Wetting and drying of cover-zone concrete

The influence of wetting and drying on cover-zone concrete was studied, Plain ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concretes and OPC with partial replacement with pulverized fuel ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, micro-silica and metakaolin were used in the experimental programme, The effects of water-binder ratio and initial curing were examined, After curing, samples were subjected to a cycle of drying followed by water infiltration to investigate the movement and distribution of moisture within the surface 100 mm of the concrete samples, Use was made of electrical monitoring techniques, together with cumulative volumetric gain and loss.