Owners and engineers increasingly demand low-shrinkage concrete to reduce the number of cracks, crack width, and curling. Some engineers even specify shrinkage limits for submittals of concrete proportions. A common approach to shrinkage reduction is limiting the amount of mixing water in the concrete by imposing strict limits on slump and prohibiting jobsite water additions. However, recent research shows that the addition of a small amount of water at the jobsite will have little effect on shrinkage. If the water addition is 2 gallons or less per cubic yard, the shrinkage potential of the delivered concrete isn’t going to be changed by the contractor’s field practices.
A New Look at Water, Slump, and Shrinkage
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