ASIAN JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING (BUILDING AND HOUSING) VOL. 7, NO.

6 (2006)
PAGES 581-589

CURING METHODS OF PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS

B. Mezghiche, L. Zeghichi, R. Chebili and M. Mellas
Civil Engineering Department, University of Biskra, Algeria

ABSTRACT
An important benefit in terms of improving efficient use of resources such as electricity and
combustibles, is harnessing renewable resources of energy, mainly solar energy. Solar
energy can effectively be used in regions where solar radiation is very important either in
intensity or over a long period yearly. Among these uses, thermal treatment of products like
prefabricated concrete elements. Algeria is one place among those rich regions in solar
radiation thanks to the beight of sun and the number of days per year of sun shining. The use
of heating by evaporation in climatic container having a polyethylene or metal covers
permits to improve production capacity. It has been established that during ambient
temperature of 25C and more, the inner temperature of this climatic container can reach 50
to 70C and the strength of concrete after 8 hours of storage reaches 70 to 75% of the
nominal strength. These conditions can tremendously improve the rate of production of
prefabricated concrete elements.

Keywords: Solar energy, climatic container, polyethylene or metal covers, rate of

production, prefabricated concrete elements, mechanical compressive strength
1. INTRODUCTION
One of the major disadvantage of hydraulic concrete is the rate of acquisition of its final
strength. Accordingly, a special procedure should be set to ensure fast hardening of concrete
based structural elements and mortar.
The reduction of the thermal consumption during the treatment of concrete by heating
trough evaporation can best be obtained by maximal use of solar energy. This can reduce
remarkably the cost of production by reducing energy cost and hence improving the
performance of enterprises. For the production of concrete and reinforced concrete
prefabricated structural elements, and for increasing the reuse of formworks and the
performance of climatic containers, it is sufficient to maintain heating by evaporation until
the strength at 28 days is reached which will help in transporting these prefabricated
structural elements without damaging them. After that, the final strength will be reached in
the normal storage areas. According to the Algerian Geophysics Observatory, the total

Email-address of the corresponding author: leila972001@yahoo.fr

B. Mezghiche, L. Zeghichi, R. Chebili and M. Mellas

582

energy radiation of the horizontal undulated terrain in the desert reaches 2600 Kwh/m
yearly, which can ensure an average intensity of 0.7 Kwh/m daily during 10 hours and 1800
Kwh/m yearly in the north of Algeria. i.e. 0.6Kwh/m daily during 8 hours. The number of
days where the average ambient temperature varies between 25 et 30C reaches 220days.
With appropriate rational climate factors, the conditions outlined in the foregoing permit
using heating by evaporation in climatic containers coated with polyethylene or metallic,
covers [1,2].
It is to be noted hitherto there is no detailed recommendations concerning the use of solar
energy for producing structural prefabricated concrete and reinforced concrete elements in Algeria.

2. USED MATERIALS
2.1 Granulated Slag
High furnace slag is a secondary product of ores and ferrous metals. The chemical
composition of slag is governed by the process of manufacture of iron. Granulated slag's
hydraulic properties are obtained by adding an activator under an alkaline form or sulfate
that can act on the vitreous constituents. [3,4,5].
The use granulated slag of high furnace of the compound of Annaba (north east of
Algeria) has been obtained by quenching the melt trough a rapid immersion. The chemical
composition of the slag in show in Table 1.
Table 1. Chemical analysis of slag
Content %
SiO2

Al2O3

CaO

MgO

MnO

FeO

40.4

5.8

42.5

6.9

2.5

0.48

0.7

2.2 Alkaline Constituents (Sodium silicate, Glass liquid)

The soluble glass in the experiment had the following chemical composition,
Table 2. Chemical Composition of Soluble Glass
Content %

able kg/m3

SiO2

Al2O3 + Fe2O3

CaO

SO

Na2O

H2O

1400

31.19

0.18

0.1

0.35

11.03

57.15

CURING METHODS OF PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS

583

2.3 Ordinary Portland cement

Ordinary Portland cement, a C.P.A 325 was used in the experiment. It contained
approximately 97% of clinker and 3% of filler. The chemical composition of the cement is
presented in Table 3.
Table 3. Chemical composition of O.P.C. (C.P.A 325)
Content %
SiO2

Al2O3

CaO

MgO

MnO

FeO

SO3

22.64

5.3

64.9

1.63

1.18

3.44

2.29

2.4 Blended Portland cement C.P.J 45.

The blended Portland cement used contains 65% of clinker and 35% of the following
constituentsslag, ashes, Pozzolane and added filler in different proportions, [6] Chemical
composition of C.P.J 45 is given in Table 4.
Table 4. Chemical composition of C.P.J 45
Content %
SiO2

Al2O3

CaO

MgO

K2O+Na2O

Fe2O3

SO3

20.63

5.17

66.13

11.66

0.9

2.88

2.29

2.5 Coarse Aggregate

A crushed granite of size 5-10 mm, 10-20 and of density 2700 kg/m3 has been used as the
coarse aggregates. The bulk density of coarse aggregate is 1690 kg/m3, uncompacted density
is 1380 kg/m3, proportion in voids 0.39 and the specific surface area is 0.3 m/kg.
2.6 River sand
Quartz river sand was used in this experiment as a fine sand. It has a density of 2650 kg/m3,
bulk density of 1870 kg/m3 and uncompacted density of 1260 kg/m3 voids proportion in
0.30, the specific surface is 130 m/kg and sand equivalent value is 75.

3. EXPERIMENT
This climatic container that has been prepared for the temperature variation study of this
experiment, Figure 1, produced ambient temperature for two months: March an April 1995.
the results are display in Figure 2.

584

B. Mezghiche, L. Zeghichi, R. Chebili and M. Mellas

Figure 1. Climatic container for concrete and mortar samples exposed to solar radiation

Figure 2. Temperature variation as a function of time (for March and April 1995)
* Climatic container temperature

Normal ambient temperature

According to differential temperature levels obtained in under ambient condition and in the
climatic container, the following storage cycles have been adopted [2*10*2, 2*8*2, 2*6*2,
2*4*2 and 1*2*1]. The storage cycles are composed of the following regimes. Table 5.

CURING METHODS OF PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS

585

Table 5. Storage cycles

Regime

Chauffage (h)

Sooling (h)

Cooling (h)

2*10*2

10

2*8*2

2*6*2

2*4*2

1*2*1

120
100
80
60
40
20
0

CPA n
CPA c
1

28

tim es (days)

compressive strength
(MPa)

compressive strength
(MPa)

In order to study the hardness of mortars and concrete subjected to thermal treatment in
the climatic container at variable temperatures (4950C) under varying the atmospheric
temperatures, concrete samples have been prepared in the proportions: cement 1 sand 1.62
crushed stones 3.86.
Several identical samples have been stored under the different conditions outlined above,
control samples were cured under natural conditions of the specimens stored, in the
container three representative cubes from each have been tested at 8, 10, 12 and 14 hours of
curing specimens cured under natural conditions have been tested at 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days.
The development of compressive strength of specimens function of time (1, 3, 7 and 28
days) under varying temperatures (43-53C) and that of control specimens at (1, 3, 7 and 28
days) are shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6.

120
100
80
60
40
20
0

CPJ n
CPJ c
1

28

times (days)

Figure 3. Percentage development of

compressive strength of OPC (CPA32.5) based
concrete function of time (d)

Figure 4. Percentage development of

compressive strength of (CPJ45) based
concrete function of time (d)

n: naturals hardening

c: climatic container hardening

compressive strength
(MPa)

120
100
80
60
40
20
0

CPA n
CPA c
1

28

compressive strength
(MPa)

B. Mezghiche, L. Zeghichi, R. Chebili and M. Mellas

586

120
100
80
60
40
20
0

CPJ n
CPJ c
1

28

tim es (days)

times (days)

Figure 5. Percentage development of

compressive strength of OPC (CPA32.5) based
mortar function of time (d)

Figure 6. Percentage development of

compressive strength of (CPJ45) based mortar
function of time (d)

n: naturals hardening

c: climatic container hardening

The relation between the percentage of compressive strength and the temperature of the
container is represented in Figure s 7, 8, 9 and 10.

compressive strength
(MPa)

80
60

CPA
2*10*2

40

CPA 2*8*2

20

CPA 2*6*2

0
40

43

45

49

Temperature (c)

51

53

Figure 7. Percentage development of

compressive strength of OPC (CPA32.5) based
concrete function of temperature (T,C)

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

CPA
2*10*2
CPA 2*8*2

40

43

45

49

CPA 2*6*2
51
53

Figure 8. Percentage development of

compressive strength of (CPJ45) based
concrete function of temperature (T, C)

CURING METHODS OF PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS

compressive strength
(MPa)

80
60

CPA
2*10*2

40
20

CPA
2*8*2

CPA
2*6*2

40

43

45

49

51

Tem perature (c)

53

Figure 9. Percentage development of

compressive strength of OPC (CPA32.5) based
mortar function of temperature (T, C)

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

587

CPA
2*10*2
CPA 2*8*2

40

43

45

49

CPA 2*6*2
51
53

Figure 10. Percentage development of

compressive strength of (CPJ45) based mortar
function of temperature (T, C)

Analysis of results indicates that the hardening of concrete and mortar in the climatic
container contributes to increase in compressive strength during the first 8 hours for the
basic concrete and during 12 hours fir the CPA and CPJ based concretes. Moreover, further
curing of specimens in the climatic container has a significant improvement of the
compressive strength. Figure 11.

Figure 11. Compressive strength development (R, %) as a function of time

(T, d and h) for concretes
-

CB n cement based concrete, natural hardening.

CBc cement based concrete, climatic container hardening.
CB n Portland cement based concrete, natural hardening.
CB c Portland cement based concrete, climatic container hardening.

Compressive strength of concrete and mortar cure in the climatic container for 4, 8, 10,

B. Mezghiche, L. Zeghichi, R. Chebili and M. Mellas

588

12 and 14 hours has reached 54 to 75% for base cement based specimens and 25 to 71% for
CPA and CPJ based specimens relative to concrete and mortar cured under normal
atmospheric conditions for 28 days.
The following empirical relationship represents the development of compressive strength of
base slag concrete and CPA325, CPJ 45 based concrete cured in the climatic container [7].
R = Rk B.e-KNt
R : Concrete strength relative to final strength (R28), %.
Rk : Maximum final strength (at 28 days, 100%).
Nt : Setting time at temperature, t C.
k : Thermal coefficient (the value of k depends on the nature of cement), k is given by.
K = (0,6 + 0,02t)n
n: Index dependent of the speed of hydration of the binder (n=1 7).
t: Average temperature of climatic container storage in C.
e: Natural logarithmic basis.
: hardening coefficient ( = 0.12 0.15).
B: Initial strength constant of concrete (B = 0.70 0.80).
The following values are adopted for:
CPA and CPJ based concrete (n=4, =0.12, B=0.75).
Base cement based concrete (n=6, =0.14, B=0.71).
Example:
Nt = 1 (cycle 2 * 10 * 2).

T (C)

R (theoretical), %

R (experimental)
CPA - 325

43

56.52

54.2

46

60.47

58.75

49

64.49

66.38

52

98.51

71.42

(%)
CPJ
55.02
59.43
66.65
72.29

CURING METHODS OF PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS

589

4. CONCLUSION
The experimental curing treatment of concrete and mortar in the climatic container permits a
reduction of energy consumption. It is possible to use such curing regimes in countries such
as Algeria where the storage is temperature for hardening may reach the optimum levels,
70C, in a climatic container coated with polyethylene or metals.
The empirical relationship obtained in this study for terminal laws in compressive
strength of concrete agrees with experimental values. (discrepancy less than 3%).

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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

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