Effect of Capillary Tension Theory on Early Shrinkage of Reinforcement-Constrained Concrete

In this research, we propose a technique to predict the early contraction of reinforced concrete based on the theory of capillary tension and the microscopic pore structure of concrete. The results of the study showed that reinforcement alters the pore structure of concrete. We prepared concrete specimens with two different strength classes and three different reinforcement rates to study the contraction and physical properties of concrete at the ages of 3, 7, and 28 days. Additionally, as the reinforcement rate is increased, the size of the concrete’s pore structure grows linearly. Due to the joint deformation of the concrete and reinforcement and the restriction of capillary stresses, the contraction of reinforced concrete is reduced. The predicted and tested concrete contraction values that are restrained by reinforcement show better agreement.