Cracking failure behavior of high strength concrete containing nano-CaCO3 at early age

Nano-calcium carbonate (CaCO3) has been added to high strength concrete (HSC) to reduce cement usage, control greenhouse gas emissions, increase durability, and control excessive shrinkage of HSC. Many investigations on the mechanical properties and shrinkage of HSC containing nano-CaCO3 have conducted. However, the early-age cracking failure behavior of that considering temperature, shrinkage, restrained stress, and tensile creep simultaneously was rarely investigated. Temperature stress test machine, which could measure these factors simultaneously, was used to investigate the influence of nano-CaCO3 contents (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% by weight of cement powder) on the early-age cracking failure behavior of HSC in the present investigation. Mechanical properties of HSC containing nano-CaCO3 were tested. The addition of nano-CaCO3 to HSC improved the mechanical properties, and reduced the tensile creep as well as autogenous shrinkage of that at early age. A simplified stress-strain failure criterion was proposed.