Influence of environmental temperatures on the concrete compressive strength:: Simulation of hot and cold weather conditions

The objective of this work is to study the influence of mixing hour on the properties of concrete, such as workability and compressive strength, under hot and cold weather conditions, with a view to industrial application. The variable focused on was the concrete mixing hour, and five different mixing hours were used. for each type of weather condition. Three batches of concrete were prepared for each mixing hour, and the compressive strength of 15 cylindrical concrete specimens was measured after 7 and 28 days. In addition, the hydration kinetics of each batch of concrete was studied on the basis of the climatic conditions and the mixing hour. The results for compressive strength show that the concrete's best mechanical performance occurred when there was the least difference between ambient temperature and concrete temperature, that is, during the later hours of the day in hot weather conditions. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.