THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONCRETE CURE AND SURFACE PREPARATION TECHNIQUES

The article describes preliminary results from a study to determine how effectively acid etching and sweep (brush) blasting remove various curing membranes. The study showed that etching with citric or muriatic acid will not necessarily remove all of the membrane, while sweep blasting can. The preparation of concrete panels is described as well as the curing of the panels. The results of surface preparation after curing are described for water treated sample, vapor barrier treated sample, lacquer treated sample, acrylic treated, silicate treated and untreated concrete, sample without curing or weathering, Comparison is made of surface cracking and cure. The study results are discussed. It was found that concrete that has not cured all the way to the surface may be structurally sound, but the surface may not be suitable for coating. These and other study findings are discussed.