How to Cure Portland Cement

This PDH or CE course explains the curing of concrete as defined by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) as maintaining of a satisfactory moisture content and temperature in concrete during its early stages so that desired properties may develop. “(1) The need to cure portland cement concrete, including pavements, in order to develop its physical properties sufficiently for strength and durability has been appreciated for many years. Jackson and Kellerman (1939) of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads wrote, “Thorough and complete curing has always been recognized as one of the most important single factors involved in the construction of concrete pavement.” (2) Curing has been an item in the ACI Building Code (now ACI 318(3)) since 1904 (Meeks and Carino, 1999).

(4) There has been a considerable amount of research over approximately the last 70 years on the theoretical aspects of curing portland cement concrete. Early work focused principally on portland cement hydration chemistry and the physics of developing microstructure. Later work incorporated features of pozzolanic reactions and other supplemental cementing materials. Because of this work, there is sufficient understanding of the theoretical aspects of the curing process for concretes of conventional proportions using conventional materials to develop effective practical application rules. Features of the curing process of unusual concretes, such as extremely low water-cementitious concretes, have yet to be fully understood and still require significant research effort. Still, for the bulk of concrete placed, including portland cement concrete pavements, the existing theoretical knowledge is sufficient to support good practice. A substantial body of practice has been developed on curing that covers the critical steps that, if properly followed, result in properly cured concrete.

Learning Objective:

The scope of this PDH or CE course is limited to pavements. It does not include curing of bridge decks or other structures associated with pavements. Curing for these types of structures depends on the same basic principles, but some details of execution differ significantly from pavements.

Review the quiz before studying the course.

Course Content

Course Author: Franco Davati, P.E