Simulation of a temperature rise in concrete incorporating silica fume

Silica fume is a by-product of induction arc furnaces and has long been used as a mineral admixture to produce high-strength, high-performance concrete. Owing to the pozzolanic reaction between calcium hydroxide and silica fume, compared with Portland cement, the hydration of concrete containing silica fume is much more complex. In this paper, by considering the production of calcium hydroxide in cement hydration and its consumption in the pozzolanic reaction, a numerical model is proposed to simulate the hydration of concrete containing silica fume. The heat evolution rate of silica fume concrete is determined from the contribution of the cement hydration and the pozzolanic reaction. Furthermore, the temperature rise in silica fume concrete is evaluated based on the degree of hydration of cement and silica fume. The proposed model is verified using experimental data on concrete with different water-to-cement ratios and silica fume substitution ratios.This study was supported by the Engineering Research Center designated by the Ministry of Education and Science Technology, the Sustainable Building Research Center, Hanyang University (R11-2005-056-04003). This research was supported by a grant (06-CIT-A02: Standardization Research for Construction Materials) from the Construction Infrastructure Technology Program funded by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Marine Affairs. This work was supported by the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations for Urban Climate and Energy at Arizona State University