Comparison of the Thermal Characteristics of Portland Cement and Geopolymer Cement Concrete Mixes

Concrete is widely used in buildings as a structural and finish material, and mix designs for these applications are well established. The thermal properties of concrete are also embedded in a number of building envelope design strategies, but mix designs to optimize for these performance characteristics are not generally considered. In this study, specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and compressive strength of concrete mixes were investigated. It was determined that a broad range of thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity values can be obtained through the adjustment of mix paste percentages. Portland cement (PC) and geopolymer cement concrete (GCC) mixes were compared for this application, with the range of thermal variability found to be greater with concretes that use the geopolymer binder.