26/08/2026
AS 3600 allows three curing methods. Two of them can stop working.
Clause 17.1.5.1: water applied to, accelerated curing of, or water retained in the concrete. Table 4.4 sets the duration - 3 to 7 days depending on exposure class. The standard prescribes duration, not method.
Ponding stops. Hessian dries out. Sheeting lifts. All three external methods depend on someone maintaining them. Water retained in the mix can't be interrupted, walked on, or forgotten.
Huang et al. (2023, ES Materials & Manufacturing) tested colloidal nano-silica: internal RH held above 92% vs. continuous decline in the reference, drying shrinkage down ~15% at 7 days, sorptivity down 18%+.
Worth noting: no method has a defined sufficiency threshold — internal curing included. The standard trusts the process.
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