Craft · 6 pages · 12 min
How concrete cures rather than dries
Cement reacts with water to form the binder, so curing is that reaction, not evaporation.
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From the opening
Concrete cures by hydration: minerals in Portland cement react with water and grow new solid compounds that bind the sand and stone. The water is an ingredient in that reaction, not a thinner that is supposed to leave the way water leaves mud. The opening covers hydration builds the binder, water is a reactant, not a solvent, and a dried skin stays weak and dusty.
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Inside
- Hydration builds the binder
- Water is a reactant, not a solvent
- A dried skin stays weak and dusty
- Batch water and curing water differ
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Hydration of Portland cement
- Curing concrete by keeping water available