One of the problems of doing concrete construction in the southwest is “living with the heat!” During the hot weather, concrete can be difficult to finish, more likely to crack and have lower long-term strength. I have been working with Infrared thermometers that can help contractors. The infrared thermometer measures the infrared energy given off by an object. The infrared thermometer converts energy to the temperature of an object within a fraction of a second.
The American Concrete Institute gives some recommendations for doing concrete construction in hot weather.
1. Concrete temperatures should be keep below 95°F unless higher temperatures are approved by the engineer or specifications.
2. Embedments in the concrete and the concrete forms should be kept below 120°F.
3. With water curing, keep the water within 20°F of the concrete temperature to avoid a thermal shock to the concrete.
If you want to know more about how to use a infrared thermometer we recommend you go to our website to see an article I wrote for Concrete International.
In June 2015, I went to Mongolia to present a paper at the Mongolian Concrete Conference and to do several batch plant inspections. Mongolia is an exotic place that has great mineral wealth and a lot of concrete construction.
About the Author
Luke M. Snell is a Senior Materials Engineer at Western Technologies, Phoenix Arizona and is an Emeritus Professor from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. His research interests include construction materials and concrete construction. Luke Snell is a licensed Professional Engineer in Arizona, Illinois, and Missouri. He has done extensive consulting work on construction and concrete problems throughout the United States, Algeria, Mongolia, and Saudi Arabia. He has written over 300 articles on concrete, construction materials, and construction education. Snell has been the Chair of the ACI International Committee and instrumental in starting ACI chapters in Algeria, Ethiopia and Mongolia, and he has worked with China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan to start concrete certification programs. Luke is a ACI Fellow, has received many awards, and was named one of the Ten Most Influential People of The Year in the concrete industry by Concrete Construction and Concrete Producer magazines in 2007; Construction Laureate of Mongolia (2007). He recently was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Aria University of Sciences and Sustainability, and the ACI Certification Award.
