Some Experiments to Improve the Aesthetic Appearance and Performance of Concrete

Performance improvements have become an imperative in concrete engineering these days. We have investigated early-stage curing methods in order to clarify the relationship between concrete appearance (efflorescence) and improvements to the quality of the surface concrete. The purpose of the study was to experimentally test which curing factors had an effect on the concrete. Experiments were carried out on specimens with varying mix conditions cured under different conditions. The experimental data were analyzed to determine the relationship between certain concrete characteristics and the ratio of efflorescence-affected area. The factor having greatest influence was the coefficient of moisture content. Next was the water-cement ratio. The appearance of efflorescence was also affected by the movement of water in concrete； efflorescence was most pronounced when the pore volume was of the size 10^4 〜10^5Å.This pore size allows the greatest movement of water in the concrete. Curing control at the earliest stage was critical to improvements in such performance measures as the strength of the concret