Models for predicting hydration degree and adiabatic temperature rise of mass concrete containing Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

Abstract

Predicting adiabatic temperature rise is essentially useful for investigating thermal cracking potential especially in early stage of mass concrete. Existing prediction methods and models have some problems such as constant thermal properties are mostly utilized for predicting temperature rise. This study is aimed to develop time-dependent models for predicting hydration degrees of cement and slag, free water amount, specific heat, and total heat generation of concrete incorporating slag. These models are then composed to predict the adiabatic temperature rise of mass concrete incorporating slag. The model is able to predict adiabatic temperature rise in mass concrete with different water to binder ratios, slag replacements, physical properties of slag, and initial temperature conditions. The validity of the proposed model was evaluated by comparing the model predictions with test results for adiabatic temperature rise of slag concrete. The model simulations can be used to predict the experimentally measured data from different sources.