What is the curing period of concrete structures or how much

Construction work on the own country site is often associated with such a building material as a concrete solution. It would seem that there is nothing complicated - he prepared a trench, made a formwork, kneaded the mortar and poured it in - no need to do anything else. But in fact, this is not the end of the work.

It is after the concrete is poured it is necessary to carefully monitor its condition and care. And also it is necessary to know for sure how long the sand concrete M300 dries, if you choose it, or ordinary concrete in order to carry out the necessary care for the monolith.

If you do not take measures to care for the drying mix, the foundation for the future fence, the path or even the foundation for the house can crack, which will significantly reduce the strength of the structure and its durability.

Caring for a fresh solution

Caring for concrete solution implies a whole range of activities that allow you to create optimal conditions for the final product to have the best performance. They allow the solution to gain the level of strength that is stated in the technical documentation for the selected brand of mixture.

Care raa is made in order to:

• Minimize mix shrinkage;
• Allow the product in the shortest possible time to acquire the necessary level of strength to ensure durability;
• Protect the product being created from deformation due to temperature changes;
• Prevent mass drying out or damage.

Council In order to care for the structure was carried out in a timely manner, you should start these activities immediately after the concrete is laid in the formwork with your own hands.

The instruction of these activities includes the following actions:

1. Attentive inspection of the formwork for concrete structures in order to assess its integrity, safety and identify defects in leaks and breakdowns. If defects are detected, they must be corrected in the shortest time possible;
2. In order to allow the mass to gain the highest possible level of strength, it is necessary to exclude any impacts and other types of mechanical impact on the structure;
3. In order to avoid the occurrence of cracks on the surface of the monolith, first of all, after pouring, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp cloth;
4. The first few days after laying it is necessary to maintain a humidity mode of 90-100%.

Condition without care

Of course, if you don’t take care of the pouring, the solution also dries out sooner or later.

But non-compliance with the described recommendations may lead to the following consequences:

• Concrete mortar will not have the necessary strength properties;
• The surface will become friable due to the fact that the sand contained in the mixture will flake off, which will lead to a large water absorption;
• The coating may crack due to premature shrinkage of the structure.

Note! Fresh concrete mix has a greater volume than the dried concrete structure.

It is this property of concrete that necessitates the observance of maximum moisture immediately after pouring. Humidity allows the monolith to gradually reduce its volume to the desired parameters, without being subjected to deformation processes.

Factors affecting the rate of drying of the mixture

The answer to the question of how long a concrete dries depends directly on several factors:

• The following weather events may have a strong influence on a given period of time:

• The sun;
• Wind;
• Frost.

Of course, wetting is one of the main factors that can influence the answer to the question of how long concrete dries, but it is also important how drying will be performed.

Council You should not water the solution with a stream of water, because it will simply spoil the surface, and the cost of correcting this defect can be quite high. Humidification should be done by scattering or spraying moisture.

Dependence on weather conditions

Concreting in different weather conditions requires different times for the mixture to solidify.

So, for example, the answer to the question of how much a concrete foundation dries at a temperature of not more than +5 degrees will be twice as long as the foundation solidification period at a temperature of +20.

Well, if the temperature in the street drops to zero, then the question of how much a concrete screed on the street dries out will not be answered by any specialists, because under such conditions the process of mortar strength practically stops.

The mixture, of course, sooner or later hardens, but in it, due to freezing of water, a capillary system of pores is formed, which subsequently expands the moisture during freezing and leads to cracking of the monolith from the inside.

That is why experts do not recommend concreting in winter, or do it only using specialized antifreeze additives.

But the summer period, in turn, also has some negative effects on the solution. High temperatures during this period can cause premature drying of the mass, which can lead to deformations of the finished product.

During this period, it is necessary to pay special attention to the processes of wetting the building mass or use quick-drying Portland cements.

It is important to remember that the hardening of the solution occurs in the first few days after pouring, and it is this time that is associated with the basic strength of the concrete product.

Finally

Questions about how much a concrete floor in a garage dries, a filled garden path or a foundation for a gazebo should certainly excite a reasonable owner who has taken over the construction. But there is no exact answer to them, because a huge number of factors influence this period.

However, it can be said for sure that without proper care even a fully dried construction will not please you with a decent level of durability and wear resistance.

And you can learn even more useful information about the drying time of a concrete monolith by viewing the video in this article.