Abstract
The mechanism of the reduction of drying shrinkage by a cement dispersant or a superplasticizer with multifunction (TNT13) that is the cement dispersing and the dry shrinkage reduction was investigated. A commercial superplasticizer (SP) and an organic shrinkage reducer are evaluated as references. TNT13 can reduce the drying shrinkage as much as 12% keeping the flow of mortar constant compared to SP. A positive linear relationship between the surface tension of the pore solutions extracted from hardened mortar and the rate of drying shrinkage indicates that TNT13 reduces drying shrinkage by reducing the surface tension of pore solution.
