Influence of Curing on the Properties of Concrete Pavements

In extensive examinations several measuring methods and parameters were tested and compared, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of different curing compounds and methods. Starting with basic tests concerning the time-dependent water-loss of concrete and the optimal application time of curing compounds, a simple test using a litmus-paper was developed. Several test methods for the density (air-permeability, capillary adsorption, carbonation depth) and the strength (compressive strength, flexural tensile strength) were tested and evaluated. Subsequently these were used to evaluate the effectiveness of curing methods like use of different curing compounds, humid burlaps, water-curing and waterproof sealing. Additionally investigations on the effect of curing on the secondary properties of the surface (grip), before and after a test simulating external impacts, were carried out. Examining the concrete properties, a dependency between the waterloss after a certain period of time and the measured density of the concrete was found.