Understanding the Effects of High Temperature Stress and Weathering on Concrete Strength

Abstract

Concrete exists everywhere in our modern world, so there is a need for a deeper understanding of the stresses it undergoes and how these stresses affect its compressive strength. To do this, we have examined three variables that affect strength: (i) exposure to excessive heat, (ii) the ratios of sand, cement, and gravel in the final concrete, and (iii) chemical testing. It was predicted that as the heat that the concrete was exposed to increased its compressive strength would decrease. A correlation was found between increased heat and decreased compressive strength, ratios were developed that were stronger than the base concrete, and finally preliminary results from chemical testing were gathered. The main result from chemical tests was that further and more vigorous testing was required as the results that were generated were not very substantial.