Concrete subjected to sustained elevated temperatures

Human safety in case of fire is one of the major considerations in the design of buildings. It is extremely necessary to have a complete knowledge about the behaviour of all construction materials before using them in the structural elements. Concrete is a non-homogeneous material consisting of hardened cement paste and aggregates. With an increase in temperature, cracking is initiated due to thermal incompatibilities between the aggregates and the hardened cement paste. Developments in 1990's have seen a marked increase in the number of structures involving the first time heating of concrete. These includenuclear reactor pressure vessels, storage tanks for hot crude oil and hot water, coal gasification and liquefaction vessels, pavements subjected to jet engine blast, and in area's exposed to fire. The extensive use of concrete as a structural material in all the above mentioned structures and public utility buildings, multi-storey buildings, exposed to the elements of terrorism necessitated the need to study the behaviour of concrete at high temperature and its durability for the required needs.