Influence of Curing with River and Tap Water on the Performance of Various Concrete Slabs

Concrete is the most important construction material around the world, which is characterized by its strength, durability, and ability to withstand live and dead loads. Concrete consists of three essential components: cement, sand, and gravel, which are mixed with water using different mixing percentages, with the addition of additives to get the required type of concrete. Concrete can be classified into many types according to the required strength demand. In addition, concrete is exposed to dynamic loads, which are the loads that would change the positions and quantities of the concrete structures. The dynamic or kinetic loads often occur in areas exposed to earthquakes and disasters, as well as traffic on highways. The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of curing by tap water and river water on the properties of the concrete. In this study, three types of concrete, which are Normal Concrete (NC), Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC), and Fly Ash Concrete (FAC), were used to form six slabs by using a mold with dimensions of (450*450*100) mm, in addition to their control specimens. Each slab with its control specimens was cured by tap water and river water for 28 days. The slabs were examined for the dynamic load using a drop ball impact device. The results showed that samples cured in river water gave approximately 25% fewer strokes and 16% less crack width than those of samples cured in tap water. The compressive strength of samples cured with tap water was slightly higher than that of samples cured with river water; the average increase was 3%, 5%, and 4.5% for NC, SCC, and FAC, respectively. Also, the results exhibit similar crack patterns with punching failure for all specimens. Using river water for concrete curing is a good option after ensuring that the water is free of pollutants and chemicals that may affect the workability and durability of concrete.