Effect of Elevated Temperatures on the Compressive Strength and Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity of Self Compacting Concrete

Abstract

In this study, the effect of elevated temperature on the compressive strength of self-compacting concrete is investigated. Two different tests, one of them is the nondestructive test which is the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) test and the other is the destructive compression test, which is carried out using (10cm) cubes. Forty-eight cubes (half of them are of conventional concrete and the other half are of self-compacting concrete), are heated to temperature levels of (100,200,300, 400,500, 600, and 700°C). Then after specimens are air-cooled and (UPV) test is done, the specimens are destructively tested. The results indicated that the residual compressive strengths after high-temperature exposure of the self-compacting concrete are higher than that of conventional concrete at all tested temperature levels; for example, the residual compressive strength after exposure to a temperature level of (700°C) for the former is (80.5%) while for the later is (53.1%) from their original strengths. Also, The percentage residual (UPV)-temperature relationships show similar behavior to that of compressive strength in conventional concrete, while they do not for the self-compacting one.