An Automated Monitoring System to Measure Shrinkage of Cement-Based Materials in Multiple Environments

An automated monitoring system was developed for the measurement of shrinkage of cement-based materials. This system combines continuous dynamic measurements conducted on multi-group samples, the use of non-contact measurements and environment simulation technology. An automated data analysis method was developed and used to obtain shrinkage values. Furthermore, a correction method is proposed in an effort to calibrate these measurements. The early-age and long-term shrinkage behavior of multi-group samples were investigated by the use of this system under specific testing environments. This was done in an effort to understand the influence of climatic variations on shrinkage deformation properties. These experimental data can be used in numerical models to estimate shrinkage of similar specimens.