Effect of the Curing Condition and High-Temperature Exposure on Ground-Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag Cement Concrete

In this study, the effect of curing temperature on the properties of slag cement concrete after high-temperature exposure was studied, and elevated curing temperature (45 ± 2 °C and 95% relative humidity (RH)) was selected to compare with the standard curing temperature (20 ± 2 °C and 95%RH). Four different concrete mixes with the same mix proportion, except for different slag replacement ratios, were used: 0% (reference), 30% (slag), 50% (slag), and 70% (slag). After high-temperature exposure at 200, 400, 600, and 800 °C, the effect of slag replacement, high temperature, and curing temperature on the compressive strength and mineralogical and microstructural properties of slag cement concrete were studied. Test results indicated that the compressive strength of concrete cured for 7 d at elevated temperatures increased by 28.2, 20.7, 28.8, and 14.7% compared with that cured at the standard curing condition at slag percentages of 0, 70, 50, and 30%, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results revealed that concrete cured at elevated temperatures exhibited a more condensed phase and contained a higher percentage of hydrates than that cured for 7 d in the standard curing condition. However, after 56 d of curing, concrete in the standard curing condition exhibited a more stable phase and a higher concentration of hydrates.