Influence of Cement Types on Compressive Strength and Temperature of Normal Grade Concrete

Abstract

C20/25 concrete is known as normal strength concrete which has the cylinder and cube strength of 20 MPa and 25 MPa respectively, and it is a common concrete grade used in buildings and infrastructures. This study has investigated the workability, compressive strength and concrete temperature prepared by four types of local cement namely 42.5 N OPC, 52.5 N OPC, 32.5 N PLC and 32.5 R PFAC. XRD analysis were underwent to determine the composition phases of the four types of cement.  Based on the slump, Vebe time and compacting factor tests, the results revealed that the concrete cast with 32.5 N PLC has the highest workability, followed by 32.5 R PFAC, 52.5 N OPC and lastly the 42.5 N OPC. In terms of compressive strength, 52.5 N OPC concrete has recorded the highest value of the compressive strengths at every curing ages of 7 days, 28 days, and 56 days, followed by 42.5 N OPC, 32.5 R PFAC, whereas 32.5 N PLC achieved the lowest compressive strength. Besides, the concrete temperature results showed that the concrete cast with 52.5 N OPC obtained the highest peak temperature, followed by 42.5 N OPC, 32.5 N PLC, and the 32.5 R PFAC obtained the lowest concrete temperature.  The concrete temperature results were tally with the amount of heat of hydration calculated based on the composition phases percentage determined by XRD and Rietveld Refinement method. In short, the study provides an insight for the cements used in production of normal strength concrete to achieve designated strength and temperature control.