface with water that helps to ensure the surface is continuously wet. This wet nature of the surface allows individuals to maintain adequate moisture content for flat surfaces including slabs. In spite of that, we suggest you manage consistent water supply and make a feasibility analysis to manage this labour intensive work.
- Gunny Bags: In curing of concrete flooring, Gunny bags commonly known as burlap that used to work as cover the surface. For projects requiring high strength concrete mix, choosing Gunny Bag could have been to cover the surface with it that makes the concrete surface continuously wet. Major advantage of using a Gunny bag is that it helps to retain moisture and keep the concrete fully hydrated that prevents shrinkage or cracking. In curing, we First Choice Ready Mix recommend it for cost- effective solution and also for preparing vertical surfaces and columns.
- Curing compounds: Combination of different curing compounds along with chemical substances able to form a moisture- retaining film. As a result, it helps to prevent water leakage and also promote hydration. As a ready mix concrete supplier, We generally suggest to use it for large areas where water curing methods may be impractical but it can ensure comparability with adequate surface treatment.
- Plastic sheeting: It can be another effective solution of curing in which covering the surface with plastic sheeting keeps the moisture within the surface. Major advantage of it is to maintain hydration especially in high evaporation rates.
- Steam curing: Steam can accelerate the hydration process in concrete that helps to increase strength in the structures. However, controlled and efficient use of steam may allow to achieve significant results in large- scale production. Overall, curing is as important as other processes in the concrete construction process in terms of achieving longevity in concrete structures. Projects requiring high strength concrete mix, you can partner with a reliable ready mix concrete supplier like First Choice Ready Mix to make a difference in concrete flooring. Our expertise and quality of work ensure your concrete structures and also durability.