Re-examining the influence of the inclusion characteristics on the drying shrinkage of cementitious composites

The addition of aggregates to cement paste is known to alter its shrinkage, in relation to the aggregate stiffness and volume fraction. This study reexamines the effects of aggregate volume, and stiffness on shrinkage experienced upon 1st and 2nd drying, by cement pastes across a range of w/c (water-to-cement ratio, mass basis). Focus is paid to understand the influence of the volume fraction and properties of inclusions on the shrinkage response. By unifying shrinkage and mass loss relations with sorption isotherms, the moisture transport properties are extracted as a function of drying time and external relative humidity (RH).