Title:
Time-Temperature Implications of Curing on Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete
Author(s):
Thomas E. Allard, Ashley S. Carey, Isaac L. Howard, and Jay Shannon
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
119
Issue:
5
Appears on pages(s):
251-260
Keywords:
curing temperature; curing time; mechanical properties; ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC); variable temperature (VT) curing
DOI:
10.14359/51735978
Date:
9/1/2022
Abstract:
In this paper, variable temperature (VT) curing was used on
ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) specimens to determine the effects of early-age temperature histories on UHPC mechanical property development. A systematic test plan evaluated 16 programmed VT profiles with different target temperatures as well as VT start and end times. VT curing profiles were intentionally exaggerated from typical time-temperature curves of hydrating concrete to expose the effects of timing on mechanical property development. Specimens that were placed into VT curing immediately after molding produced higher maximum temperatures compared with specimens that were exposed to VT curing 1 day after molding. However, specimens that were cured at room temperature for 1 day prior to VT curing had significantly higher compressive strength and elastic modulus. These findings show the importance of predicting in-place temperatures that develop
in UHPC structures as mechanical properties can be drastically
altered based on when high temperatures occur.