National Conference on Recent Trends in Engineering & Technology

Development of Mathematical Model to Predict

Early Age Strength for Blended Cement through
Accelerated Curing
Poorav Shah#1, Smt.BhavnaShah#2
#1 #2
PG student, Department of Structural Engg., Associate Professor, Department of Structural Engg. B.V.M.
B.V.M. Engg. College, V.V. Nagar, Gujarat Engg. College, V.V.Nagar, Gujarat
2
1
pooravjshah@gmail.com bks1954@yahoo.co.in

Abstract - Traditionally, strength of concrete in construction work through calibration curves. Various techniques of accelerated
is evaluated in terms of its 28 days compressive strength of cubes/ curing of concrete are classified as heat water techniques, oven
cylinders. This procedure requires 28 days of moist curing before curing techniques, maturity methods, pressure and elevated
testing as per IS: 516 – 1959 [9]. This time duration may be temperature technique and expanded polystyrene molds
considered as a long period. Hence, needs for an accelerated
technique [1].
curing technique has arisen, where 28 days strength of concrete
can be easily predicted. The main objective of this paper is to The ACI 214.1 R [2] suggests two procedures, which can be
develop mathematical model, which gives relation between used to provide an indication of 28 days strength of concrete
accelerated curing strength and normal curing strength for 28 only after 24 hours.
and 56 days compressive strength.
 Warm water method : 23 to 24 hours at 35˚ 3˚C
Warm water curing at 80˚ 3˚ C is applied to accelerate the  Boiling Water method : 23 hours at 21˚C and 3.5 hours at
strength gain of concrete for the early prediction of 28 days and
56 days compressive strength. Various concrete mixes in terms of
100˚C
cement (OPC), cement replacing materials likes activated fly ash, The ASTM C 684 [3] recommends three different accelerated
Metakaolin and iron oxide were considered to prepared cubes. curing techniques.
 Warm water method : 24 hours at 35˚ 3˚C
Keywords – Concrete compressive strength, accelerated curing,  Boiling Water method : 23 hours at 21˚C and 3.5 hours at
Activated fly Ash, Metakaolin, Iron Oxide
100˚C
 Autogenous Curing method: 5 hours at 150˚C with
I. INTRODUCTION
external pressure
Recent trend in engineering technology is to develop economic
The British standards, BS 1881, Part 112 [5] provide three
concrete and complete the project within time limit. To
develop the economic concrete, mix design is to be developed curing temperature 35˚, 55˚ and 85˚ 2˚C for accelerating the
and to complete project within time limit, the compressive rate of gain of strength.
strength of concrete cubes for selected mix design should be The IS: 9013-1978[13] recommends two methods of
determined earlier in the laboratory. accelerated curing
The compressive strength of hardened concrete is most  Warm-water method
common property required for the structural use. The  Boiling-water method
prediction of 28 days strength at early age is needed for The aim of this research work is to study the relation between
different purpose such as, accelerated curing strength at 3 days (1 days normal curing +
24 hour accelerated curing at 80˚ 3˚C) with normal curing
 The fast trend of construction progress and its economic for 28 days and 56 days concrete made of blended cement.
benefits attained from accelerating construction schedule.
 Testing for quality control purposes II. MATERIAL
 To check the suitability of concrete mixes much earlier A.Cement
than 28 days test
Ordinary Portland Cement (53 grade) confirming to IS:
12269-1987 [10]. was used for the experimental investigation.
The rate of strength gain mainly depends upon the rate of
The cement was tested as per IS: 4031-1988 [11]. The results
hydration and the rate of hydration depends on the surrounding
temperature. The strength gain could be accelerated at early given in Table -1.
age and related to 28 days and 56 days compressive strength

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 National Conference on Recent Trends in Engineering & Technology

B.Flyash: Crushed coarse aggregate confirming to IS: 383-1987[12] was

Fly Ash comprise of the non- combustible mineral portion of used. Coarse aggregate of size 20 mm down were
coal. Fly ash particles are glassy spherical shaped, ball considered.Physical properties of coarse aggregate are
presented in Table III.
bearings, finer than cement particles, which helps to reduce
amount of water and improve workability. It also reduces heat TABLE III
of hydration and improves durability; the chemical PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF FINE & COARSE AGGREGATE.
compositions of fly ash are given in Table 1. And physical Aggregate Fineness Density Specific
properties are given in Table 2. Modulus (kg/m3) Gravity
C.Metakaolin Fine Agg. 3.64 1696 2.58
It is highly pozzolanic material. It is obtained by calcinations Coarse Agg. 7.07 1770 2.87
of Algerian kaolin at 700˚ C for 7 hours. The silica and
alumina contained in the metakeolin are active and react with
free lime to form C-S-H and alumina-silicates which greatly III. APPARATUS
improve the strength. The chemical compositions of
Metakeolin are given in Table 1. A. Cube Mould
As per IS: 10086 – 1982, 150 x 150 x 150 mm size mould have
TABLE I been used.
COMPOSITION OF CEMENT,FLYASH & METAKAOLIN
Chemical %age by mass B. Curing Tank
Composition Cement Flyash Metakaolin Curing tank shall be constructed from any material of suitable
SiO2 20.1 48.53 51.6 strength that will resist the effect of corrosion. Internal
Al2O3 4.51 24.61 41.3 dimension should be adequate to accommodate the required
number and size of test specimen. The tank shall contain
Fe2O3 2.5 7.59 0.64
sufficient water and be controlled so that temperature of water
CaO 61.3 9.48 0.52 around the specimen immersed in the tank is maintained at the
MgO 1 2.28 0.16 desired level.
Loss on 2.41 0.93 0.72
Ignition

TABLE II
PHYSICAL PROPERTY OF FLYASH
Property Experimental
Value
1 Fineness (passing 45μ IS: sieve) 78.9%
2 Specific Surface 4620 cm2/g
3 Unit weight 950 kg/m3
4 Specific gravity 2.13

D .Iron Oxide
During the processing of steel in steel mills, iron oxide
will be formed on the surface of metal. This oxide is known as
mill scale, occurs during continuous casting, reheating and
rolling operation. This is used as replacement for the fine
aggregate.
E. Fine Aggregate
Natural river sand confirming to zone II as per IS: 383-1987
[12] was used. Fine aggregate of size 1.18 mm down were
used. Physical properties of fine aggregate are presented in
Table- III.
Fig :1 Accelerated curing Tank
F. Coarse aggregate

13-14 May 2011 B.V.M. Engineering College, V.V.Nagar,Gujarat,India

 National Conference on Recent Trends in Engineering & Technology

IV. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME

0.5 1:2.35:2.85 360 846.0 1026.60 180
To get the early age strength through accelerated curing, warm
water method was adopted. In this method, after the casting of
cubes, specimen was cured at normal temperature for 24 hours 0.55 1:2.67:3.13 327.17 873.55 1026.60 180
and then put in accelerated tank on second day with
temperature 80˚ 3˚ C for 5 hours and then 80˚c to falling
temperature up to next day. After this period of curing, As per above table, it is seen that amount of water is constant
concrete cube specimen was tested for compressive strength and amount of cement is decreased according to w/c ratio.
and results are co-related with 28 and 56 days compressive Total 216 cubes of size (15x15x15) cm were casted.
strength of standard water curing. This co relation of
accelerated strength and normal curing strength is achieved for
all types of cement. To find the confident level of these relation V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
seven different types of cement were used. The composition of
different types of cement is given in table IV. For each type of Table VI represents the results of the 28 and 56 days Normal
cement, four different w/c were used. Mix design was prepared curing compressive strengths and also accelerated strengths.
by ACI method.
Different water cement ratios and constituent materials Table VI:
proportions of the various concrete mixes are given in Table V. Results of the 28 &56 days normal curing compressive strength and
accelerated curing strength
Table IV

Composition of Different Types of Cement

Composition
Type

A OPC

B 88% OPC + 10% Metakaolin + 2% Iron Oxide

C 78% OPC + 10% Metakaolin + 2% Iron Oxide + 10% Fly Ash

D 68% OPC + 10% Metakaolin + 2% Iron Oxide + 20% Fly Ash

E 58% OPC + 10% Metakaolin + 2% Iron Oxide +

30% Fly Ash

48% OPC + 10% Metakaolin + 2% Iron Oxide +

F
40% Fly Ash

38% OPC + 10% Metakaolin + 2% Iron Oxide +

G
50% Fly Ash

Table V

Different Water Cement Ratio and Constituent Materials Proportions of the

Various Concrete Mixes

Mix Proportions (kg)

W/C ratio Proportion
Cement Sand C.A. Water

0.4 1:1.72:2.28 450 774.0 1026.60 180

0.45 1:2.03:2.56 400 812.0 1026.60 180

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 National Conference on Recent Trends in Engineering & Technology

AM1-AM4 refer to type A cement, BM1-BM4 refer to type B cement Accelera

CM1-CM4 refer to type C cement, DM1-DM4 refer to type D cement, Type of W/C Compressive Strength ted
EM1-EM4 refer to type E cement,FM1-FM4 refer to type F cement Cement Ratio (N/mm2 ) Strength
GM1-GM4 refer to type G cement. (N/mm2)
28(days) 56(days)
The arthematic equation developed for accelerated curing AM1 0.40 55.78 43.37 62.678
strength and 28 days normal curing strength for all types of AM2 0.45 46.22 37.49 59.274
cement are given in Table:VII
AM3 0.50 41.92 33.33 46.768
AM4 0.55 29.16 21.63 43.365
BM1 0.40 40.55 40.89 43.550
Table VII
Relation between accelerated strength and normal curing strength at 28 days BM2 0.45 47.70 37.78 45.550
BM3 0.50 41.71 33.48 45.410
Types of Relation between accelerated strength and normal curing BM4 0.55 32.3 24.44 35.260
cement strength at 28 days
CM1 0.40 40.43 36.30 47.297
CM2 0.45 33.35 31.26 41.910
A F28 = 1.195 Facc + 2.679
CM3 0.50 26.14 26.82 32.770
CM4 0.55 29.00 25.08 33.177
B F28 = 1.223 Facc + 1.85
DM1 0.40 38.20 27.92 41.66
C F28 = 1.169 Facc – 2.698 DM2 0.45 29.70 25.97 39.368
DM3 0.50 28.93 23.78 30.82
D F28 = 0.766 Facc + 13.02 DM4 0.55 29.16 18.80 32.323
EM1 0.40 34.23 40.62 27.40
E F28 = 1.162 Facc + 1.209 EM2 0.45 27.58 35.23 27.11
EM3 0.50 23.05 24.75 20.89
F F = 1.765F – 13.68
28 acc
EM4 0.55 20.11 26.22 18.88

G F = 0.809F + 5.481 FM1 0.40 25.75 26.14 21.57

28 acc FM2 0.45 18.49 23.776 19.526
The arthematic equation developed for accelerated curing FM3 0.50 16.45 17.577 16.488
strength and 56days normal curing strength for all types of FM4 0.55 12.576 20.192 14.92
cement are given in Table:VIII GM1 0.40 27.62 28.38 28.81
GM2 0.45 23.51 25.55 18.335
Table VIII
GM3 0.50 19.286 20.564 17.66

Relation between accelerated strength and normal curing strength at 56 days GM4 0.55 12.53 14.93 10.62
The Mathematical model developed to show the relation
Types of Relation between accelerated strength and normal between accelerated curing compressive strength and 28 days
cement curing strength at 28 days normal curing compressive strength for only OPC is derived
from following graph.
A F = 0.931 F + 21.41
56 acc

B F = 0.827 F + 15.67
56 acc

C F = 1.427 F – 3.999
56 acc

D F = 1.060 F + 10.47
56 acc

E F = 1.677 F – 7.967
56 acc

F F = 1.031 F + 3.401
56 acc

G F = 0.721 F + 8.752
56 acc
The Mathematical model developed to show the relation
between accelerated curing compressive strength and 28 days

13-14 May 2011 B.V.M. Engineering College, V.V.Nagar,Gujarat,India

 National Conference on Recent Trends in Engineering & Technology

normal curing compressive strength for blended cement is Mathematical model which show the relation between
derived from following graph. accelerated curing compressive strength and 28 days normal
curing compressive strength for OPC and blended cement as
under

For, OPC
F28= 1.195Facc+2.679

For, Blended cement

F28= 1.276Facc-2.864

Mathematical model which show the relation between

accelerated curing compressive strength and 56 days normal
curing compressive strength for OPC and blended cement as
under

For, OPC
The Mathematical model developed to show the relation
between accelerated curing compressive strength and 56 days F56= 0.931Facc+21.41
normal curing compressive strength for only OPC is derived
from following graph. For, Blended cement
F56= 1.219Facc+2.215

VI. CONCLUSION

Early prediction of 28 days and 56 days compressive strength

results through simple prediction factor is not possible for
concrete mix containing cement replacement materials due to
their physical and chemical properties on the rate of strength
gain.
Mathematical model for early prediction of 28days and 56 days
compressive strength of cubes are proposed for OPC cement
and blended cement individully which gives confident level
around 95%. Due to this relation, this method will also helpful
for Precast Manufactures.
The Mathematical model developed to show the relation It can also be concluded that increase in curing temperature has
between accelerated curing compressive strength and 56 days more favourable effect on the strength gain of concrete with
normal curing compressive strength for blended cement is cement and cement replacing material.
derived from following graph.

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 National Conference on Recent Trends in Engineering & Technology

VII. REFERENCES

[1] A. A. Torkey, Accelerated Strength for Quality Control of

Mortar and Concrete, M.Sc. thesis, Faculty of
Engineering, Cairo University, 1980.
[2] ACI 214.1 R 1987, Use of Accelerated Strength Testing,
ACI Manual of Concrete Practice, Part 5, Americal
Concrete Institute.
[3] ASTM C 684-95, Standard Method of Making,
Accelerated Curing and Testing of Concrete Compression
Test Specimens.
[4] Brent Vollenweider, “Various Methods of Accelerated
curing for Precast Concrete Applications, and Their
Impact on Short and Long Term Compressive Strength”.
In March 2004.
[5] British Standards, BS 1881: Part 112, 1983, Methods of
Accelerated Curing of Test Cubes
[6] Denny Meyer, “A statistical Compression OF Accelerated
Concrete Testing Methods”, Journal of Applied
Mathematics & Decision Science, 1997
[7] Felix F. Udoeyo, Robert Brooks, Philip Udo-Inyang&
Richard O. Nsan,” Early Prediction Of Laterized Concrete
Strength by Accelerating Testing”, October 2010.
[8] Hossam E.H. Ahmed, “Early Prediction of Concrete
Compressive Strength through Accelerated Curing
Regime”, Eleventh International Colloquium on structural
and Geotechnical Engineering. In May 2005, Cairo-Egypt.
[9] IS: 516-1959 procedure for curing of concrete cubes
[10] IS: 12269-1987 classification for cement
[11] IS: 4031-1988 testing for cement
[12] IS: 383-1987 classification for aggregate
[13] IS:9013-1978 Method of Making ,curing and Determining
Compressive strength of accelerated cured concrete test
specimens
[14] Nur yazdani, “ACCELERATED CURING OF SILICA
FUME CONCRETE”, July 2005.
[15] M.S Shetty, “concrete technology”, S. Chand, 2009.
[16] W. Calvin McCall “Accelerated concrete curing: the
basis” the Aberdeen group 1996

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