ISSN: 0149-6123
Page Count: 6

Improving Initial Strength of a Concrete made with Type 20M Cement
Tagnit-Hamou, A
Technical director, Soesca, Quebec

Kessal, M
Post-doctorate, associate professor, and professor, Université de Sherbrooke, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Quebec

Aïtcin, P-C
Technical director, Soesca, Quebec

Nkinamubanzi, P-C
Technical director, Soesca, Quebec

Abstract

The improvement of initial strength of concrete constitutes a special interest for contractors that often seek to enhance their productivity by reducing the delay before deforming. The study presented in this paper shows that it is possible to use a low heat of hydration Type 20M cement that is typically employed in Quebec in mass concrete construction to develop high initial strength that can be of special interest in enhancing the production of massive structural elements. Type 20M cement is similar to Type II ASTM cement but has a slightly lower heat of hydration.

The improvement of initial strength of concrete made with Type 20M cement was made possible by reducing the W-C ratio by using a melamine-based superplasticizer that has less influence on retarding the setting time than that of a naphthalene-based superplasticizer and by substituting part of the cement by an adequate amount of silica fume and limestone filler.

Keywords:
curing temperature, factorial design, high-performance concrete, limestone filler, low heat of hydration, mass concrete, mineral admixtures, short-term resistance, silica fume, superplasticizer

Paper ID: CCA10311J
DOI: 10.1520/CCA10311J
ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.