High-Temperature Behaviour of Concrete: A Review

Infrastructure such as residential buildings, industrial structures and nuclear power plants are at risk of fire damage during their service. High-temperature exposure impacts the physical, mechanical and thermal characteristics of concrete structural members. Due to the failure of cement gel structure at the nanoscale, being subjected to high temperatures causes significant deterioration. At micro-scale, when subjected to high temperatures, the dehydration of cement mix, porosity increases, pore pressure changes and variations in the percentage of moisture of concrete can be identified. At macro scale, inadequate pore pressure is observed due to loss of strength, reduced durability, structural cracking, increased drying shrinkage, aggregate colour changes, thermal expansion, cracking, creep, and spalling. The amount of heat transfer through concrete is determined by its thermal characteristics, which depend on temperature, while the strength loss and deterioration in concrete are determined by its mechanical properties.