Effect of coarse cement particles on the self-healing of dense concretes

The self-healing ability of dense concretes was investigated by adding coarse cement particles to the mixtures as a self-healing agent. Longitudinal cracks were created in cylindrical samples after 28 d of curing using the split test method. The cylindrical specimens were then fastened using metal rings in such a manner that the crack width was set to 200 mu m and the specimens were cured in water for the second stage. The secondary tensile strength and water passing through the cracked specimens were then investigated. In addition, the hydration degree was measured as an explanation of self-healing rates. The results show that the use of coarse cement particles recovers tensile strength by up to 38% and also decreases the water passing rate by up to 100%.