Specific heat and thermal diffusivity of hardening concrete

Abstract

This paper focuses on the evolution of the thermal characteristics of early-age concrete as a function of the state of the hardening process. A literature review is presented, together with new test results obtained by means of improved test methods: For the determination of the specific heat of cement paste during hardening and of the thermal diffusivity of hardening concrete, test methods are developed based on existing methods. The specific heat is determined for hardening cement paste samples made with blastfurnace slag cement. It is concluded that the specific heat and thermal diffusivity decreases linearly with the degree of hydration.