An Auto-Calibrating Semi-Adiabatic Calorimetric Methodology for Strength Prediction and Quality Control of Ordinary and Ultra-High-Performance Concretes

A timely knowledge of concrete and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) strength is possible through the so-called strength-equivalent time (Et) curves. A timely knowledge of concrete strength is useful, for instance, to precisely determine when the shores of a hardening structural element can be safely removed. At the present time, the preparation of the strength-Et curves requires time-consuming and labor-intensive testing prior to the beginning of construction operations. This paper proposes an innovative method to derive the strength-Et and total heat-Et curves for both normal strength and UHPC. Results confirmed that the proposed method is fast, inexpensive, self-calibrating, accurate and can detect any variation of the concrete mix proportions or components quality. In addition, the quality of predictions of strength–maturity curves can be constantly improved as the specimens’ population increases. Finally, results obtained with the proposed method were compared with those obtained using standard methods, showing a good agreement.