Internally Cured Concrete Use On the Rise

Internally cured concrete is being used increasingly in the construction of bridge decks, pavements, parking structures, water tanks and other structures. The benefit: bridge decks made with internally cured, high-performance concrete were found in one study to have a service life of 63 years. Conventional concrete’s service life is estimated at 22 years, and 40 years for high-performance concrete without internal curing.

Costs are initially higher (up to 12 percent) but the study’s co-authors, NIST chemical engineer Dale Bentz and Jason Weiss, Purdue University civil engineering professor, say the risk of cracking is reduced, the concrete tolerates salt damage better, and overall the structure is more durable with a longer life and lower life-cycle costs.