Construction and Building Materials 140 (2017) 395–402

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Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

The effect of cement paste volume and w/c ratio on shrinkage strain,
water absorption and compressive strength of high performance
concrete
Wojciech Piasta ⇑, Bartlomiej Zarzycki
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kielce University of Technology, Tysiaclecia PP 7, 25-314 Kielce, Poland

h i g h l i g h t s

More water is adsorbed on aggregate surface area if paste volume is reduced.

Actual w/c ratio decreases with increasing total water amount adsorbed on aggregates.

Lower actual w/c ratio increases concrete strength and improves other properties.

Paste volume significantly affects the properties of high performance concretes (HPCs).

Concrete shrinkage and water absorption are directly proportional to the volume of paste.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Shrinkage strain, compressive strength and water absorption of high performance concrete (HPC) are
Received 26 October 2016 estimated to high accuracy with linear equations using the w/c ratio and paste volume as variables. A
Received in revised form 8 February 2017 paste volume reduction, thus an increase in coarse aggregate fraction, improves the HPC properties.
Accepted 9 February 2017
These changes most likely result from: 1) adsorption of water on a greater surface of aggregate, leading
Available online 6 March 2017
to bulk paste desiccation and densifying and reduction in actual w/c ratio and width of aggregate-cement
paste interfacial transition zone; 2) beneficial influence of larger volume of coarse aggregates produced
Keywords:
from rocks of high strength and low water absorption.
High-performance concrete
Cement paste volume
Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
w/c ratio
Water absorption
Compressive strength
Shrinkage strain

1. Introduction controlled through the void content between aggregate particles.

Among the quantities describing concrete mix design, w/c ratio
is the preferred parameter since it characterizes all performance-
related properties and durability of hardened ordinary and high
performance concretes (HPC) [1–3]. The relation between w/c
and properties of concrete is related to the cement paste capillary
porosity being proportional to the w/c ratio. The porosity and pore
size distribution, in turn, strongly affect mechanical characteristics,
mass transport properties and the related eigenstrains in concrete,
manifested as shrinkage or swelling.
Compared with w/c, the significance of cement paste volume
(Vp) has been given less attention in analyses of concrete proper-
ties and durability. In concrete mix design, the paste volume is
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: wpiasta@tu.kielce.pl (W. Piasta).
However, it is not regarded as the factor that has a direct effect
on the characteristics of the hardened concrete. It is a fact that par-
ticle size distribution is often designed with the use of methods
that involve overflowing of voids or coating aggregate grains thus
providing the optimum cement paste amount. However, these
methods aim at attaining the tightness and required workability
of the mixture for technological purposes but not for the purpose
of improving concrete strength. Self-compacting concretes are a
special case. The influence of the cement paste volume is consid-
ered but in the context of the mix rheological properties, not the
properties of the hardened concrete. The paste volume is not taken
into account in the design of mass structure concretes. The partic-
ular attention is paid to the type and amount of cement able to
control the temperature of the hardening material.
The influence of cement paste volume and w/c ratio on the
characteristics of concrete has been discussed in the literature.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.02.033
0950-0618/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
396 W. Piasta, B. Zarzycki / Construction and Building Materials 140 (2017) 395–402

Yet the scope of the related research was either limited or mostly
concerned with ordinary concretes [4,5]. Some authors [6,7]
observed that an increase in the cement paste volume may reduce
the compressive strength of concrete and increase its water
absorption. However, these authors did not perform any analysis
or indicate the causes of the changes. This issue has been hardly
ever addressed with respect to high performance concrete [8].
Other researchers [9] claimed that compressive strength of
100 MPa could be attained only with the high volume of paste
and the use of silica fume.
In the context of concrete strength variations due to varied
paste volume, the issue of aggregate-cement paste bond seems
interesting. A decrease in the paste volume is accompanied by an
increase in the volume and surface area of aggregate particles in
contact with the paste. The surface area interfacial transition zone
(ITZ) is simultaneously increased. The ITZ is developed as a result
of the formation of a thin water film adjacent to aggregate particles
in the fresh paste. Adhesion of the paste to aggregates takes place
through this narrow (20–50 lm) layer of weaker paste around
aggregate grains, with different microstructure and porosity. This
region is important enough to consider the concrete microstruc-
ture as a composite made of three constituents: cement paste,
ITZ and aggregate [10].
The cement paste volume should be considered as a factor in
HPC shrinkage and durability [11]. Although shrinkage strains in
HPC are similar to those of ordinary concretes, the process is differ-
ent, in particular at low w/c ratios and high cement contents.
Unlike in ordinary concretes, in HPCs, autogenous shrinkage is pre-
dominant, especially at the start of hardening. HPCs are subject to
this shrinkage type due to internal desiccation. Heat generation,
particularly violent at the beginning of hydration, accelerates paste
hardening and self-desiccation-related autogenous shrinkage
developing in proportion to hydration levels. High cement contents
in HPC can be avoided, although not without difficulty, but it is
impossible to avoid using very low w/c ratios. Therefore, the influ-
ence of paste volume on HPC properties is a very topical issue.
practice. Paste volumes of 220, 320 and 420 dm3/m3 were used
so that HPCs intended for mass structures, standard HPCs and
self-compacting HPCs could be included. Constant amounts of sand
and coarse aggregate were applied to mixes with a given paste vol-
ume. The coarse and fine aggregate mix composition was designed
to maintain approximately the same volume of sand in each mix,
regardless of the w/c ratio. This procedure allowed using only
two variables: paste volume and coarse aggregate content.
2.2. Materials
All mixes were produced from the same materials. The results
obtained from the author’s previous research [12,13] were used
to establish that blast furnace slag (BFS) cement and basalt aggre-
gate would be an optimal option for the HPCs. The cement con-
tained 55% of granulated ground blast furnace slag. The
properties and chemical composition of the cement are detailed
in Table 1. Chemical composition of the cement clinker and slag
and the phase composition of the clinker are presented in
Tables 2 and 3. Suitable workability and consistency of the mixes
were provided by the new generation polycarboxylate ether super-
plasticizer. High quality basalt coarse aggregate used in the con-
crete was derived from the deposits in the Lower Silesia, Poland.
Basalt as the volcanic extrusive rock containing no quartz or only
minor quantities of quartz is recommended as alkali-nonreactive
aggregate. Its properties are summarized in Table 4. Pre-washed
natural quartz sand was used as fine aggregate. Fine and coarse
aggregate sieve analysis results are provided in Table 5, along with
aggregate mix compositions designed for concretes containing
three different volumes of cement paste. Prior to the production
of the mixes, the aggregate was thoroughly dried.
All the mixes were produced from the materials named above.
Concrete mix compositions are included in Table 6.
The total external surface of the coarse aggregate was deter-
mined from the formula proposed by Jamrozy [14] for specific sur-
face area of aggregate fraction:

5; 6 2
2. Materials and methods S¼ ½m =kg ð1Þ
d
2.1. Aim and scope of the experiment
d1 þ d2
d¼ ½mm ð2Þ
The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cement 2
paste volume and w/c ratio on long-term shrinkage strains, mass S – specific surface area of aggregate fraction [m2/kg]
absorption and compressive strength of HPCs at 28 days of curing. d1 – upper sieve opening size [mm],
An attempt was made to explain the causes and the mechanism of d2 – lower sieve opening size [mm].
the changes induced by varied volumes of cement paste.
To be able to perform a comprehensive assessment of the vari- The formula above is for the aggregate with a density of 2.65 kg/
ation in the properties, a clear plan of experiment was designed dm3 – in the case of basalt aggregate with a density of 3.0 kg/dm3,
and the results were subjected to statistical analysis. The w/c ratio the values calculated for the specific surface area had to be multi-
ranged from 0.25 to 0.35 to cover the entire w/c range applied in plied by quotient 2.65/3.00.

Table 1
Properties of cement.

Specific surface Initial setting Final setting 2-Days 28-Days Specific Water Content of Content of Content of
area [cm2/g] time [min] time [min] compressive compressive density demand sulphates SO2 chlorides Cl alkali [%]
strength [MPa] strength [MPa] [g/cm3] [%] [%] [%]
4650 230 300 14.2 50.3 2.98 30.9 2.56 0.026 0.83

Table 2
Chemical composition of cement clinker and slag [as % by weight].

Insoluble particles SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO SO3 Na2O K2O Cl-
Clinker 0.15 21.8 5.1 2.9 65.9 1.4 0.5 0.1 0.8 0.02
Slag 0.1 38.1 7.7 1.5 43.7 6.2 0.06 0.5 0.6 0.08
 W. Piasta, B. Zarzycki / Construction and Building Materials 140 (2017) 395–402 397

Table 3 extensometer in six prismatic specimens 10x10x50 cm with pins

Phase composition of cement clinker [as % by weight].
C3S C2S C3A C4AF
65 13 8.5 10
The specific surface area of the coarse aggregate is 0.7214 m2/kg
(Table 7). The total surface area of coarse aggregate can be calcu-
lated taking into account the content of the coarse aggregate in
the mixes with different volumes of cement paste (Table 8).
2.3. Methods
Five 10  10  50 cm beams made of each concrete mix were
cast for shrinkage strain tests with an Amsler extensometer PN-
84/B-06714/23 [15]. The length of the beams was first measured
24 h after casting. Shrinkage of concretes was tested up to an age
of 120 days.
The beams were air-cured at 20 ± 2 °C and relative humidity
(RH) of 35 ± 5%. The shrinkage strain was measured with an Amsler
embedded centrally in the front part. The first measurement was
CaO free made 24 h after casting. The total duration of shrinkage tests was
0.7 up to an age of 120 days.
The earliest measurements of specimen lengths were made
immediately after demoulding, i.e., 24 h after casting. Thus the
shrinkage that occurred during the first 24 h was not captured.
First shrinkage strains were recorded between 24 and 48 h after
casting. For the first 7 days, the specimens were measured every
day. From day 7 to day 30, the measurements were made every
three days and then every 30 days until day 120.
To test water absorption and compressive strength, 10 cubes
10x10x10 cm of each concrete were cast, cured in water for
28 days and tested. Water absorption tests were performed to
PN-EN 13369:2013-09 [16] on 5 cubes of each concrete. After wip-
ing off the water, the specimens were weighed and dried 7 days at
105 °C. The weight of cube was recorded for each day and loss in
weight after 7 days was calculated as an average value for each
concrete. The compressive strength test was performed to PN-EN
12390-3:2011 [17] on 5 cubes of each concrete. They were loaded
axially to failure and the failure load was recorded for each sample.

Table 4
Properties of basalt rock.

Compressive Tensile strength Modulus of Bulk density Specific density Total Water absorption by Water absorption by
strength [MPa] [MPa] elasticity [GPa] [g/cm3] [g/cm3] porosity [%] weight [%] volume [%]
215.8 12.5 100.8 3.0 3.06 1.96 0.5 1.5

Table 5
Sieve analysis of fine and coarse aggregates and aggregate mix compositions.

Sieve Sand Basalt coarse Fine and coarse aggregate for Vp = 220 Fine and coarse aggregate for Vp = 320 Fine and coarse aggregate for Vp = 420
[mm] aggregate dm3/m3 dm3/m3 dm3/m3
31.5 100 100 100 100 100
16 100 98 99 99 99
8 100 50 64 67 70
4 100 13 37 43 48
2 98 0 27 33 39
1 78 0 22 27 31
0.5 46 0 13 16 18
0.25 12 0 3 4 5
0.125 2 0 1 1 1

Table 6
Compositions of concrete mixes.

w/c Cement paste volume [dm3/m3] Water [kg/m3] Cement [kg/m3] Sand [kg/m3] Coarse aggregate [kg/m3] Superplasticizer [kg/m3]
0.25 220 93.93 375.70 662.24 1590.29 6.32
0.25 320 136.62 546.48 663.79 1288.54 7.11
0.25 420 179.31 717.25 661.08 991.61 7.58
0.30 220 103.84 346.15 662.24 1590.29 3.54
0.30 320 151.05 503.48 663.79 1288.54 5.60
0.30 420 198.25 660.82 661.08 991.61 5.90
0.35 220 112.32 320.90 662.24 1590.29 2.96
0.35 320 163.37 466.76 663.79 1288.54 4.27
0.35 420 214.42 612.63 661.08 991.61 5.51

Table 7
Coarse aggregate fraction specific surface area. Table 8
Sieve Content of given fractions Specific surface Fraction surface Coarse aggregate total surface area.
of coarse aggregate [%] area [m2/kg] area [m2/kg] Cement paste Specific Coarse Total coarse
16/31.5 2 0.206 0.0041 volume Vp surface area aggregate aggregate surface
8/16 48 0.412 0.1979 [dm3/m3] [m2/kg] content [kg] area [m2]
4/8 37 0.824 0.3050 220 0.7214 1590.20 1147
2/4 13 1.649 0.2144 320 0.7214 1288.54 930
R = 100% Surface area: 0.7214 420 0.7214 991.61 715
398 W. Piasta, B. Zarzycki / Construction and Building Materials 140 (2017) 395–402

500

shrinkage strain [*10-6]

400

300

200

100
Vp=220 dm3/m3 Vp=320 dm3/m3 Vp=420 dm3/m3
0
1 8 15 22 29 36 43 50 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 106 113 120

time [days]

Fig. 1. Shrinkage strains up to 120 days for concretes with 0.25 w/c ratio.

500
shrinkage strain [*10-6]

400

300

200

100
Vp=220 dm3/m3 Vp=320 dm3/m3 Vp=420 dm3/m3
0
1 8 15 22 29 36 43 50 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 106 113 120

time [days]

Fig. 2. Shrinkage strains up to 120 days for concretes with 0.30 w/c ratio.

500
shrinkage strain [*10-6]

400

300

200

100
Vp=220 dm3/m3 Vp=320 dm3/m3 Vp=420 dm3/m3
0
1 8 15 22 29 36 43 50 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 106 113 120

time [days]

Fig. 3. Shrinkage strains up to 120 days for concretes with 0.35 w/c ratio.
compressive strength [MPa]

130
the concretes with the same w/c ratio, the strains varied with the
120 cement paste volume. Lower shrinkage for each w/c ratio was
R² = 0.9931 observed with lower paste content. The shrinkage strain was from
110 228 * 106 for the paste volume of 220 dm3/m3 and w/c = 0.25 to
R² = 0.9956 533 * 106 for the paste volume of 420 dm3/m3 and w/c = 0.35.
100
Fig. 4 illustrates the test results for HPC compressive strength,
90 R² = 0.9998 depending on the cement paste volume and three different w/c
w/c=0.25 w/c=0.30 w/c=0.35 ratios. The highest value of compressive strength, 124.7 MPa, was
80 attained by the concrete with w/c = 0.25 and paste volume of
200 250 300 350 400 450
220 dm3/m3. The lowest compressive strength, 84.3 MPa, was
cement paste volume [dm3/m3]
recorded for the concrete with the paste volume of 420 dm3/m3
Fig. 4. Dependence of compressive strength on the cement paste volume and w/c and w/c = 0.35.
ratio. Fig. 5 shows the relationship between water absorption and
paste volume. The water absorption parameter, dependent on both
Results were presented as average values of compressive strength the w/c ratio and the paste volume, was from 1.95% (w/c = 0.25
for each concrete. and Vp = 220 dm3/m3) to 4.98% by weight (for w/c = 0.35 and
Vp = 420 dm3/m3).
3. Test results Table 9 shows the HPC results from the shrinkage strain test at
7 and 60 days and compressive strength and absorption tests at
Figs. 1–3 show HPC shrinkage strains measured up to 120 days 28 days of curing. These results were subjected to statistical
of curing for w/c ratios of 0.25, 0.30 and 0.35, respectively. Among analysis.
 W. Piasta, B. Zarzycki / Construction and Building Materials 140 (2017) 395–402 399

5.2
R² = 0.9977

water absorption [% by weight]

4.7
R² = 0.997
4.2
R² = 0.9953
3.7

3.2

2.7

2.2
w/c=0.25 w/c=0.30 w/c=0.35
1.7
200 250 300 350 400 450
cement paste volume [dm3/m3]

Fig. 5. Relationship between water absorption and paste volume.

Table 9
Test results for shrinkage strain at 7 and 60 days, compressive strength and water absorption at 28 days of curing.

w/c Cement paste volume [dm3/m3] Compressive strength [MPa] Water absorption by weight [%] Shrinkage strain [*106]
at 7 days at 60 days
0.25 220 124.7 1.95 125 219
0.25 320 116.4 2.98 164 308
0.25 420 110.2 3.79 210 406
0.30 220 113.3 2.30 140 263
0.30 320 103.6 3.46 182 370
0.30 420 95.9 4.42 240 473
0.35 220 98.4 2.60 167 332
0.35 320 91.5 3.89 212 418
0.35 420 84.3 4.98 260 515

4. Analysis and discussion of test results
4.1. Mechanism of the effect of paste volume changes on the properties
of concrete
While explaining significant changes in concrete paste volume-
dependent properties, it is vital to include the issues concerning
the water movement in the fresh concrete mix. Also the phe-
nomenon of water being adsorbed to the surface of aggregates
and their influence on the actual w/c ratio should be considered.
The paste volume reduction in a concrete mix results in the lower
total water content, increased aggregate volume and a propor-
tional increase in external surface area of the aggregate adjacent
to the paste (Figs. 6, 7). Consequently, the surface area of the water
film separated from the fresh paste and adsorbed onto the aggre-
gate increases. The total surface area of the aggregate-cement
paste interfacial transition zone (ITZ) tends to become larger in
the hardened concrete. For example, for w/c = 0.25 and paste vol-
ume Vp = 420 dm3/m3, the total water content is 179.3 kg and
the total surface area of aggregate is 715 m2 (Figs. 6a and 7a),
whereas for the paste volume of 220 dm3/m3, the content of water
is 93.9 kg, and the total surface area of the coarse aggregate is 1
147 m2 (Figs. 6b and 7b).
The formation of a water film over large surface area of aggre-
gate will substantially decrease the water content in the bulk paste
and as a result decrease its actual (effective) w/c ratio. Also, the
porosity of the bulk paste and transition zone paste is reduced
thereby leading to improved tightness. This suggests denser bulk
and ITZ paste and narrower ITZ. Water reduction in the bulk paste
through adsorption will probably also reduce the width of the ITZ,
may affect the adhesion of the paste to aggregate particles and can
be partly responsible for the improvement of concrete perfor-
mance. Scrivener et al. [18] noted that the increase in sand content
in mortars all with the same w/c ratio decreases the porosity of
cement mortar.
In addition, the adsorption of water on the surface of a large
quantity of aggregate in the HPC mix, reduces the actual (effective)
w/c ratio during desiccation thus decreasing the degree of cement
hydration. Progressing cement hydration is the major factor in
autogenous shrinkage of cement paste [11].
In summary, the change in the properties of HPCs induced by
the changes in paste volume is within the ‘‘hidden meaning” of
actual (effective) w/c ratio, first indicated by Aitcin and Bentz [3]
with reference to the spacing between cement particles in the
paste.
4.2. Shrinkage strain
Regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship
between shrinkage, paste volume and w/c for concretes cured for
7 and 60 days. Figs. 8 and 9 include equations that can be used
to estimate the dependence of shrinkage in high performance con-
cretes cured for 7 and 60 days on two variables – the paste volume
and the w/c ratio – and planes that visualize estimated dependen-
cies. Coefficients of determination, R2 = 0.993 and R2 = 0.997,
respectively, indicate that the regression model fits the data very
well.
Shrinkage strain of concrete is a sum of autogenous and drying
shrinkage as concrete shrinkage is a result of desiccation of the
paste due to cement hydration and drying in air, respectively.
Due to cement hydration, self-desiccation follows and autogenous
shrinkage occurs and continues until hydration ceases [19]. This
shrinkage type is particularly important at low w/c ratios and high
cement contents, thus first of all in HPCs. The process of self-
desiccation indicates that free autogenous shrinkage is propor-
tional to the degree of cement hydration [20,21]. This fact together
400 W. Piasta, B. Zarzycki / Construction and Building Materials 140 (2017) 395–402

Fig. 6. Concept sketch of the cross-sections of concrete mixes (w/c = 0.25) containing different volumes of cement paste: a) 220 dm3/m3; b) 420 dm3/m3 (dimensions of the
objects in the figure are not real). In mix (a) with 93.9 kg of water, the thin water film (light blue) adsorbed from a small volume of paste (grey) covers a large external surface
of well packed grains of aggregate (light brown) and sand (black dots) (very thin films on sand particles are not marked; amount of sand in both mixes (and the number of
dots in both figures) is the same, about 662 kg/m3 (item 2.1)). In mix (b) with 179.3 kg of water, the water film adsorbed from a large volume of paste covers a small surface
area of well dispersed grains of aggregate and sand. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

Fig. 7. Cross-sections of concrete specimens with different cement paste volumes: a) 220 dm3/m3, b) 420 dm3/m3.

Fig. 8. Relationship between shrinkage strain, cement paste volume and w/c ratio Fig. 9. Relationship between shrinkage strain, cement paste volume and w/c ratio
at 7 days of curing. at 60 days of curing.
 W. Piasta, B. Zarzycki / Construction and Building Materials 140 (2017) 395–402
with increasing capillary porosity resulting from increased w/c
ratio explains the observed proportional gain in shrinkage strains
during drying, as the water loss from the surface of concrete is
responsible for the change in concrete volume.
The replacement of coarse aggregate, which is not subject to
shrinkage, with cement paste suggests a proportional increase in
shrinkage across the entire concrete specimen. In addition, lower
w/c and hydration degree due to water adsorption (the cement
content is not increased) make cement particles lie very close to
each other. This proximity of the particles [3] may result in more
rigid paste and lower total shrinkage. The influence of paste vol-
ume is strong enough to produce higher shrinkage in concrete with
the lowest w/c ratio and the highest paste volume (w/c = 0.25;
Vp = 420 dm3/m3) than in the concrete with the highest w/c but
the lowest paste volume (w/c = 0.35; Vp = 220 dm3/m3). Thus, the
lowering of w/c ratio at the increase in paste volume may not lead
to shrinkage reduction.
4.3. Compressive strength
The results were used in the linear regression model to estimate
the dependence of compressive strength on the paste volume and
w/c ratio. The coefficient of determination is R2 = 0.997, which
indicates that the plane fits the data very well (Fig. 10). Compres-
sive strength of HPC is significantly related not only to the w/c ratio
but also to the paste volume.
The tests results indicate that the strengths of concretes with
w/c from 0.25 to 0.35 increase with decreasing paste volume
(Figs. 4, 10). Separation of the water film from the fresh paste as
a result of its adsorption on the aggregate surface (item 4.1.
Fig. 6) is supposed to dry the paste, lowering its actual w/c ratio
and probably narrowing the ITZ. Consequently, the strength of
the bulk paste and the paste around the aggregate grains may
increase, thus increasing the strength of the cement paste-
aggregate bond and the concrete. With good aggregate-paste adhe-
sion assumed for w/c  0.35 [19], higher strength of the concretes
may result from replacing the weaker paste by coarse aggregate
derived from higher strength rocks. This would partly explain the
linear dependence of concrete strength on the varied paste volume.
A decrease in w/c from 0.35 to 0.25 increases the strength by
nearly 26 MPa for all paste volumes despite the reduction in the
degree of cement hydration. The lower w/c ratio decreases
Fig. 10. Relationship between compressive strength, cement paste volume and w/c
ratio.
401
capillary porosity of the hardened paste and affects the width
and microstructure of the aggregate-paste ITZ [22,23]. The lower
the w/c, the less water separates from the fresh paste forming a
thinner film on the aggregate grains, thereby increasing the inter-
facial paste strength and, consequently, improving the properties
of the concrete.
4.4. Water absorption
The graph in Fig. 11 is a visualised estimation of the dependence
of concrete water absorption on the cement paste volume and w/c.
A high value of the coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.988, allows
predicting absorption levels to high accuracy with the estimated
regression equation.
Differences in the values of absorption, from 1.95% to 4.98% by
weight, depending on the cement paste volume and w/c ratio
imply an evident influence of both variables. The principal factors
in these significant and proportional changes in absorption values
include the percent content ratio of the volume of basalt aggregate
with relatively low absorption (0.4% by weight) to hardened paste
with high absorption [6] and capillary pore volumes and diame-
ters, which increase with increasing w/c ratio.
Induced by increasing paste volume, the absorption gain
increases with the w/c ratio. This contributes to higher inclination
angle of the lines (see Fig. 5) relative to the paste volume axis.
At w/c = 0.25, absorption gain is 0.9 percentage point per
100 dm3/m3 paste volume, whereas at w/c = 0.35, the gain
increases up to 1.2 percentage points. It can be suggested that
the increased absorption gain takes place not only because of
increasing potential relative pore volume to be filled with water
but also because of increasing depth to which external water pen-
etrates the concrete. Note that at decreasing w/c ratios, the move-
ment of water becomes limited owing to reduced diameter of
continuous capillary pores and increased resistance to this move-
ment. High performance concretes having low w/c ratios usually
show low absorption ability not only because they are less porous,
but also because their capillary and pore networks are somewhat
disconnected, which restrains the water penetration depth. In
addition, decreasing paste volume leads to increased content of
water adsorbed on the larger surface area of aggregate, which
results in the reduction in the actual w/c ratio and, thereby, in
absorption values.
Fig. 11. Relationship between water absorption, cement paste volume and w/c
ratio.
402 W. Piasta, B. Zarzycki / Construction and Building Materials 140 (2017) 395–402
5. Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn from the present
study:
1. The cement paste volume had a significant effect on the proper-
ties of high performance concretes under tests and, accordingly,
it would be advisable to take this factor into account in the
design of concrete mixtures. Compressive strength, shrinkage
and water absorption of individual concretes were easily esti-
mated based on the values of paste volume and w/c ratio by
first degree equations.
2. Probable causes of the changes in the properties observed may
include water adsorption on the larger aggregate surface area,
which contributes to the removal of water from the bulk
cement paste, decreases its actual w/c ratio and reduces the
width of aggregate-cement paste interface. Lower actual w/c
ratio decreases capillary porosity of the bulk and interfacial
zone paste. This leads to higher strength and improved tight-
ness and adhesion of the paste to the aggregate grains. The
reduced actual w/c ratio may be partly responsible for the
improvement of concrete performance.
3. Concrete shrinkage was directly proportional to the paste vol-
ume, because with aggregates not being subject to shrinkage,
its only source in concrete is cement paste. A 100 dm3/m3
reduction in paste volume at the w/c ratio held constant leads
to a decrease in shrinkage strain by about 95 * 106 at 60 days
of curing. In addition, adsorption of the water membrane or film
on the grain surface, together with increasing aggregate content
and decreasing paste volume, intensifies the bulk paste drying
process. The removal of water from the paste with low w/c ratio
of 0.25–0.35 may reduce the degree of hydration and actual w/c
ratio of the cement paste. On the other hand, autogenous
shrinkage of the cement paste is proportional to the cement
hydration degree and drying shrinkage is consistent with w/c.
4. A reduction in the paste volume by 100 dm3/m3 increased the
compressive strength of the HPC under analysis by nearly
8 MPa for each w/c. The probable cause of this increase in
strength is water adsorption on the larger aggregate surface
area, which dries bulk cement paste and decreases both its
actual w/c ratio and the width of ITZ. Also, with good
aggregate-paste adhesion, the concrete strength increase may
partially result from the strength of the coarse aggregate rock
material being higher than that of the paste.
5. The main cause of significant changes in HPC absorption values,
which occur proportionally to the w/c ratio and the paste vol-
ume, is the ratio of relatively low-absorption basalt aggregate
content to that of the paste with much higher absorption ability
in the total volume of concrete. In addition, lowering of the
actual w/c ratio due to water adsorption on the larger surface
area of aggregates results in improved tightness of the cement
paste. Water absorption of concretes considered relative to
the paste volume for increasing w/c ratios, shows an increasing
gain, which results from greater water permeation depth due to
larger diameters of capillary pores at higher w/c ratios.
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