Investigation of pressure steam cure and temperature effect on mineral additives concrete

Concrete is a cement based composite building material. Cement's hydration process and products directly affect the concrete properties. For this purpose, curing operations are carried out in order to realize the desired concrete quality. Generally, concrete material is retained in water tank under laboratory conditions and it is given strength. In this study, pressurized steam curing was applied to concrete with mineral admixtures at different temperatures (110-145-165 0C) and pressure (2-4-6 bar) values. After curing, physical and mechanical tests were carried out. Moreover, hydratation products which are formed as a result of the application of pressurized steam curing in mineral added concrete were investigated. According to the results obtained, the best mechanical values were determined at the samples cured under 145 0C temperature and 4 bar vapor pressure, while the pressure steam cure caused a decrease in the strength of the mineral added concretes. An increase in ultrasound pass rate data was observed with autoclave curing. As a result of SEM analysis, the mineral structures of portlandite, xonotlit and tobermorite were observed.