Experimental Investigation on Shrinkage and Creep Performance of Concrete Containing a Calcined Clay-Limestone Cement

Measuring the time-dependent deformations of concrete is essential to ensure the serviceability and durability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Until recently, however, it remains largely unknown the time-dependent performance of concrete with limestone calcined clay cement (LC³) during their service life. To address this research gap, this research study aims at investigating the shrinkage and creep behaviour of LC³ concrete with or without the moisture exchange in the surrounding environment. LC³ prismatic concrete specimens were prepared and used to measure the total and autogenous shrinkage as well as the total and basic creep behaviour of the material. The experimental results show that the total shrinkage strain of LC³ concrete was lower than that shown in the literature for concrete with other binders. Different curing ages showed limited influences on the evolution of shrinkage of LC³ concrete with time. LC³ concrete creep specimens subjected to compressive load had high elastic strain of ~ 309 µε. Under the sustained load for 56 days, the creep coefficient obtained from the creep test on LC³ concrete was 20.7% lower than that estimated based on existing data in the literature for the plain concrete. The results presented in this paper contribute to a better understanding of time-dependent behaviour especially the shrinkage and creep of LC³ concrete for the optimal and reliable design of concrete structures.