Strength Development of High-Strength Concrete in Structure

Because of the high unit cement content in the concrete mix, major concrete temperature rises are observed in the initial stages of hardening in structural members with large cross-sections made of high-strength concrete. While this temperature rise in the initial stages of hardening contributes to the initial development of the concrete strength, it also causes thermal cracking and obstructs medium to long-term increases of the concrete strength. In the study reports below, investigations were made on the effects of the concrete temperature rise in the initial stages of hardening on the medium to long-term development of the strength of structural concrete between the ages of 28 and 91 days. In the study, comparisons were made, for example, between the compressive strength of a control specimen subjected to standard curing at 28 days and the compressive strength of core specimens taken from structural members, and observations were made on the methods of evaluating the concrete strength in structure, defined here as the compressive strength of core specimens at 91 days. The results obtained indicate that, when the maximum temperature of the concrete is the structure does not exceed $60^{\circ}C$, the concrete strength in structure at the age of long-term will generally be greater than the compressive strength of the standard-curing specimens at 28 days, allowing one to evaluate the strength of the structural concrete in terms of the compressive strength of the 28-days standard-curing specimens. When, on the other hand, the maximum temperature of the concrete in the structure exceeds $60^{\circ}C$, the strength in concrete structure may be smaller than the compressive strength of the 28-days standard-curing specimens, creating risks in the evaluation of the concrete strength in structure by latter.