Modeling of Setting Behavior in Fresh Concrete considering Microstructure Formation

In the analysis of early-age concrete behavior, the fresh concrete is considered as a structural element immediately after mixing. But for the activation of real structural behavior in the fresh concrete, the so-called setting time is necessary a few hours after the beginning of hydration reaction. In this paper, analysis on the setting behavior is carried out by proposing an analytical model based on the percolation theory as well as the expanding cluster model by defining the setting as a microstructure formation in fresh concrete. An experimental investigation is also carried out to show the influences of curing temperature, mineral admixtures and chemical admixture on setting behavior of fresh concrete. Finally, the analytical results using proposed model are compared with the experimental results for the sake of verification.