The effect of external curing methods on the development of mechanical and durability-related properties of normal-strength concrete

Even with the introduction of high-strength and high-performance concretes, normal strength concrete remains widely used in the construction industry. Curing concrete is a critical step and must be applied appropriately for any concrete structure to develop the desired mechanical and durability-related properties. External curing methods either provide extra water (water curing methods) or limit the loss of mixing water (sealed methods) from the mix, aiding the concrete to achieve the required properties. The experimental results have shown that 28 days of wet curing is the optimum curing approach, and to be considered acceptable, any curing method must produce concrete properties equivalent to 7-day wet curing. The NSC cured with curing compound did not produce results comparable to 7-day wet curing. Finally, external curing methods showed a strong correlation between water sorptivity and the threshold diameter; and the MIP test could be an effective curing quality assessment method in the field.