Title: Temperature and moisture effects on mechanical properties of concrete: evaluation of prediction relations for sulphate resistant concrete

Authors: Muhammad Nasir Amin

Addresses: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, King Faisal University (KFU), P.O. Box 380, Al-Hofuf, Al-Ahsa 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract: This study investigates the influence of different curing temperatures and humidity conditions on the development of mechanical properties of sulphate resistant concrete (SRC) and its prediction relations. A series of experiments were performed considering three distinct curing temperatures (20°C, 40°C, and 60°C). For each curing temperature, 60-specimen were cast and exposed to four different moisture conditions (moist, 55% humidity, three-day moist then 55% humidity, seven-day moist then 55% humidity). The experimental results revealed that higher curing temperatures along with continuous lower and higher degrees of saturation yield high early-age and lower 28-day compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and elastic modulus of SRC and vice versa for lower curing temperatures. Finally, applicability of existing relationships to estimate elastic modulus and splitting tensile strength from compressive strength of concrete were investigated. Prediction models which best fits the current experimental results were identified and proposed for their future uses in SRC.

Keywords: curing temperature; relative humidity; compressive strength; splitting tensile strength; elastic modulus; prediction modelling; moisture effects; mechanical properties; sulphate resistant concrete; SRC.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTRUCTE.2016.079283

International Journal of Structural Engineering, 2016 Vol.7 No.4, pp.333 - 354

Received: 07 Sep 2015
Accepted: 27 Oct 2015
Published online: 26 Sep 2016 *

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