Tensile creep and shrinkage of SAP modified concrete

A series of tests has been performed on high-performance concrete with and without superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) to explore tensile creep and shrinkage. Specimens were wrapped in polyethylene foil in order to simulate gentle drying while others were wrapped in aluminum foil to prevent drying, others could freely dry. The results show the expected influence of water-to-cement ratio on shrinkage and creep of concrete with Portland cement only. However, the more relevant result was that SAP could reduce tensile creep by almost 50% whereas drying shrinkage remained almost the same. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.