Minimum Length of Curing of Silica Fume Concrete

Abstract

In an experimental investigation, the minimum length of curing of silica fume concrete was determined and compared with that of plain portland cement concrete and fly ash concrete. Four silica fume concrete mixes with silica fume contents of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of the total cementitious material content were prepared along with one plain portland cement concrete mix and one fly ash concrete mix. After demolding, the concrete specimens from each mix were moist cured in a fog room for six different periods of time: 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days. The compressive strength determinations were made after each curing period. From the regression equations developed in this study, relating the strength and curing time, and the guidelines of ACI 308-81(86) the minimum length of curing of silica fume concrete mixes included in this study was determined to be 3 days. Compared to this, the minimum lengths of curing for the plain portland cement concrete mix and the fly ash concrete mix were 3.75 days and 6.5 days, respectively.