Concrete cover effect on reinforced concrete bars exposed to high temperatures

The mechanical properties of structural reinforcement steel have been investigated after the exposure to high temperatures. Plain steel, reinforcing steel bars embedded into mortar and plain mortar specimens were prepared and exposed to 20, 100, 200, 300, 500, 800 and 950 °C temperature for 3 h individually. The S420 deformed steel bars with diameters of ∅10, ∅16 and ∅20 were used. The mortar was prepared with CEM I 42.5 N cement and fly ash. The tension tests on reinforcements taken from cooled specimens were performed, and the variations in yield strength, ultimate strength and in resilience of three different dimensioned reinforcements were determined. A cover of 25 mm provides protection against high temperatures up to 400 °C. The high temperature exposed plain steel and the steel with 25-mm cover has the same characteristics when the reinforcing steel is exposed to a temperature 250 °C above the exposure temperature of plain steel.     

Long-term bond performance of GFRP bars in concrete under temperature ranging from 20 °C to 80 °C

Eighty pull-out specimens were used to study the effect of temperature ranging from 20 °C to 80 °C in dry environment on bond properties between Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars and concrete. The pullout-test specimens were subjected during 4 and 8 months to high temperatures up to 80 °C and then compared to untreated specimens (20 °C). Experimental results showed no significant reduction on bond strength for temperatures up to 60 °C. However, a maximum of 14% reduction of the bond strength was observed for 80 °C temperature after 8 months of thermal loading. For treated specimens, the coefficient β in the CMR model, which predicts the bond–stress–displacement behavior, seems to be dependant with the temperature.     

Modeling mechanical performance of lightweight concrete containing silica fume exposed to high temperature using genetic programming

In this study, the mechanical performance of lightweight concrete exposed to high temperature has been modeled using genetic programming. The mixes incorporating 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% silica fumes were prepared. Two different cement contents (400 and 500 kg/m³) were used in this study. After being heated to temperatures of 20 °C, 200 °C, 400 °C and 800 °C, respectively, the compressive and splitting tensile strength of lightweight concrete was tested. Empirical genetic programming based equations for compressive and splitting tensile strength were obtained in terms of temperature (T), cement content (C), silica fume content (SF), pumice aggregate content (A), water/cement ratio (W/C) and super plasticizer content (SP). Proposed genetic programming based equations are observed to be quite accurate as compared to experimental results.     

Effect of superplasticizer on plastic shrinkage of plain and silica fume cement concretes

Four types of superplasticizers were used in conjunction with three types of silica fume to prepare cement concrete slab specimens that were utilized to measure plastic shrinkage strain and time to attain maximum strain. The concrete slab specimens were cast and placed in an exposure chamber in which the relative humidity, temperature, and wind velocity were kept at 35 ± 5%, 45 ± 2 °C, and 15 ± 2 km/h, respectively. Results of this investigation indicate that the plastic shrinkage strain varied with the type of superplasticizer and the type of silica fume. Maximum plastic shrinkage strain was measured in the undensified silica fume cement concrete with all superplasticizers. Incompatibility was noted between polycarboxylic ether superplasticizer and plain and two types of silica fume cement concretes.     

Hydration heat kinetics of concrete with silica fume

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of silica fume on the hydration heat of concrete. Portland cement was replaced by silica fume in amounts from 10 % to 30 % by mass in concrete with w/(c+sf) ratios varying between 0.25 and 0.45. A superplasticizer was used to maintain a fluid consistency. The heat of hydration was monitored continuously by a semi-adiabatic calorimetric method for 10 days at 20 °C. The calorimetric study indicated that the hydration was modified by the presence of silica fume. In the early stages, the silica fume showed a high activity and accelerated the hydration rate as compared to that of the reference concrete. The fine silica fume particled provided nucleation sites for hydrates growth. Then the pozzolanic activity took over and increased both strength and the hydration heat. A substitution of Portland cement by 10% with silica fume produced greater strength and cumulative heat of hydration as compared to that of the reference concrete.     

Behavior of FRP-confined concrete after high temperature exposure

This paper presents the results of an experimental program to investigate the effect of high temperature on the performance of concrete externally confined with FRP sheets. For this purpose, a two-phase experimental program was conducted. In the first phase, 42 standard 100 × 200 mm concrete cylinders were prepared. Out of these specimens, 14 cylinders were left unwrapped; 14 specimens were wrapped with one layer of CFRP sheet; and the remaining 14 specimens were wrapped with one layer of GFRP sheet. Some of the unconfined and FRP-confined specimens were exposed to room temperature; whereas, other cylinders were exposed to heating regime of 100 °C and 200 °C for a period of 1, 2 or 3 h. After high temperature exposure, specimens were tested under uniaxial compression till failure. The test results demonstrated that at a temperature of 100 °C (a little more than the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the epoxy resin), both CFRP- and GFRP-wrapped specimens experienced small loss in strength resulting from melting of epoxy. This loss of strength was more pronounced when the temperature reached 200 °C. In the second phase of the experimental program, three 100 × 100 × 650 mm concrete prisms were prepared and then overlaid by one layer of CFRP and GFRP laminates for conducting pull-off strength tests as per ASTM D4541 – 09. The objective of this testing was to evaluate the degradation in bond strength between FRP and concrete substrate when exposed to elevated temperature environments. One prism was exposed to room temperature whereas the other two specimens were exposed to heating regime of 100 °C and 200 °C for a period of 3 h. It was concluded that a significant degradation in the bond strength occurred at a temperature of 200 °C especially for CFRP-overlaid specimens.     

The effect of cement dosage on mechanical properties of concrete exposed to high temperatures

Although concrete is a non-combustible material, it is found that when exposed to high temperatures, such as fire, the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of concrete can drastically change. Thus, it becomes important to assess the relative properties of concrete under high temperatures in order to evaluate and predict the post-fire response of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings and structures. This paper assesses the effects of elevated temperatures and cement dosages on the mechanical properties of concrete. Two concrete mix designs were considered in this research in an attempt to study the effects of cement dosage (250 and 350 kg/m³) on the post-fire response of concrete. Once cast, the test samples were first exposed to elevated temperatures ranging from 100 to 800 °C, and then allowed to cool down slowly to ambient room temperature of 20 °C before being tested to failure. Several tests were then carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the cooled concrete specimens. The test results indicated that at temperature above 400 °C, concrete undergoes significant strength loss when compared to the strength of non-heated concrete. In addition this strength reduction was found to be unaffected by the cement dosages. The experimental results were also compared with current European standard (BS EN 1992-1-2:2004 standard) strength equations and American Concrete Institute standard (ACI 216.1).     

Performance of lightweight concrete with silica fume after high temperature

In this study, the effect of silica fume on compressive and splitting tensile strength of lightweight concrete after high temperature was investigated experimentally and statistically. The mixes incorporating 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% silica fumes were prepared. After being heated to temperatures of 200, 400 and 800 °C, respectively, the compressive and splitting tensile strength of lightweight concrete was tested. This article adopts Taguchi approach with an L₁₆ (4⁵) to reduce the numbers of experiment. Two control factors (percentage of silica fume and heating degree) for this study were used. The level of importance of these parameters on compressive and splitting tensile strength was determined by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) method.     

Effect of elevated temperature on the mechanical properties of concrete produced with finely ground pumice and silica fume

This study investigated the effect of elevated temperature on the mechanical and physical properties of concrete specimens obtained by substituting cement with finely ground pumice (FGP) at proportions of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by weight. To determine the effect of silica fume (SF) additive on the mechanical and physical properties of concrete containing FGP, SF has been added to all series except for the control specimen, which contained 10% cement by weight instead. The specimens were heated in an electric furnace up to 400, 600 and 800 °C and kept at these temperatures for one hour. After the specimens were cooled in the furnace, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), compressive strength and weight loss values were determined. The results demonstrated that adding the mineral admixtures to concrete decreased both unit weight and compressive strength. Additionally, elevating the temperature above 600 °C affected the compressive strength such that the weight loss of concrete was more pronounced for concrete mixtures containing both FGP and SF. These results were also supported by scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies.     

Experimental behaviour of RACFST stub columns after exposed to high temperatures

The experimental studies on the behaviour of recycled aggregate concrete-filled steel tube (RACFST) stub columns after exposed to high temperatures are reported in this paper. Forty specimens, including 32 RACFST stub columns and 8 normal concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) stub columns as reference, were tested, and the failure pattern, load versus strain relation and ultimate strength of the specimens were presented and analysed. Five types of concrete were produced: one reference concrete with natural aggregates, two concrete mixes with recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) replacement ratios of 50% and 100%, and two concrete mixes with recycled fine aggregate (RFA) replacement ratios of 50% and 100%. The specimens were exposed to 300 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C for 3 h. The test results showed that, due to the existence of the recycled aggregates, the post-fire performance of RACFST stub columns was lower than the corresponding normal CFST specimens under the same maximum temperature suffered, and the RACFST specimens with RCA had a better behaviour than those with RFA under the same recycled aggregate replacement ratio.     

Performance of thermally damaged fibre reinforced concretes

Mechanical characteristics of Fibre Reinforced High Performance Concrete (FR-HPC) subjected to high temperatures were experimentally investigated in this paper. Three different concretes were prepared: a normal strength concrete (NSC) and two High Performance Concretes (HPC1 and HPC2). Fibre reinforced concretes were produced by addition of steel or polypropylene fibres in the above mixtures at dosages of 40 kg/m³ and 5 kg/m³, respectively. A total of nine concrete mixtures were produced and fibres were added in six of them. At the age of 120 days specimens were heated to maximum temperatures of 100, 300, 500 and 700 °C. Specimens were then allowed to cool in the furnace and tested for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity. Reference tests were also performed at air temperature (20 °C). Residual strength of NSC and HPC1 was reduced almost linearly up to 700 °C and 500 °C, respectively whereas the residual strength of HPC2 was sharply reduced up to 300 °C. Explosive spalling was observed on both HPC. Addition of steel fibres increased the residual strength up to 300 °C, but spalling still occurred in HPC1 and HPC2. Such an explosive behavior was not observed when polypropylene fibres were added in the mixtures; however, in this case the residual mechanical characteristics of all concretes were significantly reduced.     

Post-crack (or post-peak) flexural response and toughness of fiber reinforced concrete after exposure to high temperature

Several studies have already reported on the various effects of high temperature on the mechanical properties of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC). Some of these effects include changes in; compressive strength, compression toughness and splitting tensile strength. None of the previous studies have investigated the changes that might occur on the post-crack flexural response and flexural toughness. Post-crack (or peak) response and toughness is considered one of FRC’s key beneficial characteristics – as the purpose of adding fibers is to increase the energy absorption and load carrying capacity after an initial crack. In this study, the flexural toughness test according to ASTM C1018 was carried out on two types of concrete: plain concrete and fiber reinforced concrete with three different types of fiber (steel, polypropylene, and polyethylene) at 0.5% and 1.0% by volume fractions. Prior to the flexural test, the specimens were put in an oven chamber and subjected to high temperatures using the ISO/TR834 standards of: 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C. The results showed the typical load–deflection response of FRC was a double-peak response. The first peak represented the properties of concrete matrix and the second peak represented the properties of the fibers used. Under flexural load, instead of dropping (or remaining unchanged), the post-peak load and the toughness were found to increase at lower temperatures (400 °C) and later, decreased as the temperature increased (600 °C and 800 °C). Fiber type and content also played an important role. At a temperature of 400 °C, all FRCs exhibited higher flexural strength and increased post-peak response and toughness. A significant decrease in strength, toughness and load–deflection response was observed with synthetic or plastic FRC (PFRC) when the temperature approached 800 °C. When steel FRC (SFRC) was used, those effects were relatively small. It appears, SFRC has better heat resistance than the PFRC. The density (measured by ultrasonic pulse velocity) was found to decrease more in the PFRC than in the SFRC.     

Beam test on bond behavior between high-grade rebar and high-strength concrete after elevated temperatures

In this paper, post-heating bond behavior between high-grade rebar and C80 high-strength concrete (hereafter, HSC) is studied. The high-grade rebar is HRBF500 fine grained steel with a yield strength of 500 MPa and the concrete grade C80 denotes compressive strength not lower than 80 MPa. First, the residual mechanical behavior of both high-grade rebar and HSC were tested after fire exposure. Second, the beam bond test was carried out to study the bond behavior between high-grade rebar and HSC after exposed heating at 200 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C, respectively. During the bond test, the influence of temperature, bond length, and some construction measurements on the bond–slip behavior were compared and evaluated. The investigation demonstrates that (1) the bond strength between high-grade rebar and HSC decreases while the peak slip increases with the elevated temperature, especially when the temperature exceeds 400 °C and (2) the confinement effect of steel wire mesh can help to improve rebar׳s bond behavior. Third, the bond–slip model between high-grade rebar and HSC for post-heating is proposed.     

The effects of low temperature curing on the compressive strength of ordinary and high performance concrete

In this study, the changing of the compressive strength of ordinary and high performance concrete after having cured at low temperature was investigated experimentally. To accomplish this purpose, concrete specimens of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm high were prepared. After their production the specimens were cured at different conditions for 7 days. Some of them were at 23 ± 2 °C (standard curing); the others were at 10, 5, 0 and −5 °C, respectively. In the 7th day, some of the specimens cured at different temperature (10, 5, 0 and −5 °C) were broken under uniaxial compression. On the other hand, some of the specimens were applied to standard curing during 28 days. In the end of 28 days, compressive strength of all specimens was obtained. According to the results, compressive strength of the specimens at 10 °C and less than 10 °C during 7 days was lower than that of the specimens at standard curing. In the end of 28th day loss of compressive strength of concrete specimens cured at different temperatures were more than that of specimens cured at standard cure.     

Effect of high temperature and cooling conditions on aerated concrete properties

In this study, effect of elevated temperatures and various cooling regimes on the properties of aerated concrete is investigated. Air cooled materials are tested at room temperature and in hot condition right after the fire. Water quenching effect is determined by testing the material in wet condition right after the quenching and in dry condition at room temperature. Unstressed strength of the material tested hot is relatively higher than air cooled unstressed residual strength up to 600 °C. On the other hand, water quenching decreases the percentage of the strength particularly when the material is wet right after the quenching; strength is lost gradually as the temperature rises. As a result, if the quenching effect is disregarded, temperature rise does not have a considerable effect on the strength of the aerated concrete approximately up to 700–800 °C. It is able to maintain its volumetric stability as well. However, more care needs to be taken in terms of its use above 800 °C for fire safety.     

On residual strength of high-performance concrete with and without polypropylene fibres at elevated temperatures

Cubes of 100×100×100 mm³ and cylinders of 100×100×515 mm³ were designed and fabricated with C50, C80 and C100 high-performance concrete (HPC) mixed with and without polypropylene (PP) fibres, respectively. These specimens were heated in an electric furnace, approximately following the curve of ISO-834, with a series of target temperatures ranging from 20 to 900 °C. No explosive spalling was observed during the fire test on HPC specimens with PP fibres, whereas some spalling occurred for HPC specimens without PP fibres. The relationship between the mass loss and the exposure temperature was investigated. In addition, the heated and cooled cubes and prisms were tested under monotonic compressive loading and four-point bending loading, respectively. The degradation of both the residual compressive strength and the residual flexural strength was analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of PP fibres on the residual mechanical strength of HPC specimens at elevated temperatures were also investigated. Finally, a fire-resistance design curve relating the residual compressive strength to temperature, as well as a design curve relating the residual flexural strength to temperature, were proposed based on the statistical analysis of the test data.     

Residual compressive behaviour of pre-heated high-performance concrete with blast–furnace–slag

An experimental program was designed and carried out to study the residual compressive behaviour of high-performance concrete (HPC) with blast–furnace–slag (BFS) at elevated temperatures ranging from 20 to 800 °C. The residual cube compressive strength is examined and the relationship between the residual compressive strength and temperature is investigated based on the heated cube specimens (100×100×100 mm³) tested on a universal test machine. In addition, on the basis of the heated prism specimens (100×100×300 mm³) tested on an electro-hydromantic rigidity servo test machine, the complete stress–strain curves are obtained, and the effects of temperatures on the residual prism compressive strength, the strain, and the elastic modulus etc are analysed. An approximate formula for the stress–strain relationship of HPC–BFS after exposure to temperatures is proposed.     

The effect of elevated temperatures on corroded and uncorroded reinforcement embedded in mortar

In this study, the alterations at the reinforcement steels embedded in corroded and not corroded reinforcement mortar specimens after high temperatures were investigated. These reinforced mortar specimens with 3 cm and 5 cm covers were first exposed to 20, 100, 200, 300, 500 and 800 °C temperatures. Subsequently, to determine the mechanical properties tensile tests were applied on the steels taken out of these mortar specimens. With the tensile tests performed stress–strain curves of the steel bars exposed to several temperatures were obtained. Besides, yield and ultimate strengths of the steel bars were also determined. It is obtained that, high temperatures affected the mechanical properties of reinforcement steel considerably negatively. Results of the study have shown that the larger the covers are the better the steel bars are protected against high temperatures.     

Post-fire residual mechanical properties of concrete made with recycled rubber aggregate

This study investigates the effects of elevated temperatures on the residual mechanical performance of concrete produced with recycled rubber aggregate (RRA). Four different concrete compositions were prepared: a reference concrete (RC) made with natural coarse aggregate and three concrete mixes with replacement rates of 5%, 10% and 15% of natural fine and coarse aggregate by RRA from used tyres. Specimens were exposed for a period of 1 h to temperatures of 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C, after being heated in accordance with ISO 834 time–temperature curve. After cooling down to ambient temperature, the compressive strength and the splitting tensile strength were evaluated and compared with reference values obtained prior to fire exposure. For the replacement rates used in the present experiments, the obtained results show that concrete made with recycled rubber aggregate (CRRA) present a thermal response that is roughly similar to that of RC; in addition, although residual mechanical properties of CRRA are noticeably more affected than those of RC, particularly for higher exposure temperatures, the relative reduction should not prevent it from being used in structural applications.     

Effect of elevated temperature on physico-mechanical properties of blended cement concrete

Pozzolanas are readily available for use in concrete in the local markets for strength and/or durability enhancement. Although safety and security against disasters are not new, they still presuming a challenge. For instance, the fire resistive properties of concrete are of prime interest.Through this work, the effect of different kinds of pozzolana on the fire resistive properties of concrete was studied. Four types of pozzolana were incorporated into the concrete mixtures, i.e. metakaolin (MK), silica fume (SF), fly ash (FA), and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). Each of the employed pozzolana was used in two ratios: 10% and 20%, either in the form of cement replacement or as an addition without affecting the cement content. A total of 17 mixes were cast.For all mixtures, compressive strength is evaluated after 28 days of water curing. The mixtures’ compressive strengths were also evaluated after exposure to elevated temperatures: 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C. The residual compressive strengths after heat exposure are evaluated. The formed cementitious phases after incorporation of pozzolana and the heat-induced transformations are investigated via the X-ray diffraction technique (XRD).Test results demonstrate the impact of each type of the employed pozzolana on the heat resistive properties of concrete in addition to their influence on the strength development of the investigated mixes. Therefore, a decision could be made regarding optimizing the benefits specific to each type of pozzolana and their employment method.