Advanced Characterization of Asphalt and Concrete Materials

GSP 255 ASCE 2014

Experimental Study of Applying Steam and Microwave Technology for Fresh

Concrete Curing
Ming-Ju Lee1, Ming-Gin Lee2, Yu-Min SU3, Wei-Kai Hsu4
1

Asist. Prof., Nursing and Management Department of Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Miaoli,
Taiwan, R.O.C.; E-mail: mingju6099@yahoo.com.tw
2
Prof., Department of Construction Engineering, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung
County, 413, Taiwan, R.O.C.; E-mail: mglee@cyut.edu.tw
3
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Civil Engineering, National Central University, Chungli, Taoyuan
320, Taiwan, R.O.C.; E-mail: yuminsu@ncu.edu.tw
4
Master, Department of Construction Engineering, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung
County 41349, Taiwan, ROC., E-mail: s9451611@cyut.edu.tw

ABSTRACT: In this study, cement mortar and concrete were used to investigate
some accelerated curing on the strength and chloride electrical penetration of concrete.
In order to evaluate some rapid testing procedures which could run a series of tests
within one day to attain an estimate of the 28-day strength of the concrete, specimens
with microwave heating in different hydration stages were tested on compressive
strength and chloride electrical penetration. The initial result was found that the
accelerated curing on fresh mortar or concrete samples which combines steam curing
and microwave heating could increase strength successfully within one day. Some
accelerated curing samples could reach 7-day compressive strength and the others
could reach 28-day compressive strength. It was found that the 28-day chloride
electrical penetrability of the accelerated curing samples reduce greatly when curing
them in water after the accelerated curing. It makes a contribution to the denseness of
microstructure and reduces the chloride electrical penetrability. The steam and
microwave techniques could provide the advantage of quick and uniform heating for
curing of cement mortar and concrete.
KEYWORDS: microwaves, steam curing, compressive strength, chloride
electrical penetrability
INTRODUCTION
Thermal acceleration method in concrete can benefit several operations in the
construction industry such as precast concrete fabrication. The quality of a steam
cured precast concrete is affected by curing time and temperature variables (Lee and
Chern 1999). Steam curing might cause micro-cracks along the interface of aggregate
and cement paste. It has been reported that the strength of concrete by steam curing

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could decrease in later stages such as 28 days or 90 days, when compared with
concrete cured in air or in water. It might be feasible to avoid this strength loss by
using a plastic film to cover the top layer of the precast concrete (Lee 2000).
Therefore, it is suggested that concrete by steam curing can have a lower water cement
(binder) ratio or a longer presetting time to prevent the micro-cracks in concrete and
reduction of strength in later stage. Additionally, this type of concrete requires a
relatively long period for curing since heat must diffuse inward from the surface and
the inherently non-uniform temperature can generate thermal cracking. Thus,
microwave heating may be a potentially attractive method for accelerating cement
hydration (Lee 2007).
The pioneering study shows that 28-day compressive strength of microwave
cured concretes displayed only half the strength of the normally cured concretes
(Watson 1968). However, his results were uncertain because the temperature of the
specimens might have fluctuated due to the pulsed microwave energy which he used.
Also, an internal temperature of 90 C was reached at which cracks could be
generated, resulting from the escape of steam from the interior (Leung and Pheeraphan
1995). However, Wu et al. reported that microwave heating improved the 28-day
compressive strength of mortar as much as 3-7 % and also enhanced short-term
strength (Wu et al. 1987). They emphasized optimization of the internal temperature
and the final water cement ratio of the specimen, controlling processing time and
microwave power. Too much microwave energy could cause a decrease in strength
due to overvaporation and overheating (Hutchison et al. 1991). The results from
Pheeraphan and Leung (Pheeraphan and Leung 1997) indicated that microwave curing
could impair the freeze-thaw durability of high w/c concrete but not for low w/c
concrete. Also, under microwave curing, the decrease in strength due to air
entrainment becomes more significant. Based on these observations, it is
recommended that for microwave cured air-entrained concrete, a low w/c ratio, should
be used. Thus, microwave curing may be a potentially attractive method for
accelerating cement hydration (Lee 2007).
The main aim of the work presented here is to determine the strength
development by steam curing or steam curing and microwave heating and to evaluate
the strength and permeability of these mortars or concretes.
EXPERIMENTS
Materials
Cement mortar and concrete specimens were made with Type Portland
cement which was manufactured by the Taiwan cement company. The chemical and
physical compositions of the cement used are shown in Table 1. An Ottawa sand was
used to make the mortar samples, while both local construction sand and crushed
gravel were used to make the concrete samples. Two water cement ratios (0.45 and
0.55) were used in the mortar samples. For concrete samples, the water cement ratio
was fixed at 0.55.
Specimen Preparation
(1) Mortar specimen-- The 50 mm cube mortar specimens were prepared
according to ASTM C105 and used to investigate the effects of microwave
and steam curing on the compressive strength development. For mortar

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GSP 255 ASCE 2014

samples, the cement sand ratio was fixed at 1:2.75 and two mix proportions
of mortars used are shown in Table 2. After steam-curing duration,
microwave curing and demolding, the mortar specimens were wet-cured in
water for about 17 hours. The compressive strength of the mortar
specimens was tested at 1 day duration.
(2) Concrete specimen-- The steam and microwave cured concrete cylinders,
50 mm in diameter and 100 mm in height, were used for the compressive
strength test. The other concrete cylinders, had dimensions of 100 mm in
diameter and 50 mm in height, were tested for their chloride electrical
permeability in accordance with ASTM C1202. When the specimens were
cured and finished in different curing conditions, the permeability testing
was begun. The Mix Proportions of mortar and concrete used are shown in
Table 2.
Curing Method
This study was conducted to determine the strength development by steam
curing and/or microwave heating and to evaluate the strength and permeability of
these concretes. Two steam-curing temperatures (65 and 75 C) and three curing time
(6, 6.5 and 7 hours) were used in this investigation. Totally six combinations of steamcuring cycle were chosen for mortar specimens and only two combinations of steamcuring cycle were chosen as (a) 65 C & 7 hours and (b) 75 C & 7 hours for concrete
specimens. After the steam-curing cycle and demolding, the specimens were cured in
lime-saturated water until testing begun. The microwave curing method for
accelerating cement hydration was then applied at this stage. A Tatung Electronics
Model TMO-2071M microwave oven with 700 watts power was employed. Four
microwave heating treatments (0, 20, 40 and 60 minutes) were used. The specimens
were placed in a glass container with 1000 ml of water in it, and the glass container
was placed in the microwave oven for the specified amount of time. The curing factors
considered and the combinations of mortar and concrete samples used are also shown
in Tables 3 and 4. After microwave heating, the samples were cooled to room
temperature and immediately placed in lime-saturated water for 17 hours.
Chloride Electrical Penetration Test
Chloride electrical penetration test, also called the rapid chloride penetrability
test, was developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Now it has
become a widely accepted test for determining the resistance of concrete to chloride
intrusion. The rapid chloride penetrability test apparatus was built according to FHWA
specifications as specified in AASHTO T277 and ASTM C1202. The test method
involves monitoring the amount of electrical current passed through a 3.75-inch
diameter by 2-inch concrete slice. In this experiment, specimens of size 4-inch
diameter by 2-inch thick were used. One end of the core was immersed in a sodium
chloride (3% NaCl) solution; the other end was immersed in a sodium hydroxide (0.3
N NaOH) solution, and a voltage of 60 Volt (DC) was applied across the specimen for
a period of 6 hours. Readings were taken every 30 minutes. At the end of 6 hours, the
sample was removed from the cell and the amount of coulombs passed through the
specimen was calculated. Special preparation of the concrete test specimen, including

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GSP 255 ASCE 2014

vacuum saturation and edge sealing, was needed. Details of the apparatus, preparation
of test specimen, testing procedure, and calculation of test results are described in
AASHTO T277.
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Steam and Microwave Cured Mortar
The results of 1-day compressive strength tests on the mortar samples for the
six combinations of steam and microwave curing methods on two water cement ratios
(0.45 and 0.55) are displayed in Table 5. The steam curing and microwave heating
techniques provide the advantage of quick and uniform heating for curing of
cementitious materials. The initial result was found that the accelerated curing on fresh
mortar samples which combines 7-hour steam curing at 75 plus 60-minute
microwave heat curing and 17-hour lime-saturated water could increase strength
successfully within one day. Some accelerated curing samples can reach 7-day
compressive strength and the others can reach 14-day compressive strength. The
results show that the higher curing temperature and longer curing time produced
higher early strength for all mortar mixes. The results also indicate that the strength of
cement mortars increases as a result of microwave heating. Test results from Table 5
also indicated that microwave heating could further increase the compressive strength
of the mortar. The amount of strength gain was about 8 MPa by using 20 minutes
microwave heating, and was from 15 to 20 MPa by using 40 or 60 minutes microwave
heating for 0.45 water cement ratio.
Percent strength development due to microwave curing, which is the ratio of
the strength of the microwave-cured sample minus that of the steam-cured sample to
the 28-day strength of the normal cured sample, was computed for the different steamcured temperatures and mixes (Lee, 2007). The results of percent strength
development are shown using line graphs in Figure 1. This graph gives a good
indication of the percent strength development of the various mortar mixes. The
strength development due to microwave heating appears to level off after 40 minutes
of microwave heating. Thus, a 40-minute microwave heating may be the optimum
length of time for energy saving consideration (Lee 2007). The mortar samples which
combine 7-hour steam curing at 75 plus 40-minute microwave heat curing had a
high percent strength development.
Steam and Microwave Cured Concrete
A. Compressive Strength Testing
The results of 1-day compressive strength tests on the concrete samples for the
steam and microwave curing methods at 0.55 water cement ratio are displayed in
Table 6. The steam curing and microwave heating techniques provide the
advantage of quick and uniform heating for curing of cement concretes. The initial
result was found that the accelerated curing on fresh concrete samples which
combines 7-hour steam curing at 75 plus 60-minute microwave heat curing and
17-hour lime-saturated water could increase strength successfully within one day.
Some accelerated curing samples can reach 7-day compressive strength and the
others can reach 28-day compressive strength. The results show that the higher

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Advanced Characterization of Asphalt and Concrete Materials

GSP 255 ASCE 2014

curing temperature or longer microwave time produced higher early strength for
concrete samples. The amount of the strength gain was about 5 MPa by using a 20minute microwave heating and the amount of the strength gain was from 12 to 17
MPa by using 40 or 60 minutes of microwave heating. The concrete samples which
combine 7-hour steam curing at 75 plus 40-minute microwave heat curing had a
high percent strength development from Figure 2.
B. Chloride Electrical Penetration Test
The results of the rapid chloride penetration testing are summarized in Table 7
for the concrete samples after 1-day steam-microwave curing and 28-day water curing,
respectively. It can be seen from Table 7 that the test value for which combined 7-hour
steam curing at 65 or 75 plus 20-minute microwave heating method was
significantly higher than the values of the other curing methods at 1-day steammicrowave curing. The chloride ion penetration development due to microwave
heating appears to level off after 40 minutes of microwave heating. Test results also
show that the chloride penetrability increased as the temperature of steam curing
increased at all microwave curing ages. It was found that the 28-day chloride electrical
penetrability of the accelerated curing samples reduce greatly when curing them in
water after the accelerated curing. It makes a contribution to the denseness of
microstructure and reduces the chloride electrical penetrability.
CONCLUSIONS
The main findings from this study are summarized as follows:
(1)
The 1-day strength results show that the higher curing temperature
and longer curing time produced higher early strength for all mortar
mixes.
(2)
The mortar test results indicated that microwave heating could
further increase the compressive strength of the mortar. The mortar
samples which combine 7-hour steam curing at 75 plus 40minute microwave heating had a high percent strength development.
(3)
High early compressive strength of the steam and microwave cured
mortar or concrete was obtained while its 28-day strength was
slightly lower than the 28-day strength of normally water-cured
ones.
(4)
The early strength development due to microwave heating appears
to level off after 40 minutes of microwave heating. Thus, a 40minute microwave heating may be the optimum length of time for
energy saving consideration.
(5)
The 28-day chloride electrical penetrability of the accelerated
curing samples reduces greatly when curing them in water after the
accelerated curing. It makes a contribution to the denseness of
microstructure and reduces the chloride electrical penetrability.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This study was supported by the National Science Council, Taiwan, R.O.C
under contract No. NSC 92-2622-E-324-011-CC3.

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GSP 255 ASCE 2014

REFERENCES
AASHTO T277-07, Standard test method for electrical indication of concretes ability
to resist chloride ion penetration, Ppublished 2007 by American Association of
State and Highway Transportation Officials.
ASTM C 1202-05, Standard test method for electrical indication of concretes ability
to resist chloride ion penetration, Annual book of ASTM standards, vol.04.02, pp.
639-644.
Hutchison, R. G., Chang, J. T., Jennings, H. M., and Brodwin, M. E. (1991). Thermal
acceleration of Portland cement mortars with Microwave energy. Cement and
Concrete Research, 21(6), 795-799.
Lee, M. G., (2007). A Preliminary Study for Strength and Durability of Microwave
and Steam Cured Concrete, ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering,
19(11), pp. 972-976.
Lee, M. G., and Chern, J. C. (1999). Effect of steam-curing cycle and Proportion mix
on the strength of Precast Concrete. Proc., Seventh East Asia-Pacific Conference
on Structural Engineering & Construction, JSCE, Kochi, Japan, 1390-1395.
Lee, M. G. (2000). Effect of steam-curing on the strength of Precast Concrete, Proc.,
Seventh International Conference on Composites Engineering, ICCE, Denver,
USA, 513-514.
Lee, M. G. (2001). Effect of Microwave Heating and Steam Curing on the Strength
of Cement Paste and Concrete. Proc., Eighth International Conference on
Composites Engineering, ICCE, Tenerife Island, Spain, 545-546.
Leung, C., and Pheeraphan, T. (1995). Very high early strength of microwave cured
concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, 25(1), 136-146.
Leung, C., and Pheeraphan, T. (1995). Microwave curing of Portland cement
concrete experimental results and feasibility for practical applications.
Construction and Building Materials, 9(2), 67-73.
Nokken, M. R., Hooton, R. D., and Rogers, C. A. (2004). Measured Internal
Temperatures in Concrete Exposed to Outdoor Cyclic Freezing. Cement,
Concrete and Aggregates, 26(1), 26-32.
Pheeraphan, T., and Leung, C. (1997). Freeze-thaw durability of microwave cured
air-entrained concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, 27(3), 427-435.
Watson, A. (1968). Curing of concrete. Microwave Power Engineering, 2, 108-118.
Wu, X., Dong, J. and Tang, M. (1987). Microwave curing technique in concrete
manufactures. Cement Concrete Research, 17(2), 205-210.
Table 1. Chemical composition and physical properties of Portland cement.
Chemical composition (%)
Physical properties
C3S C2S C3A C4AF CSH2 SG Blaine (m2/g)
Ig
fc (Mpa)
55 19
10
7
5
3.15
0.33
1.13
27
CSH2: gypsum, SG: specific gravity, Ig: loss on Ignition, fc: 28-day strength

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38

Table 2. Mix Proportions of Mortars and Concrete.

W/C
Batch weight
C
W
A
F
Mortar
0.45
500 g
225 g
0
1375 g
0.55
500 g
275 g
0
1375 g
Concrete 0.55 360 kg/m3 198 kg/m3 1082 kg/m3 700 kg/m3
C: cement, W: water, A: coarse aggregate, F: fine aggregate
Table 3. Test Combinations of Cement Mortar Samples.
W/C
Steam Temperature
Steam Curing Time
(1) 0.45
(1) 65 C
(1) 6.0 hrs; (2) 6.5 hrs;
(2) 0.55
(2) 75 C
(3) 7.0 hrs

Microwave Time
(1) 0 min; (2) 20 min;
(3) 40 min; (4) 60 min

Table 4. Test Combinations of Concrete Samples.

W/C
Steam Curing Time
Microwave Curing Time
0.55
(1) 65 C 7.0 hours
(1) 0 min; (2) 20 min;
(2) 75 C 7.0 hours
(3) 40 min; (4) 60 min
Table 5. Result of 1-day compressive strength of cement mortars with steam and
microwave curing (Mpa).
Microwave Curing (minute)
0
20
40
60
6 hr 65 steam curing
26.71
32.87
44.70
44.93
6.5 hr 65 steam curing 27.49
34.87
45.18
46.21
7 hr 65 steam curing
27.55
36.98
44.35
46.63
W/C=0.45 6 hr 75 steam curing
26.79
37.18
45.17
47.27
6.5 hr 75 steam curing 29.73
37.83
45.78
50.08
7 hr 75 steam curing
31.89
40.42
48.27
49.98
7 day water curing: 37.92 Mpa; 28 day water curing: 51.96 Mpa
6 hr 65 steam curing
18.70
21.90
31.47
33.87
6.5 hr 65 steam curing 20.28
23.55
33.83
32.35
7 hr 65 steam curing
22.39
25.82
34.40
36.57
W/C=0.55 6 hr 75 steam curing
22.02
27.31
39.60
41.04
6.5 hr 75 steam curing 23.46
28.34
40.64
43.13
7 hr 75 steam curing
25.43
30.82
43.55
44.51
7 day water curing: 34.54Mpa; 28 day water curing: 50.50 Mpa

Advanced Characterization of Asphalt and Concrete Materials

GSP 255 ASCE 2014

39

Table 6. Result of 1-day compressive strength of concretes with steam and

microwave curing (Mpa).
Microwave Curing (minute)
0
20
40
60
7 hr 65 steam curing
20.81
25.69
32.61
33.59
7 hr 75 steam curing
23.67
29.51
40.04
40.63
7 day water curing: 32.94Mpa; 28 day water curing: 40.59Mpa

Percent Strength Development (%)

Table 7. Result of chloride ion penetration of concretes with steam and microwave
curing (coulombs).
Microwave Curing (minute)
0
20
40
60
7 hr 65 steam curing
8992 9613
7160
8825
7 hr 75 steam curing
8984 9203
6839
6986
7 hr 65 steam curing +28 day curing 2851 4147
3217
4268

40

30

20

6 hr 65 steam curing
6.5 hr 65 steam curing
7 hr 65 steam curing
6 hr 75 steam curing
6.5 hr 75 steam curing
7 hr 75 steam curing

10

0
0

20
40
Microwave Cured Time (minute)

60

Fig.1 Percent Strength Development by Microwave Curing of Cement Mortars at

water/cement ratio of 0.45.

Percent Strength Development (%)

Advanced Characterization of Asphalt and Concrete Materials

GSP 255 ASCE 2014

40

50
40
30
20
Steam curing 65

10

Steam curing 75
0
0

20
40
Microwave Cured Time (minute)

60

Fig.2 Percent Strength Development by Microwave Curing of Concretes at

water/cement ratio of 0.55.