Study on the hydration heat of binder paste in high-performance concrete

High-performance concrete (HPC) is a type of new concrete materials developed in the recent 10 years. Compared with normal strength concrete (NSC), HPC is made with lower water-binder ratio (W/B), larger dosage of superplasticizer and addition of different types of mineral admixtures. The objective of the article was to evaluate the effect of W/B, superplasticizer and mineral admixtures on the hydration heat of the binder paste in HPC. The testing results showed that the hydration heat reduced with the decrease of W/B of the binder paste. The total hydration heat did not decrease with the incorporation of superplasticizer containing retarding component, however, the hydration exothermic process was delayed. Mineral admixtures greatly reduced the hydration heat and the exothermic rate and prolonged the arrival time of the highest temperature, particularly when two or three types of mineral admixtures were added at the same time (double adding and triple adding). The influence of these three factors on hydration heat may counteract the deficiency of high hydration heat at early stage due to high cement content and high-strength cement usually used in HPC. This way, the influence of temperature stress is alleviated and the durability of concrete is enhanced.