Influence of Exposure to High Temperatures on the Mechanical and Physical Properties of Reinforced Concrete

International Journal of Civil Engineering

© 2026 by SSRG - IJCE Journal

Volume 13 Issue 1

Year of Publication : 2026

Authors : Mauro Sebastian Arias Mendez, Janet Yéssica Andía Arias, Víctor Peña Dueñas, Heydi Karina Hinostroza Maravi

10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I1P105

How to Cite?

Mauro Sebastian Arias Mendez, Janet Yéssica Andía Arias, Víctor Peña Dueñas, Heydi Karina Hinostroza Maravi, "Influence of Exposure to High Temperatures on the Mechanical and Physical Properties of Reinforced Concrete," SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 13,  no. 1, pp. 54-62, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I1P105

Abstract:

Reinforced concrete remains one of the most widely used materials in the construction sector. However, over time, its actual service life frequently falls shorter than its nominal projected lifespan, due to exposure to high temperatures, which is a significant factor in this deterioration. Under such conditions, individual components, specifically the cementing material and the steel reinforcement, get altered, and this results in distinct behavioral changes. Consequently, this study evaluates the effect of temperature on the structural behavior of reinforced concrete subjected to temperatures of 500ºC, 700ºC, and 800ºC and exposure periods of 3 and 6 hours. For the attainment of this paper’s objective, compressive strength and splitting tensile strength tests were conducted. Furthermore, the results indicated that, across all of the samples, compressive strength of the materials was reduced by 75%, while their tensile strength demonstrated a 50% loss. Additionally, A weight variation of approximately 2% was also observed, though no significant dimensional changes occurred. It is concluded that putting concrete into high-temperature exposure severely impacts the cement-steel interaction, ending up altering internal properties and leading to progressive damage. It would be advisable to expand research aimed at mitigating the observed deterioration in order to develop tools to anticipate the behavior of structures exposed to extreme thermal conditions, such as those generated during fires.

Keywords:

Reinforced concrete, Temperature, High temperatures.

References:

[1] Venkatesh Kodur, “Properties of Concrete at Elevated Temperatures,” International Scholarly Research Notices, vol. 2014, no. 1, pp. 1-15, 2014.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] A. Noumowe, “Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of High Strength Concrete Containing Polypropylene Fibres Exposed to Temperature up to 200°C,” Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 35, no. 11, pp. 2192-2198, 2005.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] İlker Bekir Topçu, and Cenk Karakurt, “Properties of Reinforced Concrete Steel Rebars Exposed to High Temperatures,” Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 2008, pp. 1-4, 2008.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] Yufang Fu, and Lianchong Li, “Study on Mechanism of Thermal Spalling in Concrete Exposed to Elevated Temperatures,” Materials and Structures, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 361-376, 2011.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] Mehmet Sait Cülfik, and Turan Özturan, “Effect of Elevated Temperatures on the Residual Mechanical Properties of High-Performance Mortar,” Cement and Concrete Research, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 809-816, 2002.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] Ulrich Schneider, “Concrete at High Temperatures-A General Review,” Fire Safety Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 55-68, 1988.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[7] Xianhua Yao et al., “Residual Mechanical Properties and Constitutive Model of High-Strength Seismic Steel Bars through Different Cooling Rates,” Materials, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 1-24, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] Yuzhuo Wang et al., “Fire Resistance of Reinforced Concrete Beams: State of the Art, Analysis and Prediction,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 409, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Muhammad Harunur Rashid, Md. Maruf Molla, and Imam Muhammad Taki, “Effect of Elevated Temperature on Bond Strength of Concrete,” Materials Science Forum, vol. 972, pp. 26-33, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] Arlinton Edwin Cuyán Barboza, Jairo Leoncio Mio Monja, and Sócrates Pedro Muñoz Pérez, “Thermal and Structural Behavior of Concrete Exposed to High Temperatures : A Literature Review,” Investigatio, no. 16, pp. 78-93, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[11] F. Hours, Mechanisms of explosive spalling of concrete under fire and the effect of polypropylene fibers. State of knowledge, Concrete Magazine, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://revistahormigon.org/n62-hours/
[12] Manisha Malik, S.K. Bhattacharyya, and Sudhirkumar V. Barai, “Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Concrete and its Constituents at Elevated Temperatures: A Review,” Construction and Building Materials, vol. 270, pp. 1-59, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] ASTM International, ASTM C192/C192M - Standard Practice for Making and Curing Concrete Test Specimens in the Laboratory, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://store.astm.org/c0192_c0192m-15.html
[14] Wei-Feng Bai et al., “Compressive Stress-Strain Relationships of Concrete Exposed to Elevated Temperatures based on Mesoscopic Damage Method,” International Journal of Damage Mechanics, vol. 31, no. 9, pp. 1420-1447, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[15] Xiaoping Yu et al., “High-Temperature Mechanical Performance of Bagasse Fiber Ceramsite Concrete and Mortar,” Frontiers in Materials, vol. 12, pp. 1-12, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] Yan Carlos Chiu-Rodríguez, and Francisco Corvo-Pérez, “Case Study on the Degradation of Reinforced Concrete Subjected to High Temperatures During a Fire,” CENIC Journal: Chemical Sciences, vol. 42, no. 2-3, pp. 2-9, 2011.
[Google Scholar]
[17] M. Manjunatha et al., “Effect of Sustained Elevated Temperature on Compression and Split-Tensile Properties of Concrete Made with Waste Foundry Sand,” Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 138-157, 2025.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] Ajibola Ibrahim Quadri, “The Effect of Elevated Temperature on the Performance of Pozzolanic Cement Mortar,” Discover Civil Engineering, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-24, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[19] S. Rawat, Y.X. Zhang, and C. Lee, “Effect of Specimen Size and Shape on the Compressive Performance of High Strength Engineered Cementitious Composites at Elevated Temperatures,” Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 1-19, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]