Closing Remarks

The results presented in a number of works in this volume show significant discrepancy when compared to some results reported in the literature. Consequently, the discussions in the summit and along the preparation of this volume promoted rather crucial questions than conclusive answers. However, the field of young concrete has certainly attained further maturity and the overall outcome can be considered of extreme significance towards sound solutions. The lines of such questions have indicated the essential steps and research directions towards the better understanding and control of the early age cracking mechanism. Among such steps is the establishment of a standardised cracking test. The lack of unified testing procedures allows only the results of independent researches be unquestionably valid within restricted conditions and data. The highly complex stress system, which arises in the early transient state of concrete, strongly indicates that equally complex and highly accurate testing procedures are required for reliable results to be expected. Nevertheless, researchers could reach neither a consensus on the best candidate for unified test nor sufficient confidence that any of the existing methods is fit for the task. It seems clear that the existent methods are not sufficient to alone reliably predict the risk of early age cracking. On the other hand, considerable doubt exists whether will ever be possible to reliably determine the risk and to prevent cracking without the support of analytical methods. Yet it is clear that experimental procedures alone cannot promote sufficient understanding on the intrinsic mechanism of cracking, and ever more refined modelling techniques will be required to accommodate the many behavioural differences of varied concrete types and structures.