That (heat) is not why you should keep the concrete moist. Concrete is
a hydraulic cure, meaning it requires water to cure. If concrete is
allowed to prematurely dry out it doesn't become strong until it gets
wet again, and may not ever reach the strength it would have if it had
remained wet. A bit of surface water will do almost nothing to affect
the internal heat generated by curing, but it will greatly facilitate
the cure itself.
By the way, too much water in the mix is not a good thing either,
because after the cure is complete the excess water will eventually
depart leaving small interstitial spaces ... and air is very poor in
compression. ;) The strongest concrete is that which just barely has
enough water throughout the curing cycle to complete the chemical
reaction. That is rarely seen in practice, though, because such a mix
would be very stiff and hard to work ... certainly difficult to pour.
73,
Dave AB7E
On 11/1/2013 12:20 PM, Tom Anderson wrote:
Doug:
One thing you might do is what I was told when I put in my base back in 1993. Lightly water the concrete base daily. I mean lightly, no gushers, etc. Just a sprinkle for a couple minutes. This helps take out the heat from the curing concrete. I mnust have worked because my 4x4x6 ft base is still in fine shape as when I put it in.
Tom, WW5L
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|