Performance of ilmenite concrete at sustained elevated temperatures

Two similar mixes were made with cement contents of about 350 kg/m3 and a water–cement ratio of 0.50. The concrete specimens, moist cured for 7 days, were cured in air for 28 and 120 days, respectively, prior to heating. The exposure temperatures were 75, 150, 300, and 450 °C. The periods of exposure at each temperature were 2, 30, and 120 days.The compressive strengths, before heating, of the specimens cured for 35 and 120 days were 41.0 and 46.2 MPa, respectively, and the flexural strengths were 4.9 and 5.8 MPa. Compared with those strengths, the strengths of the specimens heated for 30 days or more increased at 75 °C but decreased at higher temperatures. The losses increased with increase in temperature, reaching about 30% at 450 °C.The flexural strength of the concrete cured in air for 28 days was more adversely affected than was the compressive strength. The flexural and compressive strengths of the concrete cured in air for 120 days were affected to about the same degree. The longer curing period had little effect on the relative losses in compressive strength, but the longer curing period reduced the loss in flexural strength. In most applications, the loss in strength could be compensated by proportioning the mix to overdesign for strength. Key words: high-density concrete, ilmenite, aggregates, high temperature, mechanical properties, nondestructive tests.