An Apparatus for Dissecting Volumetric Changes in Hydrating Cement Paste

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Abstract
An apparatus has been designed to study the volumetric changes under controlled curing conditions. The apparatus is capable of measuring the chemical shrinkage as well as the macroscopic volumetric changes of sealed and saturated specimens under controlled pressure and temperature. Specifically, when measuring separately the macroscopic deformation (bulk shrinkage) and the water absorption of a saturated specimen, we find that the sum of the bulk deformations and water absorption adds up to the chemical shrinkage. Furthermore, while we observe pore pressure drops in the hydrating cement paste, even in the presence of an infinite supply of pressurized water (i.e. chemical shrinkage test conditions), bulk shrinkage occurs even in the absence of negative liquid pressure and at (almost) zero effective stress. That is, at (very) early ages, driving forces other than capillary forces are at work to cause bulk shrinkage.

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