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Abstract
Two modications have been proposed for the NurseSaul maturity function to get better estimates of compressive strength of
concrete cured at dierent temperatures. The modications account for the eect of w/c ratio on the temperature dependence of
strength development and the eect of curing temperature on the long-term strength. The eect of the proposed modications
on the estimation of concrete strength using the NurseSaul maturity function have been compared with the estimation using
unmodied NurseSaul equation with two dierent datum temperatures (i.e., T0 = 10 C and T0 = 0 C). The results show that
applying the proposed modications improves the accuracy of estimated concrete strength at dierent curing temperatures, especially at later ages.
2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Maturity; NurseSaul; Curing temperature; Compressive strength; Concrete; Mortar; Strength development
1. Introduction
Mt
where M(t) is the temperaturetime factor at age t; degree-days or degree-hours; Dt is a time interval, days
or hours; Ta the average concrete temperature during
time interval, Dt, C, and T0 is the datum temperature,
C.
According to ASTM C1074-98 [6], it is recommended that the datum temperature be determined
experimentally or may be taken as 0 C if ASTM
Type I cement is used without admixtures and the expected curing temperature is within 0 and 40 C. However, the T0 value used for decades and still used by
most maturity instruments is 10 C, which is approximately the temperature at which the hydration of cement ceases.
Using the Arrhenius equation, the equivalent age at a
specied temperature is computed as follows:
t
X
E 1
1
te
exp
Dt;
2
R Ta Ts
0
T a T 0 Dt;
894
2. Proposed modications
Using the NurseSaul equation (Eq. (1)), the maturity index of a concrete cured at a curing temperature
Ta for a time interval equals t1 is calculated as:
M a T a T 0 t1
T a T 0 t1 T s T 0 te .
In other words, the curing time needed at the specied temperature, Ts, to produce the same strength obtained at the curing temperature, Ta, will be equal to
Ta T0
t1 .
6
Te
Ts T0
This curing time is known as the equivalent age at
specied (or reference) temperature (Ts) to produce the
same strength of a concrete cured at another temperature (Ta) for a certain time (t1).
Eq. (6) is the equivalent age form of the NurseSaul
maturity function. This equation gives a linear relationship for converting the curing times at dierent curing
temperatures, in contrast to the exponential relationship
given by the Arrhenius equation as proposed by Freiesleben-Hansen and Pederson [11].
The strength development of concrete mainly depends on cement type, curing temperature, admixtures
(if used), and the mixture water-to-cement ratio w/c.
To account better for the strength development of concrete at dierent curing temperatures to the equivalent
age, the role of the concrete w/c ratio will be involved
in Eq. (7) as follows:
X T a T 0 n
te
Dt;
7
Ts T0
where n will account for the role of w/c ratio and is given
by the following equation:
n
1
.
1 w=c2
895
k 0.141 e0.1te .
10
fc t; T a
Ta Ts
1k
.
fc te ; T s
Ts
896
Table 1
Experimental compressive strength data for mortar specimens
Curing temperature (T) C
Curing time
(days)
Compressive
strength (MPa)
1.29
3.41
6.94
13.27
27.01
47.01
67.11
2.17
15.59
29.24
44.62
56.28
62.10
64.55
0.97
2.04
4.51
8.97
18.97
31.93
45.93
4.52
14.48
27.83
43.52
54.41
54.41
62.55
0.48
1.11
2.36
5.01
9.97
20.99
33.92
3.00
13.59
25.52
40.28
49.48
57.14
59.07
32
0.38
0.79
1.79
4.11
8.94
15.97
25.79
4.34
13.79
27.03
40.34
48.21
52.55
53.14
43
0.22
0.56
1.38
3.13
5.95
12.94
19.96
3.10
17.55
31.48
41.34
44.03
51.21
54.66
1.88
3
7
14
28
91
11.90
19.60
35.48
45.47
52.31
58.59
1
2
3
7
28
91
9.70
24.60
31.20
41.60
55.2
62.30
0.50
1
2
7
28
91
6.50
19.6
31.90
43.90
53.60
58.10
12
23
12.5
20
Table 1 (continued)
Curing temperature (T) C
Curing time
(days)
Compressive
strength (MPa)
35
0.25
0.50
1
3
28
91
7.10
21.90
32.60
40.20
50.40
53.20
0.15
0.25
0.50
1
3
56
8.40
19.90
28.10
31.30
40.00
48.00
a
Specimens: 51 mm (2 in.) cubical specimens, each data point
average of three specimens.
The compressive strength development at the reference temperatures was found described by the Weibul
equation given as:
d
fc te ; T s a b ecte .
12
w/c = 0.43
w/c = 0.50
a
b
c
d
Correlation coecient (R2)
Standard error (MPa)
59.8
75.86
0.463
0.647
0.99
0.654
60.38
737.2
2.9
0.146
0.99
1.169
Fig. 4. Best t models of the compressive strength data for w/c = 0.43
and 0.50 mortars cured at the reference temperature.
897
898
899
5. Conclusions
Two modications have been proposed to the traditional maturity method based on the NurseSaul maturity function for better estimate of compressive strength
of concrete cured at dierent temperatures. The modi-
900
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