Construction and Building Materials 49 (2013) 807–813

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Construction and Building Materials

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Effect of steam curing cycles on strength and durability of SCC: A case

study in precast concrete
A.A. Ramezanianpour, M.H. Khazali ⇑, P. Vosoughi
Department of Civil and Environment Engineering, Concrete Technology and Durability Research Center, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

h i g h l i g h t s

 Effects of 36 steam curing regimes on the compressive strength of SCC were studied.
 Permeability of steam-cured concrete was investigated.
 An optimum steam curing cycle was introduced.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Use of Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) in pre-cast concrete plants is growing rapidly due to its benefits
Received 25 July 2013 such as reduction in labor and equipment costs, increasing productivity, providing flexibility in filling
Received in revised form 20 August 2013 highly reinforced sections and complex formworks, lowering the noise on job site and having superior
Accepted 27 August 2013
surface quality. Also, considering the critical importance of ‘‘production time’’ in precast plants, acceler-
Available online 27 September 2013
ated curing is considered as an inevitable part of precast concrete elements production.
In this study the effects of thirty-six different steam-curing regimes on the compressive strength and
Keywords:
permeability of a self-compacting concrete mixture, used in precast concrete elements of Sadr elevated
Steam curing
Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC)
highway was investigated. Compressive strength measurements indicated that in a constant total time,
Compressive strength increase in precuring period leads to lower immediate compressive strength. On the other hand, increase
Surface resistivity in treatment temperature and total cycle time (which means higher energy and time consumption) led to
Capillary absorption higher immediate compressive strength. Furthermore, durability tests results demonstrated that applica-
Energy consumption tion of cycles with maximum temperature of 70 °C imposes negative effect on durability properties of ref-
erence SCC, such as surface resistivity and capillary absorption. Finally, on the basis of three criteria
(compressive strength, permeability and energy consumption by steam curing cycle), an optimum steam
curing cycle was introduced and utilized in the precast concrete plant.
Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) has some advantages over
conventional concrete making it suitable for use in pre-cast/pre-
stressed concrete plants. These advantages include high workabil-
ity (making it possible to omit vibration), reduction of labor costs,
making feasible to develop more automated plants, and often pos-
sessing higher strength and durability properties. Three essential
characteristics of fresh SCC are filling ability, passing ability, and
segregation resistance which make it an ideal choice for use in ele-
ments with dense reinforcement or complex geometry [1–4].
There are some reasons such as limitation of formworks, facili-
ties, storage area, and time which encourage precast concrete
plants to obtain high early strength, to speed up the stripping of
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +98 21 64543074.
E-mail address: khazali@aut.ac.ir (M.H. Khazali).
forms, and to shorten the curing period [5]. Special techniques
are available to this aim including: (I) Using special cements with
high early strength such as fine or high alumina ones (II) Utilizing
suitable chemical additives (III) Use of accelerated curing (includ-
ing increased temperature and humidity).
According to economy, availability, and long-term performance
of special materials, the most common method is accelerated cur-
ing by means of increased temperature and humidity. Various
methods have been used including steam curing at atmospheric
pressure (temperature less than 100 °C), steam curing at high pres-
sure (autoclaving), electrical heating of reinforcement, imposing
electrical current to concrete directly, and microwave heating.
Among these, steam curing at low pressure is most common, espe-
cially for large precast units. A typical steam-curing cycle consists
of a precuring (delay) period after surface finishing, a heating and
cooling rate of 11–44 °C/h, and a treatment period with constant
temperature for 6–18 h. Maximum treatment temperature in

0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.08.040
808 A.A. Ramezanianpour et al. / Construction and Building Materials 49 (2013) 807–813
steam curing is usually limited to 60–90 °C [6–10]. The minimum
early compressive strength of concrete, the most important factor
for demolding of concrete elements, is suggested about 25 MPa for
the most cases. Also, the ultimate strength of concrete in plants is
commonly considered to be more than 50 MPa [9,10]. Some of
common formworks of segments utilized in precast concrete pla-
net of Sadr elevated highway are illustrated in Fig. 1.
Generally, the maximum total duration of the steam curing
cycle in a plant is limited to 18 h, since the production is carried
out 24-h and enough time should be available to prepare the form-
work and the arrangement of the reinforcements to continue the
daily production procedure. Besides, it is already shown that
continuing a definite steam curing regime for longer hours can lead
to detrimental changes in porosity and pore size distribution of
concrete [11].
Nowadays, durability of concrete structures is widely believed
to be major concern and much research work is carried out on this
issue. Mehta and Gerwick [12] investigated the San Mateo bridge
over San Francisco bay after being exposed for 17 years in the envi-
ronment; the bridge is comprised of both steam-cured and moist-
cured concrete beams with the same mixture proportions and
materials. The study demonstrated that steam-cured beams had
to be repaired according to corrosion damage, while moist-cured
beams showed no signs of deterioration. Other studies [13,14]
illustrated that accelerated curing by excessively increased tem-
perature leads to porous concrete with coarse and continuous pore
structure, and heterogeneous distribution of hydration products.
Consequently, it increases the permeability of concrete against
aggressive ions such as chlorides or sulfates, and decreases the
strength of concrete. Moreover, it can cause initial decomposing
of ettringite in fresh concrete, which can recreate Delayed Ettring-
ite Formation (DEF) in hardened concrete and produce destructive
expansion [15–18].
To the authors’ knowledge, limited research work is carried out
on the effects of steam curing on the durability of SCC. Bingöl and
Tohumcu [19] compared the compressive strength of SCC mixtures
cured in the standard situation, by air, and by exposure to steam;
the results demonstrated that concrete cured in air had the lowest
strength, and the optimum temperature of steam curing is 70 °C.
Moreover, Reinhardt and Stegmaier [20] studied the pore size dis-
tribution of steam cured SCC; it made clear that higher maximum
temperature leads to coarser pores, and the changes are correlated
to (w/c)eq.
The object of this study is to investigate the effects of steam cur-
ing on the properties of limestone incorporated SCC, which is used
in a precast plant in Tehran, Iran. For this purpose, compressive
strength and permeability (in terms of surface resistivity and cap-
illary absorption) of the reference SCC mixture were investigated
after exposure to 36 different steam curing cycles. Three main
parameters were selected as variables:
Fig. 1. Precast concrete element made with self-compacting concrete for Sadr elevated highway, Tehran, Iran.
(1) Maximum temperature of treatment (50, 60, and 70 °C).
(2) Total time of steam curing, which is desired to be at the min-
imum value, while achieving the required compressive
strength (8, 10, 12, and 14 h).
(3) Delay period before commencing the steam curing (1, 2, and
3 h).
Also, it is to be mentioned that two main constraints were im-
posed by the design and project management team, and were con-
sidered in this experimental study:
(1) A minimum of 24 MPa was required for demolding of pre-
cast concrete elements.
(2) A maximum steam curing duration of 14 h was allowed.
(3) Finally, on the basis of three criteria (compressive strength,
permeability and energy consumption by steam curing
cycle), an optimum steam curing cycle was introduced and
utilized in the precast concrete plant.
2. Experimental program
2.1. Materials
The cement used was ASTM C150/C150M-11 [21] Type II Portland cement.
Limestone powder was also used as filler. The chemical composition and physical
characteristics of Portland cement and limestone filler are listed in Table 1.
Natural sand and crushed gravel were used as aggregates. The coarse aggregates
had nominal maximum size of 19 mm, specific gravity of 2.6 gr/cm3, and water
absorption of 1.5%. The fine aggregates had specific gravity of 2.3 gr/cm3, absorption
of 2.7%, and fineness modulus of 3.6. The high fineness modulus indicates the low
content of fines in the fine aggregates. Therefore, it was decided to add limestone
filler (150 kg/m3) with a maximum particle size of 0.15 mm to compensate for
the lack of fine particles in the local river sand and also to improve the mixture rhe-
ological characteristics [22,23]. The specific gravity of the limestone filler was
2.48 gr/cm3. The sieve analyses of fine, coarse and final mixture of aggregates used
in the concrete are listed in Table 2.
Moreover, a polycarboxylate-ether type High-Range Water Reducer Admixture
(HRWRA) with a specific gravity of 1.1 gr/cm3 and solids content of 47% was con-
sumed to achieve the required workability for the mixtures.
2.2. Mixture proportions
The mix proportions were selected exactly the same as the reference SCC mix-
ture which was used in the precast concrete plant. These proportions were already
selected based on a comprehensive study of local materials and evaluation of a var-
ious number of mixtures regarding fresh and hardened properties. The mix propor-
tions and properties of the reference SCC mixture are listed in Tables 3 and 4,
respectively.
In order to study the effects of different steam curing cycles, 36 batches were
prepared according to the reference SCC mix proportions. In order to control the
variations and provide the maximum similarity between mixes, ‘‘slump flow diam-
eter’’ and ‘‘28-day compressive strength of water cured specimens’’ were measured
each time. In order to consider a mixture as ‘‘acceptable’’, 28-day compressive
strength of control specimens had to be in the range of ±5% of reference SCC mix-
ture (59 MPa). Furthermore, slump flow diameter had to be in the range of 680–
700 mm while HRWRA dosage was maintained between 0.75 to 0.85 percentages
of cement mass. If either condition was not satisfied for a mixture, it was considered
as ‘‘rejected’’ and another batch was prepared and tested.
 A.A. Ramezanianpour et al. / Construction and Building Materials 49 (2013) 807–813 809

Table 1 Table 5
Materials properties. Steam curing regimes.

Chemical composition (%) Cement Limestone filler No. Curing Precuring Peak Total time Energy index
regime ID period (h) temp. (°C) of steam (min  °C)
CaO 62.08 50.17
curing (h)
SiO2 21.10 3.12
Al2O3 4.18 1.19 CTL – – – –
Fe2O3 3.34 0.53 1 T50-1-8 1 50 8 180
MgO 3.79 3.46 2 T50-1-10 50 10 240
SO3 2.84 0.20 3 T50-1-12 50 12 300
K2O 0.69 0.25 4 T50-1-14 50 14 360
Na2O 0.14 – 5 T50-2-8 2 50 8 180
(Na2O)eq 0.59 6 T50-2-10 50 10 240
Loss on ignition (%) 3.12 40.31 7 T50-2-12 50 12 300
8 T50-2-14 50 14 360
Physical properties
9 T50-3-8 3 50 8 180
Specific gravity (gr/cm3) 3.17 2.48
10 T50-3-10 50 10 240
Blaine (cm2/g) 3519 –
11 T50-3-12 50 12 300
12 T50-3-14 50 14 360
13 T60-1-8 1 60 8 240
Table 2
14 T60-1 -10 60 10 320
Sieve analysis of aggregates (cumulative percentage passing).
15 T60-1-12 60 12 400
Sieve size (mm) River sand Gravel Aggregate mixture 16 T60-1-14 60 14 480
17 T60-2-8 2 60 8 240
19 100.0 100 100
18 T60-2-10 60 10 320
12.5 100.0 62.6 89.3
19 T60-2-12 60 12 400
9.5 100.0 38.3 82.4
20 T60-2-14 60 14 480
4.75 92.8 1.1 67.1
21 T60-3-8 3 60 8 240
2.38 63.6 0.4 47.9
22 T60-3-10 60 10 320
1.19 40.6 0 32.8
23 T60-3-12 60 12 400
0.6 26.3 0 22.9
24 T60-3-14 60 14 480
0.3 13.3 0 13.6
25 T70-1-8 1 70 8 300
0.15 4.0 0 6.5
26 T70-1-10 70 10 400
27 T70-1-12 70 12 500
28 T70-1-14 70 14 600
Table 3 29 T70-2-8 2 70 8 300
Mix proportions of reference SCC mixture. 30 T70-2-10 70 10 400
31 T70-2-12 70 12 500
Constituent Quantity 32 T70-2-14 70 14 600
33 T70-3-8 3 70 8 300
Cement (kg/m3) 400
34 T70-3-10 70 10 400
Filler (kg/m3) 150
35 T70-3-12 70 12 500
Sand (kg/m3) 921
36 T70-3-14 70 14 600
Gravel (kg/m3) 714
Water (kg/m3) 156
w/c 0.39
HRWRAa (%) 0.8
temperature was kept constant at 20 °C, while any temperature variation (heating
a
Superplasticizer percentage is presented by Portland cement mass. and cooling) occurred during constant period of 2 h.
It is common knowledge that decreasing the steam curing duration is highly de-
sired in the large scale production of precast elements, since it leads to lower produc-
The SCC mixtures were produced in a horizontal pan mixer with 100 l capacity. tion cost and also higher productivity. In this study, a maximum allowable steam
A specific mixing sequence was applied for all mixtures; which consisted of dry curing duration of 14 h was imposed by precast plant project management team.
mixing the coarse and fine aggregates, limestone filler and Portland cement for In addition, ‘‘Energy Index’’ was defined as the multiply of time by extra tem-
1 min. Then the whole water was added to the dry mixture and mixed for 2 min. perature (above ambient temperature which was considered 20 °C) during each
Finally, the HRWRA was introduced to the mixture and mixed for another 2 min. steam curing regime. This was used as an indicator of the energy consumption by
After testing the fresh mixture for being self-compactible, cylinder and cube spec- each cycle.
imens were cast without using any vibration. High-accuracy automatic climate simulators were used to impose various
steam curing cycles on SCC specimens (see Fig. 2). The devices are capable of con-
trolling both ‘‘humidity’’ and ‘‘temperature’’ in the range of 20 °C to +120 °C with
2.3. Steam curing regimes high accuracy. Also, the results ofactual humidity and temperature values during
the steam curing cycle are reported in MS-Excel format.
In order to study the effects of different steam curing cycles on the hardened
properties of reference SCC mixture, three parameters were selected as variables:
2.4. Tests procedures
(1) Precuring (delay) period.
(2) Peak temperature. 100  100  100 mm cubic specimens were tested for compressive strength
(3) Total time of steam curing. immediately after steam curing cycle and at the ages of 7 and 28 days. Furthermore,
maturity index (ASTM C1074 [24]) was utilized to study the effect of temperature–
Considering the precast factory limitations, values were assigned to the param- time history on compressive strength of steam cured specimens. This value was cal-
eters and 36 different steam curing regimes were designed (see Table 5). Precuring culated using:

Table 4
Properties of reference SCC mixture.

Fresh properties Hardened properties (water cured specimens)

Wet density (kg/m3) 2370 Slump flow at 45 min (mm) 550 1-Day compressive strength (MPa) 17
Slump flow-Avg. of two diameters (mm) 690 U-box (mm) 10 3-Day compressive strength(MPa) 35
T50 (s) 2.5 J-ring (h2–h1) (mm) 5 7-Day compressive strength(MPa) 48
V-funnel (s) 9 L-box (%) 0.85 28-Day compressive strength(MPa) 59
V-funnel at 15min (s) 14
810 A.A. Ramezanianpour et al. / Construction and Building Materials 49 (2013) 807–813

Fig. 2. Automatic climate simulator devices used for steam curing of specimens.

Table 6 3. Results and discussion

Permeability classes based on surface resistivity by FM 5-578[27].

Chloride ion permeability Surface resistivity (kX cm)
High <12
Moderate 12–21
Low 21–37
Very low 37–254
Negligible >254
X
t brought about 5 MPa decrease in immediate strength of reference
MðtÞ ¼ ðT a  T 0 ÞDt ð1Þ
0
where M(t) is the temperature–time factor at age (t), degree-days or degree-hour; Dt
is a time interval, days or hours; Ta is average concrete temperature during time
interval, °C; T0 is datum temperature, °C. It is commonly assumed equal to 10 °C
[24].
Capillary absorption was carried out at 28 days age. The capillary absorption
rate of specimens were calculated using their weight after 48 h being in 110 °C as
initial weight, and the measured weight after 72 h of being partly in contact with
the water (on side exposed to water at 5 mm depth) [25].
Electrical resistivity is one of the intrinsic specifications of concrete which can
be related to its permeability. In 1915, Wenner [26] presented a practical method to
measure the earth electrical surface resistivity by means of a four probes apparatus
which for the first time, has been standardized to use on concrete in 2004 [27].
Since it is a non-destructive, rapid, low-cost, and reliable method, it is a wide-ac-
cepted technique to investigate durability properties of concrete. Electrical resistiv-
ity refers to the resistance that any electrical charge experiences while passing
through the concrete. The increased electrical resistivity of concrete impedes the
movement of electrons from the anodic to the cathode regions, and consequently
delays the propagation of the corrosion process[28]. As presented in Table 6, FM
5-578 test method [27] defines chloride ion permeability ratings according to the
surface resistivity test results.
The electrical resistivity meter (Fig. 3) was used to measure the surface resistiv-
ity of specimens at the ages of 1, 7, and 28 days age. Three saturated 100  200 mm
cylinders were tested at each age. The test was carried out by the four-point Wen-
ner array probe technique [29].
3.1. Compressive strength and maturity index
The compressive strength test was conducted on 100 mm cube
specimens immediately after steam curing and at the ages of 7 and
28 days. The results are presented in Figs. 4–6.
As observed in Fig. 4, increase in precuring period has led to
lower immediate compressive strength values. For instance, con-
sidering the total cycle time of 8 h, 2 h increase in delay time has
SCC mixture. Furthermore, as expected, increase in temperature
and total cycle time (which means higher energy and time con-
sumption) led to higher immediate compressive strength. This is
due to the accelerated hydration reactions and rapid formation of
Calcium–Silica–Hydrate, C–S–H gel, the most important bind
phase in hardened concrete [30] in the presence of moisture and
high temperature.
Also, the average ratio of initial compressive strength to 28-day
compressive strength is calculated as 39%, 46% and 53% at the max-
imum temperatures of 50 °C, 60 °C and 70 °C, respectively. By tak-
ing 28-day results into account, it proves that increasing the
maximum cycle temperature has negative effect on compressive
strength of concrete at later ages, while it improves the immediate
strength after curing.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the strength measurements for the spec-
imens exposed to cycles with maximum temperatures of 60 °C and
70 °C, respectively. The same immediate strength pattern as for
50 °C cycles is observed for these cycles, too. Considering the
strength development until the 7 days age, it is observed that in-
crease in total cycle time reduces the strength development during

Fig. 4. Relative compressive strength values ofthe cycles with 50 °Cpeak temper-
Fig. 3. Electrical resistivity meter. ature (Mean values are presented in MPa).
 A.A. Ramezanianpour et al. / Construction and Building Materials 49 (2013) 807–813 811

Fig. 7. Results of compressive strength versus maturity index after accomplishment

Fig. 5. Relative compressive strength values ofthe cycles with 60 °Cpeak temper- of steam curing.
ature (mean values are presented in MPa).

Table 7
Relationship between maturity index and compressive strength.

A B R2
Total data 174 866 0.77
Max. temp. 50 144 699 0.88
Max. temp. 60 155 740 0.88
Max. temp. 70 172 823 0.91

Fig. 6. Relative compressive strength values ofthe cycles with 70 °C peak temper-
ature (Mean values are presented in MPa).

this period. On the other hand, strength development from 7 to

28 days of age is approximately the same for different cycles.
Among all 36 steam curing cycles, ‘‘T70-2-14’’ led to the highest
immediate compressive strength (36 MPa), while maximum 28-
day compressive strength was measured for SCC specimens which
were exposed to ‘‘T60–3-10’’ cycle (approximately 64 MPa).
Considering the obtained results and the fact that a minimum of
24 MPa was required for demolding of precast concrete elements,
it was decided not to carry out the durability tests on specimens
which were exposed to cycles with total duration of 8 h. In fact,
the strength measurements demonstrated that none of these cy-
cles developed the requiredminimum strength after exposure to
steam curing.
Maturity index was proposed earlier as a technique to account
for combined effect of time and temperature on the compressive
strength of concrete [31,32]. Although some modified methods
are presented to increase accuracy and reliability of this method
for various types of concrete [33,34], using the basic equation ex-
plained in ASTM C1074 [24]seems to be more reliable. Based on
the data presented in Fig. 7, it can be observed that logarithmic
relations with high R2 values rule the data. However, constant
parameters (A and B) based on Eq. (2) presented in Table 7 show
that using a specified equation for each maximum temperature
of curing is more appropriate with higher correlation coefficient
(R2).
Compressive Strength ¼ A  lnðMaturity IndexÞ  B
Fig. 8. Influence of steam curing regimes on surface resistivity (peak
temperature = 50 °C).
3.2. Surface resistivity
The effect of different steam curing cycles on surface resistivity
is illustrated in Figs. 8–10. Considering the values measured
shortly after steam curing (1-day results) at 50 °C, it seems that to-
tal cycle period has minor effect on the resistivity value, since a
maximum 7% variation is measured between cycles of the same
delay time. At higher temperatures, immediate resistivity is more
sensitive to total cycle time variations. For example, as observed
in Fig. 10, at the constant delay time of 3 h and peak temperature
of 70 °C, a 4-h increase in total cycle period has improved the resis-
tivity value by 33%. It is also observed that the highest immediate
resistivity value is achieved by exposure to T70-2-14 cycle, which
has the highest energy index (600 min  °C) among 36 designed
steam curing cycles.
Considering the fact that all the specimens are exposed to steam
curing cycles at early ages, the 28-day resistivity measurements
could be considered as the appropriate criteria for durability
assessment of reference SCC. Accordingly, it can be inferred that
ð2Þ ‘‘T60-3-10’’ is the optimum cycle regarding electrical resistivity
812 A.A. Ramezanianpour et al. / Construction and Building Materials 49 (2013) 807–813

Fig. 9. Influence of steam curing regimes on surface resistivity (peak

temperature = 60 °C).
Fig. 12. Capillary absorption percentages of steam curing cycles with peak
temperature of 60 °C.

Fig. 10. Influence of steam curing regimes on surface resistivity (peak

temperature = 70 °C).

of reference SCC. The test result for SCC specimens which were ex-
posed to this curing cycle is measured 15.5 kX cm, which is rated
as ‘‘moderate’’ based on the chloride ion permeability classes
defined by FM 5-578 [27].
Also, an average28-day electrical resistivity of 12.2 kX cm is
calculated for 50 °C cycles (Fig. 8), while the average values of
11.9 kX cm and 11.6 kX cm are measured for 60 °C and 70 °C cy-
cles, respectively. Therefore, it is concluded that increasing the
maximum steam curing temperature does not have any positive
effect on surface resistivity of reference SCC; even a minor decrease
should be expected.
Fig. 13. Capillary absorption percentages of steam curing cycles with peak
temperature of 70 °C.
3.3. Capillary absorption
Capillary absorption test was carried out at the age of 28 days.
The test results are presented in Figs. 11–13.
It is observed that at a constant peak temperature and curing
period, highest absorption values were measured for specimens
exposed to cycles with 1hour delay time. Furthermore, at the three
peak temperatures the highest absorption values were recorded for
14-h long cycles, which prove the negative effect of exposure to
these cycles on capillary absorption of reference SCC.
Also, an average absorption percentage of 6.4 is calculated for
50 °C cycles, while the average value of 5.5% is measured for both
60 °C and 70 °C steam curing cycles. It proves that increase in max-
imum cycle temperature from 60 °C to 70 °C does not improve the
impermeability of reference SCC regarding capillary pores. This
finding is of high importance regarding the high energy cost, which
plays a crucial role in decision making in large scale precast plants.
Accordingly, T60-3-10 could be introduced as an optimum steam
curing regime, regarding both capillary absorption (4.3%) and
energy consumption.

4. Conclusions

In this study the effects of steam curing on compressive

strength and permeability of filler-type SCC were investigated.
Also, energy consumption was considered as a selection basis
Fig. 11. Capillary absorption percentages of steam curing cycles with peak among various steam curing cycles. The major conclusions are as
temperature of 50 °C. follows:
 A.A. Ramezanianpour et al. / Construction and Building Materials 49 (2013) 807–813
1. Compressive strength measurements indicated that increase in
precuring period leads to lower immediate compressive
strength values. For instance, considering the total curing cycle
of 8 h, 2 h increase in delay time has brought about 5 MPa
decrease in immediate compressive strength of reference SCC
mixture.
2. Increase in temperature and total cycle time (which means
higher energy and time consumption) led to higher immediate
compressive strength. This could be due to the accelerated
hydration reactions and rapid formation of Calcium–Silica–
Hydrate(C–S–H gel).
3. An average electrical resistivity of 12.2 kX cm is calculated for
50 °C cycles, while the average values of 11.9 kX cm and
11.6 kX cm are measured for 60 °C and 70 °C cycles, respec-
tively. It proves that increasing the maximum steam curing
temperature does not have any positive effect on surface resis-
tivity of reference SCC; even a minor decrease should be
expected.
4. Capillary absorption test results indicated that at the three peak
temperatures the highest absorption values were recorded for
14-h long cycles, which prove the negative effect of exposure
to these cycles on capillary absorption of reference SCC.
5. Durability tests results demonstrated that application of cycles
with maximum temperature of 70 °C could have negative effect
on durability of reference SCC. This could be due to rapid forma-
tion of C–S–H gel and CH crystalline which results in a hetero-
geneous and coarser pores structure.
6. Considering the three factors of compressive strength, perme-
ability (in terms of surface resistivity and capillary absorption)
and energy consumption by steam curing regime, ‘‘T60-3-10’’
was introduced as an optimum steam curing cycle and was
applied to precast concrete elements for Sadr elevated highway.
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