Refractory Concrete Properties—A Review

Abstract

Due to the large increase in human population, the need for more buildings and other amenities is widening. Concrete is considered one of the most abundant and popular materials used in the structure and construction fields. It is known as a composite mix composed of cement and aggregates including fine and coarse and water. Despite its good properties, its capability to be formed in different shapes and its ability to resist severe conditions, concrete will struggle with the presence of extremely high temperatures. So, different types of concrete must be found to resist those challenging conditions. Refractory concrete can be considered a good choice to be used in places exposed to elevated temperatures and severe conditions. Mainly, refractory concrete is made up of ordinary Portland cement replacement well known as refractory cement, specific types of fine and coarse aggregates and are known as refractory or temperature-bearing aggregates and water. To the best authors’ knowledge, review papers about refractory concrete are rare. For this reason, more than 65 papers were consulted including many recently published. This review describes the different types of materials used in refractory concrete. Furthermore, the different fresh, hardened, structural, durability and thermal properties of refractory concrete are also included such as slump, density, compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, shrinkage, mass loss, porosity, water absorption, damage level and thermal conductivity.