Radiant Heat Curing of Concrete

About the report:

Comparisons were made of the properties of concrete mixtures cured with radiant heat and mixtures cured with low pressure steam and of the curing conditions. The concretes were prepared and cured at two plants which produce precast, prestressed concrete products and in the Research Council laboratory. The results indicate that radiant heat curing used in combination with a membrane curing compound can produce an acceptable concrete. Compressive strength, freeze-thaw performance, and permeability to chloride ions were not significantly different for concretes cured with the two curing methods. The curing achieved at the plant with radiant heat was found to be much less uniform than that with low pressure steam but was adequate when proper precautions were exercised. Therefore, it is recommended that beds should be suitably enclosed and that heat pipes be properly positioned to minimize temperature differentials throughout the member. Also, cylinders should be cured at the same temperature used in curing the least mature part of the member.

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