Home > Published Issues > 2024 > Volume 13, No. 1, 2024 >
IJSCER 2024 Vol.13(1): 24-30
doi: 10.18178/ijscer.13.1.24-30

Using Radiant Heater for Curing Concrete in Cold Weather

Amaal Al Shenawa, Hussein Abaza*, and Scott Semmelink
Department of Construction Management, Kennesaw State University, Marietta, GA, USA
Email: aalshena@kennesaw.edu (A. A.); habaza@kennesaw.edu (H.A.); ssemmel1@students.kennesaw.edu (S.S.)
*Corresponding author

Manuscript received May 18, 2023; revised July 2, 2023; accepted October 25, 2023; published February 26, 2024.

Abstract—This research investigates using radiant heaters to maintain the cured concrete temperature within the required limits. Several passive and active methods were used to maintain concrete temperature within the required limits during curing. These temperature limits depend on several factors, such as the type of concrete, required compressive strength at a certain duration, concrete exposure to extreme weather, concrete location and thicknesses, and code requirements. Several active curing strategies are used to maintain the required climate conditions, including steam, microwave heaters, hot water tubing embedded in concrete or under concrete slabs, and electric heated blankets. A main challenge that faces maintaining the concrete temperature within the required limits in cold climates is to reduce heat loss through the concrete surface. This research introduces radiant heating for maintaining concrete temperatures within the required limits in cold climates. Radiant heaters provide direct, instantaneous, uniform heating to the concrete and formwork surface. The Infrared heating method was tested using an environmental control chamber. Six concrete samples were placed in the climate chamber that simulated cold weather. Thermocouples were used to record the temperature at the concrete samples’ surface, middle, and bottom. An infrared camera was also used to measure and verify the concrete surface temperatures. The data analysis showed that concrete surface temperature dropped quickly and became significantly lower than the ambient temperature without solar radiation. However, introducing radiant heating brings the concrete surface temperature and the core temperature of the concrete samples to the required temperature in a short period of time. A comparison between this research and other research that investigated the performance of other curing methods showed that using radiant heating for concrete curing is more effective than conventional methods.

Keywords—radiant heating, concrete curing, cold weather

Cite: Amaal Al Shenawa, Hussein Abaza, and Scott Semmelink, "Using Radiant Heater for Curing Concrete in Cold Weather," International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 24-30, 2024. 

Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.