Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875

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Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

The effect of elevated temperatures on the mechanical properties of

concrete with fine recycled refractory brick aggregate and aluminate
cement
Ardalan Baradaran-Nasiri, Mahdi Nematzadeh ⇑
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

h i g h l i g h t s

 Physico-mechanical properties of refractory brick fine aggregate under elevated temperatures were evaluated.
 The prepared specimens were containing ordinary Portland cement and calcium aluminate cement.
 Aluminate cement and refractory brick aggregate improved the fire behavior of concrete above 800 °C.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The concrete materials in structures are most likely to experience elevated temperatures during their ser-
Received 20 December 2016 vice period due to fire. Therefore, the relative properties of concrete after exposure to fire are of particular
Received in revised form 10 April 2017 interest in the serviceability of buildings and the safety of inhabitants. In this study, a comprehensive
Accepted 15 April 2017
experimental program was performed regarding the use of recycled aggregate produced by crushing
refractory bricks. To do so, ten mix designs were employed to prepare 210 specimens with the replace-
ment ratios of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of refractory brick fine aggregate instead of natural sand. The spec-
Keywords:
imens were prepared in the two classes, namely the specimens containing ordinary Portland cement and
Refractory brick
Resistance to fire
the ones containing calcium aluminate cement. The physico-mechanical properties of the concrete spec-
Elevated temperatures imens including compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and loss of weight of the concrete after
Aluminate cement being exposed to the temperatures of 110, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 °C, together with the porosity,
Physical and mechanical properties water absorption, and density of the concrete prior to experiencing fire were investigated. The results
Recycled aggregate showed that the refractory brick aggregate and aluminate cement improve the concrete residual strength
to twice as much beyond the temperature of 800 °C. Furthermore, the effect of using refractory brick fine
aggregate together with aluminate cement on the improvement of concrete modulus of elasticity under
fire was not significant.
Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
During the last two decades, many of the buildings around the
world have either reached their design lifetime or become defec-
tive due to the use of inappropriate materials or faulty construc-
tion. Moreover, the presence of demolished old buildings because
of rehabilitation and/or urban development programs may con-
tribute significantly to the waste production [2,4]. Industrial waste
management constitutes one of the greatest global problems of our
⇑ Corresponding author at: University of Mazandaran, Babolsar 47416-13534,
Iran.
E-mail addresses: ardalanb.nasiri@gmail.com (A. Baradaran-Nasiri), m.nematzadeh@
umz.ac.ir (M. Nematzadeh).
time, especially for large cities lacking landfill. Recycling non-
biodegradable wastes is a challenging task, and ceramic wastes
(bricks are a subgroup of ceramics) are classified as this kind of
waste with a long decomposition period (over 4000 years). The
first documented case of crushed brick usage together with Port-
land cement for producing concrete products occurred in Germany
in 1860, but the first notable case of employing crushed brick as
aggregate in fresh concrete was recorded for the rehabilitation
after World War II [1].
The resources for supplying brick are very widespread; for
instance, Xiao et al. [3] reported that during the 2008 Sichuan
earthquake, in which 90% of the houses in the region were ruined,
a large amount of waste including bricks was resulted, and its
effects on the environment created a severe challenge. In addition,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.04.138
0950-0618/Ó 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
866 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875
in the brick production procedure, due to some probable defects as
well as geometrical irregularities caused by non-uniformities exist-
ing in the temperature control inside the kiln, a large amount of
waste in the form of returned bricks is produced, which can be a
potential source of coarse aggregate. However, it should be
reminded that the waste of refractory bricks is much more limited
due to their specific applications.
With respect to the studies performed so far, the main benefits
of using crushed brick as a replacement aggregate include concrete
density reduction, decreased usage of natural aggregates, and
being an environment-friendly method, among others. Application
and performance of crushed brick as aggregate for normal concrete
have been completely widespread and satisfying. However, using
crushed brick aggregate in concrete production gives rise to some
problems that can be summarized as follows: 1) high porosity, high
water absorption rate, and quality variations; 2) incomplete in situ
specifications; 3) uncertainty regarding material provision as well
as the lack of experience regarding using these materials. A series
of original research was carried out with the aim of investigating
the effect of mixing crushed clay brick as a replacement for the
coarse aggregate of recycled concrete materials and natural sand
on the characteristics of dry-mixed masonry partition wall blocks
[4]. In this work, it was found that the hardened density and
shrinkage due to drying of blocks decrease as the amount of brick
aggregate increases. A large number of studies in the literature
focus on the reuse of recycled concrete materials to produce new
concrete, and properly investigate the potential benefits as well
as weaknesses of using recycled concrete [5–9]. Replacing a frac-
tion of natural materials by recycled concrete (30% or less) in con-
crete does not compromise its mechanical properties [7]; however,
it is generally believed that concrete compressive strength
decreases as the amount of recycled concrete replacement
increases [8]. Generally, replacing natural aggregates by red cera-
mic waste has a negative effect on the strength parameters of con-
crete, and the higher the amount of the conventional aggregate
replaced by red ceramic waste, the lower the concrete strength
will be.
Rashid et al. [10] explored the characteristics of the high-
strength concrete containing brick aggregate, and found that the
compressive strength of the concrete containing brick aggregate
decreased as the water-to-cement ratio increased, similar to what
is observed in ordinary concrete. The reduction rate of compressive
strength is higher for lower water-to-cement ratios. Mansur et al.
[11] compared the properties of concrete containing natural aggre-
gates with those of the concrete containing an equivalent amount
of brick aggregates, in which the natural aggregate was replaced by
an equivalent content of crushed brick, under similar conditions.
Cachim [12] studied the mechanical properties of the concrete con-
taining brick aggregate, with partial replacement of natural aggre-
gate by brick aggregate, and reported that there was no strength
reduction up to 15% replacement. Debieb and Kenai [13] demon-
strated that it is possible to produce a concrete containing crushed
brick (coarse and fine aggregates) with properties similar to those
of the concrete having natural aggregate provided that the brick
aggregate content is limited to 25 and 50% for the coarse and fine
aggregate, respectively. Kavas el al. [14] investigated the use of
refractory brick waste as a part of fine aggregate in concrete pro-
duction. They performed a comparison among the mortar made
with refractory brick aggregate, the one made with natural aggre-
gate, and the one containing alumina particles in terms of temper-
ature and permeability of acids. Utilization of ceramic sanitary
ware waste as concrete aggregate was investigated in the work
of Halicka et al. [15] where they compared the resistance of the
specimens individually containing natural aggregate, granite
aggregate, and ceramic sanitary ware waste, against abrasion and
elevated temperatures to each other. The results of this study
underline the special property of ceramic to maintain cohesion at
high temperatures. Aliabdo et al. [16] explored the use of crushed
brick in concrete products. They studied the compressive strength,
porosity, modulus of elasticity, and ultrasonic pulse velocity of the
concrete specimens containing brick content of 0–100% as the nat-
ural coarse and fine aggregate replacement as well as the ones con-
taining a combination of both the crushed brick and natural
aggregates.
The concrete with aluminate cement is a type of high-
performance concrete (HPC) in which the aluminate cement
replaces ordinary Portland cement as the main binder, and is
employed in infrastructural works such as sewerage networks
and even hydraulic dams. Calcium aluminate cement (CAC) is a
special multipurpose cement used in works requiring high perfor-
mance, e.g. resistance to chemical attack, high initial strength,
refractoriness, resistance to abrasion, and low ambient tempera-
ture placement [17–19]. Experimental data obtained by exposing
CAC (calcium aluminate cement) paste and various mortars to
chemically aggressive environment and natural corrosion confirm
the efficiency and ability of these materials in creating long-term
serviceability under the mentioned conditions [20]. Furthermore,
this type of concrete is characterized by its fast hardening and
strength improvement, and because of this property, calcium alu-
minate cement is also preferred as a repair material. In relation
to ordinary cement, this type of cement is capable of attaining
the equivalent 28-day strength of ordinary Portland cement in just
5–6 h [17]. Moreover, it is preferred as a refractory material for the
lining of the kilns in steel industry [21,22]. Khaliq et al. [17] inves-
tigated the elevated temperature properties of the concrete con-
taining calcium aluminate, and reported that the reduction in the
compressive strength of the concrete containing calcium alumi-
nate with increasing temperature was less than that of the normal
concrete. However, both the types of concrete showed similar and
significant compressive strength reduction above 600 °C. In addi-
tion, the visual observation of the former type demonstrated that
the physical and microstructural damage was less than that of nor-
mal concrete under elevated temperatures.
Human safety during a fire is one of the issues that should be
taken into account while designing residential, public, and indus-
trial buildings, and concrete has demonstrated a good performance
and serviceability history in this regard. Mechanical properties
such as strength, modulus of elasticity, and volume stability of con-
crete are considerably reduced during its exposure to fire [23–26].
Among the materials demonstrating a good resistance to heat are
aluminate brick and cement that were utilized in this study. Khalaf
and DeVenny [27] investigated the thermal characteristics of the
concrete with brick aggregate besides its strength parameters
under the ambient temperature, and found that the concrete con-
taining brick aggregate performed similar to and/or better than the
concrete containing granite aggregate under elevated tempera-
tures. Husem [28] explored the effect of elevated temperatures
on the compressive and bending strength of normal and high-
strength concrete, and demonstrated that the both types of con-
crete experienced greater strength reduction when cooled with
cold water in comparison with when cooled in the ambient air.
Furthermore, his results showed that the compressive strength of
high-strength concrete increased in the temperature range of
200–400 °C, while for the normal concrete, a continuous reduction
occurred. The normal and high-strength concrete collapsed at the
temperature of 600 and 800 °C, respectively, thus no compressive
strength testing was performed on them. The effect of high tem-
peratures on the concrete properties was studied in the work of
Arioz [29]; the results of which showed significant weight reduction
of the concrete specimens with increasing temperature, especially
after 800 °C. Additionally, the results indicate the negligible effect
of water-to-cement ratio and aggregate type on the loss of weight.
 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875 867

The current work was carried out with the aim of studying the Table 1
properties of the concrete specimens prepared with refractory Cement characteristics.

brick fine aggregate replacing natural fluvial sand by different Chemical properties (%) Portland cement Calcium aluminate cement
weight percentages (25, 50, 75, and 100%) together with aluminate (CEM-I 42.5N) (IRC-40)
cement (0 and 100%) after being exposed to elevated temperatures Silicon dioxide (SiO2) 20.6 4–5
of 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 °C. Here, the loss of weight, com- Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) 4.86 37–40
pressive strength, and modulus of elasticity of the concrete speci- Iron oxide (Fe2O3) 3.37 15–18
Calcium oxide (CaO) 63.56 37–39
mens before and after exposed to elevated temperatures together Magnesium oxide (MgO) 2.18 less than 1
with the porosity level of the unheated specimens were Sulfur trioxide (SO3) 2.3 –
investigated. Loss on ignition (LOI) 2.2 –
Physical properties Portland cement Calcium aluminate cement
2. Research significance (CEM-I 42.5N) (IRC-40)
Autoclave Expansion% 0.07 –
This paper presents a comprehensive study on the use of refrac- Specific gravity 3.07 3.2
tory brick fine aggregate produced by crushing refractory brick fac- Specific surface (cm2/g) 3120 3000–3300
Initial setting time (min) 140 180–240
tory wastes. The main goal of this study was to investigate the Final setting time (min) 190 –
effectiveness of refractory brick fine aggregate containing a signif- Refractoriness (°C) – 1280
icant level of Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) in improving concrete prop- Mechanical properties Portland cement Calcium aluminate cement
erties under elevated temperatures relative to ordinary concrete. (CEM-I 42.5N) (IRC-40)
Moreover, aluminate cement was another material used in this
Compressive strength (MPa) 32.26 (3 days) 55–70 (24 h)
study, and regarding the high Al2O3 content of which, a good per- 39.03 (7 days)
formance was expected compared to that of ordinary cements. 44.72 (28 days)
Much research has been devoted to the reuse of masonry brick
so far, but the literature regarding alumina bricks and their appli-
cation in a concrete mix containing aluminate cement is scarce.
Since the workability of the concrete specimens made with refractory brick
Hence, the author believes that the results of the current study aggregate is affected by the amount of water absorbed by the crushed refractory
can provide some insight for future more extensive studies in this brick aggregate grains, the refractory brick aggregate used in this study was wetted
area and be useful for researchers. to reach the water absorption level of its grains, and was subsequently put under
SSD conditions for 24 h prior to preparing concrete mix. Furthermore, due to the
fact that fine aggregate cannot be wetted and then surface-dried similar to coarse
3. Experimental study
aggregate, the refractory brick fine aggregate used here was kept in plastic sheets
for 24 h. This method was previously made prevalent by Khalaf et al. [32,33].
3.1. Materials
Different concrete mix proportions are listed in Table 3, in which the name of
each group of mix designs consists three parts. RB stands for refractory brick, and
The materials used in the mix designs employed in the present study included
the number next to it denotes the replacement percentage of refractory brick fine
type-I Portland cement, calcium aluminate cement (CAC), fine aggregate of refrac-
aggregate; for example, RB25 designates the specimen containing refractory brick
tory brick, and natural coarse and fine aggregates, each of which is described in
replacing natural sand by 25%. In the last part of the names, the symbols OC and
the following.
AC represent ordinary Portland cement, and calcium aluminate cement, respec-
tively. In this regard, RB75AC represents the specimen containing 75% refractory
3.1.1. Cement brick fine aggregate as well as calcium aluminate cement.
Type-I Portland cement (CEM-I 42.5 N) supplied from a local source was used in
half of the mix designs of this research. This type of cement has a setting time sim-
ilar to that of ordinary Portland cement (ASTM Type-I), and the characteristics of 3.3. Specimens preparation
which (provided by the manufacturer) are listed in Table 1. For the other half of
the mix designs, calcium aluminate cement (IRC-40) made in Iran with the charac- For each combination and temperature to be applied to the concrete specimens,
teristics summarized in Table 1 was used. three cylindrical 100  200 mm specimens were made. After 24 h passed from the
casting time, the specimens were removed from the molds, placed in a water tank
3.1.2. Aggregates with the temperature of 23 °C and moisture level of 100%, and kept in there for a
Natural fine aggregate in the saturated surface-dry (SSD) condition was used in 28-day period for curing in accordance with the ASTM C192 [34]. Afterwards, the
this study as the fine aggregate with the fineness modulus, water absorption, speci- specimens were kept in the lab environment for 6 days to become air-dry, and were
fic gravity, and maximum grain size of 2.60, 1.73%, 2.63, and 4.75 mm, respectively. then put in an oven under 110 °C for 24 h to become oven-dry in order to become
Natural coarse aggregate with the maximum grain size of 12.5 mm in the SSD con- ready for being placed in the furnace. Finally, the specimens were exposed to the
dition was also used, with the specific gravity and water absorption of 2.68 and elevated temperatures ranging from 200 to 1000 °C, and then left to become air-
0.47%, respectively. Moreover, crushed brick sand with different grades ranging cooled and to reach the ambient temperature prior to loading tests in order to
from 0.15 to 4.75 mm in accordance with the ASTM C33 [30] was used in the mixes. determine their compressive strength and modulus of elasticity.
With respect to the tests performed on the crushed bricks, the specific gravity and
water absorption were obtained as 2.61 and 2.18%, respectively. Fig. 1 demonstrates
different grades of brick sand, Fig. 2 illustrates the gradation curve of the refractory 3.4. Thermal exposure
brick fine aggregate, natural fine aggregate and natural coarse aggregate along with
the ASTM C33 regulations limit. In addition, Table 2 gives the characteristics Each group of concrete specimens was investigated in seven thermal categories,
(released by the manufacturer) of the refractory brick fine aggregate. i.e. 23, 110, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 °C. The temperatures of 23 and 110 °C
were considered as the ambient (reference) temperature and oven temperature,
3.2. Mix proportions respectively, and the other temperatures were considered as the elevated (high)
temperatures. The specimens were exposed to the elevated temperatures in a ver-
In total, 210 specimens were prepared with ten different mix designs; five of tical electric furnace with the dimensions of 800  800  800 mm (see Fig. 3), and
which were prepared using different volume contents of refractory brick fine aggre- after reaching the target temperature, all the specimen groups (3 specimens from
gate replacing natural fine aggregate together with type I ordinary Portland cement, each group for averaging) were kept under it for a 1-h period [29,35,36]. The tem-
and the other five were prepared with different volume contents of refractory brick perature inside the furnace was read by internal thermocouples, and the thermal
C
fine aggregate as the natural fine aggregate replacement together with calcium alu- loading rate, being adjustable, was 5 min in this study; the heating regimes are
minate cement. The volume replacement ratios of refractory brick fine aggregate shown in Fig. 4. After the end of thermal loading, the specimens remained in the
were selected as 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%. The water-to-cement ratio for all the furnace to reach the ambient temperature. As soon as they reached the ambient
designs was considered constant and equal to 0.38. The mix designs were selected temperature, loading procedure was conducted under the ambient temperature.
accordant with the ACI 211 [31]. The specimens prepared in this research can be Note that all the specimens exposed to the elevated temperatures (200–1000 °C)
seen in Fig. 3. had previously experienced the temperatures of 23 and 110 °C.
868 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875

0-1 (mm) 1-3 (mm) 3-5 (mm)

Fig. 1. Different grades of refractory brick aggregates.

ASTM regulation limit of sand ASTM regulation limit of gravel

Gradation curve of natural fine aggregate Gradation curve of natural coarse aggregate

Gradation curve of refractory brick fine aggregate

100

90

80
Percentage passing (%)

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

Sieve size (mm)

Fig. 2. Gradation curves of refractory brick fine aggregate, natural sand and natural gravel.

3.5. Fresh concrete testing

Table 2
Characteristics of refractory brick fine aggregate.
The slump value of different mix designs was determined using Abram trun-
General properties cated cone test in compliance with the ASTM C143 [37]; the results of which are
represented in Table 3.
Raw material base Chamotte
Reversible Thermal Expansion (%) at 1000 °c 0.6–0.7 ASTM C113
3.6. Hardened concrete testing
Chemical Analysis (%)
Silicon dioxide (SiO2) 52 ASTM C573 In order to evaluate the concrete specimens following having experienced fire
Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) 40 ASTM C573 and to compare them, their physico-mechanical properties including the compres-
Iron oxide (Fe2O3) 1.5 ASTM C573 sive strength, modulus of elasticity, and weight loss were determined at different
Calcium oxide (CaO) 0.5 ASTM C573 temperatures. Moreover, prior to being placed inside the furnace and exposed to
Magnesium oxide (MgO) 0.3 ASTM C573 elevated temperatures, the water absorption, porosity, and density of the hardened
TiO2 5 ASTM C573 concrete were obtained.
The compressive strength testing of the concrete specimens was carried out in
Physical and thermal properties
accordance with the ASTM C39 [38], in which a vertical axial load was applied via a
Bulk density (g/cm3) 2.15–2.3 ASTM C20 200-tonne hydraulic jack to the concrete specimens following their exposure to fire
Apparent porosity (%) 17–21 ASTM C20 and immediately after reaching the ambient temperature. The rate of compressive
Cold crushing strength (kg/cm2) 350–450 ASTM C113 loading was taken constant for all the specimens and equal to 200 kg/s, equivalent
Refractoriness (°c) 1700 ASTM C24 with 0.25 MPa/s, which is well within the corresponding standard range
Refractoriness under load (°c) 1320–1340 ASTM C16 (25 ± 0.05 MPa/s). In addition, to determine the modulus of elasticity of the con-
Thermal shock (water) at 1000 °c 15–20 ASTM C1171-05 crete specimens, testing was performed accordant to the specifications of the ASTM
C469 [39]. In this method, the secant modulus of elasticity is obtained by applying a
 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875 869

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 3. (a) Finished surfaces of fresh concrete specimens, (b) Total groups of hardened concretes before exposure to elevated temperatures, (c) Electric furnace.

Table 3
Concrete mix proportion.

Mix no. Specimen Replacement of W/C Mix proportions (kg/m3)

ID recycled aggregates %
Cement Aluminate Water Coarse Fine aggregate (SSD) Slump (mm)
cement aggregate (SSD)
Natural Recycled
1 RB0OC 0% 0.38 566 0 215 918 646 0 85
2 RB25OC 25% 0.38 566 0 215 918 484.5 156.5 70
3 RB50OC 50% 0.38 566 0 215 918 323 313 65
4 RB75OC 75% 0.38 566 0 215 918 161.5 469.5 60
5 RB100OC 100% 0.38 566 0 215 918 0 626 55
6 RB0AC 0% 0.38 0 566 215 918 667 0 110
7 RB25AC 25% 0.38 0 566 215 918 500.25 161.5 100
8 RB50AC 50% 0.38 0 566 215 918 333.5 323 90
9 RB75AC 75% 0.38 0 566 215 918 166.75 484.5 70
10 RB100AC 100% 0.38 0 566 215 918 0 646 65

specimens was determined. Finally, the saturated specimens were submerged in

1000 a water tank with a cable in order to measure the apparent mass. The oven-dry den-
sity, water absorption, saturated surface dry density, and porosity of the specimens
Furnace Temperature (oC)

were calculated using the measured masses.

800

600 4. Results and discussion

400
200
0 ously mentioned mix designs were prepared, and the weight loss,
0 50 100 150
Time (min)
Fig. 4. Heating regimes inside the electric furnace for concrete specimens exposed.
compressive load along the longitudinal direction to a concrete specimen and cal-
culating the ratio of stress’s variations to strain’s variations between a point with
the strain of 50 le and another point with the stress equivalent with 0.4 of com-
pressive strength.
The water absorption, porosity and density of the hardened concrete were
determined based on the method specified by the ASTM C642 [40]. Therefore,
28 days after demolding and before thermal exposure, the values of oven-dry mass,
surface-dry mass after immersion, surface-dry mass after immersion and boiling,
and apparent mass after immersion and boiling were measured for all the concrete
specimens, and then the mentioned parameters were calculated according to the
equations proposed by the standard. To achieve this goal, first, the specimens were
dried in an electric oven at the temperature of 110 °C for 24 h, and were then
weighted. In the next step, the specimens were saturated in the limewater for
48 h followed by gentle surface wiping with a dry towel to remove surface mois-
ture, and they were then weighted again. After that, the specimens were transferred
into a plastic tank containing tap water and were boiled for 5 h. After cooling to the
ambient temperature and removing the surface moisture, the mass of the
This research was performed with the goal of evaluating the
extent to which using refractory brick fine aggregate together with
aluminate cement affects the fresh and hardened concrete proper-
ties after exposure to elevated temperatures. To do so, ten previ-
200 250
compressive strength, and secant modulus of elasticity of all the
specimens under the temperatures of 23–1000 °C, together with
the water absorption, porosity, and density of the unheated con-
crete were determined; the results of which are investigated
below. In this research, the concrete specimens with the tempera-
ture of 23 °C in each of the ten groups were taken as the reference
specimens, and the obtained results of the other specimens were
compared with those of the reference concrete of the same grade.
4.1. Compressive strength
As one of the main elements in structural design, concrete com-
pressive strength is undoubtedly considered as one of the most
important mechanical properties of concrete representing its qual-
ity. Many of other concrete properties such as modulus of elasticity
and strain at peak stress are related to the compressive strength.
The average of the three compressive strength values associated
with the three specimens in each concrete group, which were pre-
pared with different percentages of refractory brick aggregate and
870 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875
contained ordinary and aluminate cement, was obtained and pre-
sented in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively. Furthermore, Tables 4 and 5
present the percentages of the compressive strength variations of
all the specimens relative to that of the reference concrete.
The results show that at the ambient (reference) temperature,
the specimens containing aluminate cement demonstrate higher
strength (between 26 and 53%) in relation to that of the corre-
sponding specimens containing ordinary cement, given the proper-
ties of aluminate cement classified among high-strength cements.
At this temperature, the specimens containing aluminate cement
with the replacement level of 100% of refractory brick fine aggre-
gate instead of natural fine aggregate demonstrated weaker perfor-
mance in comparison with that of the other percentages. On the
contrary, lower replacement levels showed higher compressive
strength, although up to 75% replacement of fine aggregate, the
compressive values of all the aluminate cement-containing speci-
mens were almost equal (see Fig. 6 and Table 5). Regarding the
specimens having ordinary cement, replacing different percentages
of natural fine aggregate by crushed refractory brick led to lower
compressive strength in comparison with that of the specimen
without brick fine aggregate. However, the lowest compressive
strength reduction occurred at the replacement level of 100% of
refractory brick fine aggregate, with the amount of reduction being
6% (see Fig. 5 and Table 4).
At the temperature of 110 °C, given that aluminate cement is
very sensitive to temperature, and its unstable and metastable
chemical compounds are quickly converted to stable chemical
compounds, leading to a reduction in the strength as well as an
increase in the porosity [19,20,41], a drastic reduction in the com-
pressive strength occurs at this temperature for the concrete spec-
imens containing aluminate cement. As can be seen in Table 5, at
110 °C, the lowest compressive strength reduction relative to refer-
ence (unheated) specimens belongs to the RB100AC group, and the
highest compressive strength reduction belongs to the RB25AC
group, with 51 and 61% reduction, respectively. In addition, con-
cerning the ordinary cement-containing specimens, a considerable
change was observed in the chemical composition and physical
structure of the concrete when exposed to the temperatures above
110 °C. The dehydration such as the release of chemically bound
water from the calcium silicate hydrate (CSH), becomes significant
above this temperature [42]. As can be seen in the results of the
current study, the compressive strength reduction of concrete
under 110 °C in the specimens containing ordinary cement is much
smaller compared to the effect of temperature increase on the
specimens containing aluminate cement. For example, at the
RB0OC RB25OC RB50OC RB75OC
70
60
Compressive strength (MPa)
50
40
30
20
10
0
23 110 200 400 600
Temperature (˚C)
Fig. 5. Compressive strength of specimens containing Portland cement exposed to
elevated temperatures.
RB0AC RB25AC RB50AC RB75AC RB100AC
70
60
Compressive strength (MPa)
50
40
30
20
10
0
23 110 200 400 600 800 1000
Temperature (˚C)
Fig. 6. Compressive strength of specimens containing calcium aluminate cement
exposed to elevated temperatures.
temperature of 110 °C, the specimens with 25 and 75% refractory
brick aggregate together with aluminate cement (RB25AC and
RB75AC) showed 61 and 53% reduction, respectively, relative to
the reference (unheated) specimen, while the specimens contain-
ing 25 and 75% refractory brick with ordinary cement (RB25OC
and RB75OC) led to just 7 and 3% reduction, respectively, in the
compressive strength. Altogether, at the temperature of 110 °C,
replacing natural aggregate by refractory brick fine aggregate
was influential in the strength reduction trend, with the influence
being more positive for the specimens containing ordinary cement
and high brick aggregate replacement levels.
At 200 °C, the compressive strength reduction of the specimens
containing aluminate cement relative to that at the temperature of
110 °C was negligible and less than 5% (obtained from the differ-
ence between the columns 4 and 5 of Table 5), while the amount
of this reduction was less than 18% for the specimens containing
ordinary cement (see Tables 4 and 5). Furthermore, above 110 up
to 600 °C, a slow strength reduction rate was observed in the alu-
minate cement-containing specimens, with the strength reduction
at 600 °C in relation to that at 400 °C being less than 5%. This trend
was much more severe for the ordinary cement-containing speci-
mens, with the amount of reduction at 600 °C in relation to that
at 400 °C reaching between 27 and 43%. Moreover, the highest rate
of strength reduction for the specimens having ordinary and the
RB100OC ones having aluminate cement occurred at 600 and 400 °C,
respectively.
At the temperature of 800 °C and with the gradual formation of
ceramic bonds in the refractory brick and aluminate cement, an
appropriate thermal performance was observed in the specimens
containing those two. According to Tables 4 and 5 (the values in
the parentheses), as the replacement level increases, the rate of
reduction in the compressive strength decreases for all the groups;
this result is in agreement with the findings of Xiao et al. [43]. For
example, at this temperature, the specimens having the replace-
ment level of 100% of refractory brick and containing ordinary
cement (RB100OC) demonstrated 12% higher strength in compar-
ison with the specimens containing 100% natural fine aggregate
(RB0OC), even though the specimen RB100OC had lower compres-
sive strength relative to the specimen RB0OC at the reference tem-
800 1000
perature. Additionally, all the aluminate cement-containing
specimens exhibited higher compressive strength in comparison
with that of the corresponding ordinary cement-containing speci-
mens, while the opposite trend was the case before this tempera-
ture (800 °C).
 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875 871

Table 4
The change percentages in concrete properties (Groups of ordinary Portland cement).

Properties Specimen ID P23* DP110/P23* (%) DP200/P23* (%) DP400/P23* (%) DP600/P23* (%) DP800/P23* (%) DP1000/P23* (%)
** ** ** ** ** **
Compressive strength (MPa) RB0OC 48.5(0.0) 7.6(0.0) 16.7(0.0) 25.9(0.0) 57.8(0.0) 83.3(0.0) 91.5(0.0)**
RB25OC 43.8( 9.7) 6.8( 8.9) 24.8( 18.5) 35.8( 21.7) 63.1( 21.0) 83.2( 9.5) 89.7(+10.2)
RB50OC 44.3( 8.6) 15.2( 16.1) 20.9( 13.3) 24.9(7.4) 57.4( 7.6) 82.0( 1.9) 88.9(+20.2)
RB75OC 42.5( 12.3) 2.8( 7.7) 13.6( 9.1) 26.0( 12.3) 59.7( 16.1) 78.9(+10.3) 89.5(+8.6)
RB100OC 45.5( 6.1) 6.6( 5.0) 11.0(+0.2) 20.2(+1.2) 63.4( 18.5) 80.1(+11.7) 88.7(+24.8)
Modulus of elasticity (GPa) RB0OC 36.3(0.0) 6.9(0.0) 15.8(0.0) 65.6(0.0) 88.6(0.0) 95.3(0.0) 97.9(0.0)
RB25OC 35.9( 1.1) 8.9( 3.2) 20.1( 6.1) 68.0( 7.9) 88.6( 0.97) 95.5( 4.1) 98.4( 24.7)
RB50OC 37.0(+1.9) 7.2(+1.7) 17.4(+0.1) 66.9( 1.8) 89.4( 4.8) 95.2(+5.3) 98.3( 19.5)
RB75OC 40.6(+11.8) 18.8( 2.5) 25.8( 1.4) 74.6( 17.3) 91.4( 15.0) 97.1( 31.2) 98.6( 27.3)
RB100OC 35.8( 1.4) 0.9(+5.1) 18.7( 4.81) 65.2( 0.1) 91.4( 25.2) 98.0( 58.2) 98.5( 29.9)
P23* P110* P200* P400* P600* P800* P1000*
Loss of weight (%) RB0OC 0.0 4.3 5.0 8.0 9.8 12.2 22.1
RB25OC 0.0 5.8 4.4 8.7 10.2 11.3 20.6
RB50OC 0.0 4.7 4.5 8.1 9.9 10.0 18.0
RB75OC 0.0 5.5 4.5 8.6 9.9 11.8 15.6
RB100OC 0.0 4.7 5.3 8.2 10.1 12.9 17.9
Total specimens of groups 105 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

Symbol DP represents the difference between P and the properties of reference concrete (P23). For example, DP600 = P600 P23 and DP200/P23 = (P200 P23)/P23.
*
Symbol P represents concrete properties, i.e. the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and loss of weight, and the number after it represents the applied
temperature.
**
The numbers in parentheses represent the change percentages in concrete properties compared with RB0OC group in the same temperature.

Table 5
The change percentages in concrete properties (Groups of calcium aluminate cement).

Properties Specimen ID P23 DP110/P23 (%) DP200/P23 (%) DP400/P23 (%) DP600/P23 (%) DP800/P23 (%) DP1000/P23 (%)
Compressive strength (MPa) RB0AC 65.8(+35.6) 51.7( 29.0) 56.1( 28.6) 75.5( 55.1) 80.1( 36.1) 86.5(++9.75) 89.3(+71.6)
RB25AC 66.8(+37.8) 60.8( 41.5) 63.8( 40.2) 78.9( 60.7) 79.4( 32.8) 85.9(+16.0) 88.5(+87.6)
RB50AC 65.6(+35.3) 54.4( 33.2) 59.5( 34.1) 76.3( 56.8) 78.0( 29.5) 86.0(+13.5) 87.8(+94.4)
RB75AC 65.2(+34.4) 52.8( 31.3) 54.2( 26.1) 76.6( 57.5) 78.7( 32.2) 85.6(+15.4) 87.4(+100.6)
RB100AC 57.3(+18.2) 51.1( 37.4) 52.3( 32.3) 72.3( 55.7) 75.9( 32.3) 83.3(+18.1) 85.1(+107.6)
Modulus of elasticity (GPa) RB0AC 34.6( 4.7) 13.3( 11.2) 22.0( 11.6) 91.4( 76.1) 95.3( 60.2) 96.4( 26.5) 97.9( 3.9)
RB25AC 38.6(+6.3) 34.7( 25.4) 42.5( 27.3) 93.8( 80.7) 94.5( 51.5) 96.3( 21.8) 98.0(0.0)
RB50AC 43.3(+19.3) 30.5( 11.0) 37.5( 11.4) 91.4( 70.1) 96.0( 57.8) 97.4( 32.9) 97.8(+24.7)
RB75AC 40.1(+10.5) 34.3( 22.1) 41.8( 23.7) 94.1( 80.9) 95.0( 51.7) 97.2( 34.1) 97.8(+15.6)
RB100AC 36.1( 0.5) 23.5( 18.3) 31.8( 19.5) 91.7( 76.1) 95.6( 61.2) 97.1( 38.8) 97.5(+19.5)
P23 P110 P200 P400 P600 P800 P1000
Loss of weight (%) RB0AC 0.0 4.8 4.4 8.9 10.1 13.7 18.0
RB25AC 0.0 4.8 4.5 9.2 10.2 12.8 18.5
RB50AC 0.0 5.1 4.1 8.2 10.0 13.5 20.7
RB75AC 0.0 5.0 4.6 9.0 10.2 13.1 18.6
RB100AC 0.0 5.6 4.5 10.0 10.5 12.8 18.7
Total specimens of groups 105 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

At the temperature of 1000 °C, along with the development of
ceramic bond formation in the refractory brick and aluminate
cement, which became stronger at the higher temperatures, it
was observed that the trend of reduction in the compressive
strength became slow (see Tables 4 and 5). In this regard, for the
specimens containing aluminate cement, the compressive strength
loss from the temperature 800 to 1000 °C was less than 3%, and for
the specimens containing ordinary cement, this reduction was
greater (less than 11%). Furthermore, as the replacement level of
refractory brick increased, the compressive strength of the speci-
mens containing aluminate and ordinary cement improved. The
value of compressive strength improvement for the aluminate
cement-containing specimens with the refractory brick replace-
ment levels of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% in relation to the compressive
strength of the RB0OC specimen (without refractory brick and alu-
minate cement) was 72, 88, 94, 101, and 108%, respectively, which
is very considerable.
It can be found from the experimental results that after the
temperature of 400 °C, the strength reduction (relative to 110 °C)
in the aluminate cement-containing specimens is less than that
of the ordinary cement-containing specimens. For example, the
specimen containing 100% refractory brick together with alumi-
nate cement (RB100AC) demonstrated 34% strength reduction at
1000 °C relative to that of the corresponding specimen at 110 °C,
while this value was 82% for the specimen containing 100% refrac-
tory brick with ordinary cement (RB100OC).
4.2. Modulus of elasticity
One of the most important properties of concrete from the
standpoint of design and structural behavior is the modulus of
elasticity, which is utilized with the purpose of evaluating struc-
tural deflection during service period and calculating deformation
as well as drift in the seismic analysis [44,45]. The average modu-
lus of elasticity for each of the concrete groups is presented in
Figs. 7 and 8. The effect of elevated temperatures on the modulus
of elasticity of the concrete specimens containing refractory brick
fine aggregate with the replacement percentages of 0, 25, 50, 75,
and 100% together with ordinary and aluminate cement is demon-
strated in these figures. Moreover, Tables 4 and 5 present the
872 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875
percentage of variations in the modulus of elasticity of the concrete
specimens at different temperatures in relation to the reference
(unheated) specimens. As can be seen in Figs. 7 and 8, the concrete
modulus of elasticity in different groups decreases with the
increasing temperature, and increase in the porosity of the con-
crete specimens is one of the reasons contributing to this.
At the ambient (reference) temperature, the highest modulus of
elasticity occurred at the fine aggregate replacement level of 75%
for the ordinary cement-containing specimens (12% improvement
relative to RB0OC), while for the aluminate cement-containing
specimens, the highest modulus of elasticity belonged to the spec-
imens with the replacement level of 50% (19% improvement rela-
tive of RB0OC). In addition, the amount of modulus of elasticity
at this temperature for the specimens with aluminate cement
was somewhat higher than that for the ones with ordinary cement.
Note that the type and compressive strength of concrete aggre-
gates are only some of the most important parameters playing a
role in the concrete elastic modulus. Therefore, regular changes
in the concrete elastic modulus cannot be expected with increasing
replacement level of refractory brick fine aggregate, as was the
case in this study where the results associated with the concrete
compressive strength and density (of the parameters affecting
elastic modulus) also demonstrated irregular variations, and at
the ambient temperature, as the replacement level increased, the
modulus value did not experience the same variations even in
the two groups of ordinary and aluminate cements.
At the temperature of 110 °C, a reduction was observed in the
value of modulus of elasticity for all the concrete specimens, and
this trend was more pronounced for the aluminate cement-
containing specimens given the greater sensitivity of this group
to temperature changes. The loss of modulus of elasticity in the
ordinary cement-containing specimens was between 1 and 19%,
and in the aluminate cement-containing specimens, it was
between 13 and 35%. Furthermore, the specimens RB100OC and
RB50AC showed the highest modulus of elasticity among the spec-
imens containing normal and aluminate cement, respectively.
The trend of the modulus of elasticity reduction continued with
the same rate as the previous one at the temperature of 200 °C,
with an almost constant slope for the modulus variations (see
Figs. 7 and 8). After passing 200 °C and reaching 400 °C, a signifi-
cant reduction was observed in the modulus of elasticity, with
greater variations in the aluminate cement-containing specimens,
indicating an intense increase in the porosity of the concrete spec-
imens at this temperature. This result is in line with the findings of
RB0OC RB25OC RB50OC RB75OC
45.00
40.00
Modulus of elasticity (GPa)
35.00
30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
23 110 200 400 600
Temperature (˚C)
Fig. 7. Modulus of elasticity of specimens containing Portland cement exposed to
elevated temperatures.
RB0AC RB25AC RB50AC RB75AC RB100AC
45.00
40.00
Modulus of elasticity (GPa)
35.00
30.00
25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
23 110 200 400 600 800 1000
Temperature (˚C)
Fig. 8. Modulus of elasticity of specimens containing calcium aluminate cement
exposed to elevated temperatures.
Kodur et al. [46] that as the temperature increases, the modulus of
elasticity value decreases, with the reduction rate being more
intense above 200 °C. However, as previously mentioned, for the
specimens containing aluminate and ordinary cement, the highest
compressive strength reduction occurred at the temperatures of
400 and 600 °C. According to Table 4, at 400 °C, the amount of
modulus of elasticity loss relative to the reference temperature
for the specimens containing aluminate and ordinary cement is
about 90 and 70% on average, respectively, with the lowest amount
of loss belonging to the specimens having 100% refractory brick
fine aggregate (RB100OC).
At the temperature of 600 °C, the reduction rate of the modulus
of elasticity for the specimens with ordinary and aluminate cement
decreased, with a more significant reduction for the aluminate
cement-containing specimens. The average values of modulus of
elasticity for the specimens containing aluminate and ordinary
cement at this temperature were about 2 and 4 GPa, respectively.
Moreover, the modulus of elasticity was negligibly affected by
the replacement level of brick fine aggregate.
Above 800 °C, the reduction rate of modulus was insignificant,
since the values of modulus of elasticity became small at this tem-
perature range. At 1000 °C, considering the formation of ceramic
bonds in refractory brick and aluminate cement, the modulus val-
ues in the specimens containing aluminate cement and high
replacement levels of brick fine aggregate were the highest among
RB100OC all the specimens.
Altogether, from the above results it can be found that employ-
ing brick fine aggregate does not have a significant effect on the
modulus of elasticity of the concrete exposed to elevated temper-
atures, unlike what was resulted for the compressive strength,
while using aluminate cement leads to a considerable reduction
in the concrete modulus of elasticity, due to porous structure.
Based on the findings of Liu et al. [47], increasing the replacement
level of recycled aggregate has a negligible effect on the compres-
sive strength and modulus of elasticity improvement, while its
greatest effect is on the concrete strain capacity improvement.
4.3. Loss of weight
800 1000
The weight of specimens was measured before and after being
exposed to the elevated temperatures in order to investigate the
loss of weight for each group of concrete specimens. The weight
loss values of the ordinary cement- and aluminate cement-
containing specimens in relation to the reference concrete at
 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875 873

different temperatures are presented in Tables 4 and 5, respec- RB0AC RB25AC RB50AC RB75AC RB100AC
25
tively, and illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, respectively. In all the
groups, the percentage of weight loss increased as the temperature
increased, and the structural integrity of the concrete specimens 20

Loss of Weight (%)

deteriorated at the elevated temperatures, which was verified by
observing the propagation of cracks. 15
The experimental results of this research indicate that the
weight losses of the heated specimens in each thermal group are 10
almost similar given the closeness of the water absorption level
of natural sand fine aggregate and that of refractory brick fine 5
aggregate. However, the temperatures of 800 and 1000 °C are the
exceptions due to the greater resistance and stiffness of brick
0
aggregate as well as their refractoriness at high temperatures. 110 200 400 600 800 1000
Therefore, at 1000 °C, in the specimens containing ordinary Temperature (˚C)
cement, the weight loss of the specimens having refractory brick
fine aggregate is lower than that of the ones lacking refractory Fig. 10. Loss of weight of specimens containing calcium aluminate cement exposed
brick, as can be seen in Fig. 9, suggesting the higher integrity of to elevated temperatures.
these specimens. As an example, the difference between the
weight loss of the specimen containing 75% refractory brick
are as follows. Fig. 11 shows the concrete surfaces after the thermal
(RB75OC) and that of the one containing natural sand (RB0OC) at
treatment. According to the figure, no noticeable effect can be
1000 °C is more than 5%. Furthermore, for all the aluminate
identified on the concrete surface up to 200 °C except for the color
cement-containing specimens in all the groups except one
change. When the temperature went above 400 °C, the cracks
(RB50AC at 1000 °C), the difference among their weight loss is neg-
appeared on the concrete surface, and at 600 °C, the cracks were
ligible (see Fig. 10).
significantly developed. At 800 °C, the cracks were clearly evident,
It is observed in Figs. 9 and 10 that a significant increase occurs
and the color change could be observed in the specimen aggre-
in the weight loss of specimens at the temperature of 1000 °C, with
gates. At 1000 °C, the width and depth of cracks became even
the amount of loss being more significant in the ordinary cement-
greater. Moreover, after performing compressive strength testing
containing specimens. This behavior seems to be the result of the
immediately following thermal treatment at this temperature, it
disappearance of all the chemical bonds of concrete as well as
was observed that the coarse aggregates could be easily split in half
the change in the nature and structure of aggregates. A similar
just by applying pressure by hand, and that their color became
result was reported by Arioz [29] where above 800 °C, the weight
much brighter and tending toward white in comparison with the
loss of specimens intensified. In addition, by comparing Figs. 9
aggregates at the ambient temperature. This behavior was not
and 10 to each other, it is found that the effect of using aluminate
observed in the refractory brick fine aggregates even at the tem-
cement instead of ordinary cement on the weight loss reduction of
perature of 1000 °C, indicating their high resistance to heat. The
the specimens exposed to fire is insignificant.
surface cracks of the concrete exposed to fire may be due to the
concrete pore pressure leading to the spalling phenomenon as well
4.4. Visual observations of specimens after exposure to elevated
as reduced load-carrying capacity [48]. This phenomenon was
temperatures
observed while testing the concrete specimens under the temper-
atures above 800 °C. Additionally, note that the cement type and
Concrete damage after exposure to elevated temperatures can
replacement level of brick fine aggregate had a negligible effect
be identified through observation of the concrete surface. The
on the heat-induced cracking pattern, thus the results of visual
visual inspections for evaluating concrete damage after exposure
observations were not presented separately for aluminate cement
to elevated temperatures usually include checking for color
or for different replacement levels.
change, crack, and surface spalling. In this study, the concrete spec-
imens were immediately undergone visual inspection after their
removing from the electric furnace, and the corresponding results 4.5. Density, water absorption, and porosity of hardened concrete

Density, water absorption, and porosity are regarded as the

RB0OC RB25OC RB50OC RB75OC RB100OC main characteristics of the concrete specimens involving brick
25
aggregate, which were investigated in this study. To do so, 18 spec-
imens were chosen from each group of prepared concrete speci-
20 mens for testing, and the values of their density, water
Loss of Weight (%)

absorption, and porosity prior to exposure to fire was determined.

15
The values obtained for each specimen group as well as the varia-
tions of these parameters in relation to the concrete containing
100% natural sand (RB0OC) are provided in Table 6.
10 The results given in Table 6 show that except for the RB100AC
specimen, all the other specimens have a lower porosity and water
5 absorption relative to the RB0OC specimen, which can be attribu-
ted to the high quality of materials used in the construction of this
type of refractory brick. Moreover, adding refractory brick fine
0 aggregate to the aluminate cement-containing concrete leads to
110 200 400 600 800 1000
an increase in the porosity and water absorption, unlike the case
Temperature (˚C)
for the ordinary cement-containing concrete. Regarding the
Fig. 9. Loss of weight of specimens containing Portland cement exposed to elevated experimental results, the lowest value of porosity and water
temperatures. absorption belongs to the RB25OC specimen with 10.92 and
874 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875

Fig. 11. Surface texture of concrete (RB0OC group) specimens after the thermal treatment.

Table 6
Density, water absorption and porosity of concrete specimens.

Mix no. Specimen ID Number of specimen Water absorption (%) Porosity (%) Saturated density (kg/m3)
1 RB0OC 18 5.17 (0.0)* 11.93 (0.00)* 2427.8 (0.00)*
2 RB25OC 18 4.73 ( 8.53) 10.92 ( 8.53) 2417.4 ( 0.43)
3 RB50OC 18 4.73 ( 8.59) 10.94 ( 8.30) 2425.2 ( 0.11)
4 RB75OC 18 4.93 ( 4.71) 11.38 ( 4.66) 2426.8 ( 0.04)
5 RB100OC 18 5.07 ( 1.99) 11.76 ( 1.42) 2440.1 (+0.51)
6 RB0AC 18 4.86 ( 6.11) 11.35 ( 4.90) 2449.8 (+0.91)
7 RB25AC 18 5.07 ( 1.95) 11.86 ( 0.64) 2456.4 (+1.18)
8 RB50AC 18 4.80 ( 7.31) 11.21 ( 6.04) 2450.7 (+0.94)
9 RB75AC 18 5.00 ( 3.27) 11.70 ( 1.92) 2456.1 (+1.17)
10 RB100AC 18 5.34 (+3.35) 12.43 (+4.13) 2448.8 (+0.86)
*
The numbers in parentheses represent the change percentages in the relevant parameter compared with RB0OC group.

4.73%, respectively. Furthermore, the RB100AC specimen demon-
strates the highest value of porosity and water absorption with
12.43 and 5.34%, respectively. The density of brick concrete, as
one of the main measures for evaluating this concrete type, is given
in Table 6. It can be found from the results that the quality of this
concrete type is acceptably close to that of the normal concrete.
Regarding Table 6, the highest density value belongs to the RB25AC
specimen with 2456 kg/m3, and the lowest density is associated
with the RB25OC specimens with 2417 kg/m3.
5. Conclusions
An experimental program for the reuse of refractory brick fine
aggregate in the two groups of ordinary Portland cement and cal-
cium aluminate cement was presented in this article. In total, ten
concrete mixes were used during this program, and the parameters
of weight loss, compressive strength, and modulus of elasticity of
specimens following exposure to the temperature of 110, 200,
400, 600, 800, and 1000 °C were investigated. Based on the results
of this study, the following conclusions can be drawn.
1. The compressive strength of all the specimens decreased with
increasing temperature, with the compressive strength loss in
the specimens containing ordinary cement after experiencing
400 °C being more intense relative to the other temperatures.
The compressive strength loss for the specimens containing alu-
minate cement was high at 110 °C, and its rate decreased above
this temperature. Moreover, at 1000 °C, the aluminate cement-
containing specimens demonstrated a slight strength
improvement.
2. At the temperatures above 800 °C, the specimens containing
refractory brick and aluminate cement showed greater com-
pressive strength compared to that of the normal concrete spec-
imen, which is attributed to the formation of ceramic bonds and
the replacement percentage of refractory brick fine aggregate.
In this regard, the strength of the specimen containing 100%
refractory brick and aluminate cement was obtained about
twice as much as that of the normal concrete specimen.
3. The modulus of elasticity of all the specimens decreased with
increasing temperature. Above the temperature of 200 °C and
reaching 400 °C, a drastic reduction was observed in the
 A. Baradaran-Nasiri, M. Nematzadeh / Construction and Building Materials 147 (2017) 865–875
modulus of elasticity, with the aluminate cement-containing
specimens showing higher reduction values, which suggests
an intense increase in the porosity level of concrete specimens
at this temperature. The average modulus reduction at 400 °C in
relation to the modulus of the reference temperature for the
specimens containing aluminate and ordinary cement was
about 90 and 70%, respectively.
4. Unlike what was seen in the compressive strength testing, using
brick fine aggregate did not have a considerable effect on the
modulus of elasticity improvement of the concrete exposed to
fire. Furthermore, given the porous structure, using aluminate
cement led to significant reduction in the modulus of elasticity
of the concrete experiencing elevated temperatures.
5. The weight losses of the heated concrete in the specimens of
each thermal group were almost similar to one another, with
the exception of the temperatures 800 and 1000 °C, at which
a difference was observed among the weight loss values, due
to higher resistance and refractoriness of the brick aggregates
as well as their refractory index against high temperatures.
However, this difference was smaller in the specimens with alu-
minate cement.
6. Through the visual inspection of the concrete surfaces following
exposure to heat, a color change was observed at 200 °C, and
when the temperature increased above that, cracks gradually
appeared on the concrete surface, and with further increase in
the temperature, the width and depth of these cracks
developed.
7. The porosity and water absorption of all the specimens contain-
ing ordinary and aluminate cement (except for RB100AC) were
obtained lower than those of the normal specimen (RB0OC),
which indicates that various refractory brick replacement levels
did not result in concrete porosity and water absorption
increase. With respect to the experimental results, the lowest
and highest values of porosity and water absorption belong to
the specimens RB25OC and RB100AC, respectively.
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