Concrete Curing Performance Assessment Based on Gas Permeability Testing in the Lab and on Site.

Durability is an essential aspect of the lifetime performance of concrete components. The adequate surface quality and thus the service life of concrete can be achieved, among other things, by appropriate curing during hydration. To measure and control the curing quality, appropriate procedures are required. Gas permeability allows conclusions to be drawn about the porosity of concrete, which has a significant impact on durability. In this contribution, the effect of different curing methods on gas permeability is presented with the help of laboratory and on-site tests, showing that inadequate curing leads to increased permeability in the near-surface area of concrete. The measurement results of concrete samples and components with the same composition but varying curing treatment are compared and evaluated. Influences such as concrete composition and environmental factors on the quality of concrete are observed, and recommendations are made for a reliable assessment of the surface quality as a result of the investigated curing measures.

Curing Assessment of Concrete with Hyperspectral Imaging.

The curing of concrete significantly influences the hydration process and its strength development. Inadequate curing leads to a loss of quality and has a negative effect on the durability of the concrete. Usually, the effects are not noticed until years later, when the first damage to the structure occurs because of the poor concrete quality. This paper presents a non-destructive measurement method for the determination of the curing quality of young concrete. Hyperspectral imaging in the near infrared is a contactless method that provides information about material properties in an electromagnetic wavelength range that cannot be seen with the human eye. Laboratory tests were carried out with samples with three different curing types at the age of 1, 7, and 27 days. The results showed that differences in the near infrared spectral signatures can be determined depending on the age of the concrete and the type of curing. The data was classified and analyzed by evaluating the results using k-means clustering. This method showed a high level of reliability for the differentiation between the different curing types and concrete ages. A recommendation for hyperspectral measurement and the evaluation of the curing quality of concrete could be made.