Effect of Elevated Temperatures on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete

Cement concrete is widely used as structural material in building construction where fire resistance is one of the key considerations in design. High temperature is well known for seriously damaging micro- and meso-structure of concrete, which results in a generalised mechanical decay of the concrete and even detrimental effects at the structural level, due to the concrete spalling and bar exposure to the flames, in case of fire. Concrete, at elevated temperatures undergoes significant physico-chemical changes. Fire response of the concrete structural members is dependent on the thermal, mechanical, and deformation properties of concrete. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of elevated temperature on the mechanical properties of concrete. The mechanical properties of concrete that are of primary interest in fire resistance design are compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic modulus, and the stress-strain response in compression. To study these, cubes and cylinders of standard size have been casted and subjected to elevated temperature of different regimes from 100°C to 1000°C in an electric heating furnace and then tested. The values thus obtained have been compared with the values in Eurocode (EN 1991-1-2), ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) and Published literature