Effect of High Temperatures on Properties of NSC and HSC

Disasters due to fire accidents have become frequent resulting in concrete subjected to high temperatures leading to severe loss of life and property. The usage of High Strength Concrete (HSC) as a structural material has led to the demand to understand the effects of fire on concrete. This paper is aimed at understanding the properties of both HSC and normal strength concrete (NSC) at high temperatures. The experimental work mainly focuses on physical & mechanical properties of M20 grade NSC and M60 Grade HSC subjected to high temperatures. Color change, weight loss, crack width, thermal expansion and residual compressive strength were observed under high temperatures ranging from 1000C to 8000C with an increment of 1000C at exposure duration of three hours. The effect of high temperatures on HSC is more prominent than that of NSC. The performance of HSC is marginally poor compared to NSC at temperatures upto 8000C.