Study on time-varying coefficient of thermal expansion of Carbon nanotubes-modified face slab concrete at early age.

• The effect of CNTs on the thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) of FSC at early age was investigated. • A time-varying model of FSC at early age CTE was developed based on maturity theory. • The time-varying CTE can reflect the actual thermal cracking situation of FSC. • The addition of 0.1 wt% CNTs can reduce the early CTE of FSC and improve its crack resistance. Temperature stresses are a major cause of thermal cracking in face slab concrete (FSC) at an early age. Time-varying coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) can reflect the real thermal cracking of FSC. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can improve the mechanical properties of concrete, but its thermal cracking performance is rarely reported. In this study, CTE of FSC at an early age was investigated based on the maturity theory. The mechanism of CNTs on the CTE of FSC at early age was revealed, and a time-varying model for CTE at early age was developed. The results showed that CNTs can effectively reduce the CTE of FSC at an early age and can significantly improve the cracking resistance of FSC at early age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]