Evaluate the effect of coarse aggregates on cement hydration heat and concrete temperature modelling using isothermal calorimetry

Abstract

The early-age temperature rise in concrete, induced by cement hydration, poses a significant risk of thermal cracking. Accurate prediction of concrete hydration temperature is essential for thermal cracking prevention. Cement hydration heat obtained from isothermal calorimetry has been applied to concrete temperature modelling by previous studies. Isothermal calorimetry often excludes coarse aggregates due to the calorimeter capacity limitations, assuming mortar hydration heat can represent concrete, which may neglect the hydration delay effect of coarse aggregates. This study uses an isothermal calorimeter capable of accommodating coarse aggregates to measure the hydration heat of concrete and equivalent mortar, evaluating the validity of this assumption. Results show that the 3-day cumulative hydration heat of concrete exceeds that of mortar, especially at elevated curing temperatures. Significant differences were found in the activation energy and hydration parameters between concrete and mortar, indicating that the presence of coarse aggregates affects samples’ temperature sensitivity and hydration heat development. Concrete temperature finite element modelling, validated by semi-adiabatic calorimetry, demonstrates that models based on concrete isothermal calorimetry data provide higher accuracy than those based on mortars. This study demonstrates that the hydration heat development, activation energy, and hydration parameters differ significantly between mortar and concrete. Concrete temperature models based on mortar hydration heat data can result in prediction errors exceeding 5 %. This study recommended employing micro-concrete samples in isothermal calorimetry to replicate actual concrete mixes.