Accelerated Curing of Silica-Fume Concrete
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 20, Issue 8
Abstract
Silica fume is a common addition to high-performance concrete mix designs. The use of silica fume in concrete leads to increased water demand. For this reason, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) allows only a 72-h continuous moist cure process for concrete containing silica fume. Accelerated curing has been shown to be effective in producing high-performance characteristics at early ages in silica-fume concrete. However, the heat greatly increases the moisture loss from exposed surfaces, which may cause shrinkage problems. An experimental study was undertaken to determine the feasibility of steam curing of FDOT concrete with silica fume in order to reduce precast turn around time. Various steam-curing durations were utilized with small laboratory specimens. The concrete compressive strength, surface resistivity, and shrinkage were determined for various durations of steam curing. Results indicate that steam cured silica-fume concrete met all FDOT requirements for the 12, 18, and of curing periods. All steam cured samples demonstrated excellent durability up to 1 year of age. It was recommended that FDOT allow steam curing for concrete with silica fume.
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Acknowledgments
The study reported herein was performed under a research grant from FDOT. The technical assistance received from Mr. Ghulam Mujtaba, Mr. Mike Bergin, and Mr. Charles Ishee of the FDOT Materials Laboratory in Gainesville, Fla., is gratefully acknowledged.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 20 • Issue 8 • August 2008
Pages: 521 - 529
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 17, 2006
Accepted: Sep 7, 2006
Published online: Aug 1, 2008
Published in print: Aug 2008
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Kiang Hwee Tan
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