Analysis of chemical and shrinkage limit for the effect of glycerol in concrete

Abstract

Concrete shrinkage is a significant problem within the construction sector. This study aims to investigate the impact of Glycerol on chemical shrinkage and shrinkage limits using a nominal mix design. Concrete mix design is determined with a nominal mix ratio of 1:2:4, a 0.45 w/c ratio, and increasing amounts of Glycerol. Seven concrete mix designs are tested for workability and consistency using slump tests (ASTM C143). Based on the slump test results, only five concrete mix designs can proceed with the chemical shrinkage test and shrinkage limit test. Data collection for the chemical shrinkage test was done using the volumetric and density methods by ASTM C1608 with 60 samples. Lower-valued concrete mix designs containing 3.1% and 6.2% glycerol will be used for shrinkage limit testing by ASTM D4943. In this test, nine samples are provided, and the concrete mix design with the highest value, which contains 6.2% glycerol, prevails. Finally, a series of three experiments show that the more glycerin added to the concrete mix design, the less chemical shrinkage occurs, and the shrinkage limit increases when compared to the concrete mix design that does not contain Glycerol.