Hot Weather Concreting - Ensure A High-Quality Concrete Finish, Every Time
Anyone who has ever worked with concrete will tell you, placing and finishing in hot, dry conditions can be a major challenge. The combination of high temperatures, winds and low humidity can increase the rate of evaporation of moisture from the fresh concrete – accelerating the rate of cement hydration. This, in turn, can lead to a number of significant problems with concrete placement and finishing, including plastic shrinkage cracking, increased permeability, a reduction in final strength, and a sub-standard slab.
Even though the Australian Standard AS1379: Specification and Supply of Concrete stipulates a 35°C maximum concrete temperature at the time of delivery, the general rule of thumb is that additional measures need to be taken to control the cement hydration process when the ambient temperature reaches 30°C.
Interestingly, while a common traditional solution is to ‘wet cure’ the concrete – either by spraying the freshly finished concrete with water, covering it with wet canvas or other material or ‘ponding’ water over the surface – these methods not only tend to be labour-intensive, they can also result in an inordinate amount of water being wasted.
To overcome these challenges, Master Builders Solutions developed the MasterKure range of curing agents and evaporation retardants.
With products to suit a wide range of applications and mix types, MasterKure helps to control the curing process in elevated temperature conditions – slowing cement hydration and protecting the freshly poured concrete.
One product in the Master Builders Solutions range that is especially effective in combating drying shrinkage cracking in hot weather concrete is MasterKure 111.
MasterKure 111 is not a curing agent, rather, it is an evaporation retardant and finishing aid that has been specifically developed to assist in producing high-quality concrete flatwork in rapid-drying conditions such as high temperatures, low humidity and high winds. It retards water evaporation during trowelling and regulates the surface condition of the slab during finishing. MasterKure 111 can be used with all types of concrete slabs, toppings, and finishing operations including, concrete containing water reducing, retarding or accelerating admixtures, and air entrained concrete. It can be used with tilt-up, lift slab, precast or prestressed concrete either with or without membrane-type curing compounds.
Luke will be presenting at the Concrete Institute of Australia’s Hot Weather Concreting Event in Perth on the 11th October. To learn more or book tickets, click here: https://concreteinstitute.com.au/professional-development/upcoming-events/hot-weather-concrete-157
Visit the MasterKure product range: https://www.master-builders-solutions.com/en-au/products/masterkure