Thermal conductivity of ternary mixtures for concrete pavements

This study used a standard procedure to measure the thermal conductivity of ternary concrete mixtures and investigated several factors influencing thermal conductivity. Three different coarse aggregates (Kentucky limestone, Mexican limestone, and river gravel) were used for the concrete mixtures. The measured thermal conductivity of concrete is significantly affected by the type and percentage of coarse aggregate, and moisture content. This finding was confirmed statistically by an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method. To understand the effect of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), the thermal conductivity of the control and ternary mixtures were measured and provided for use in Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement design. The thermal conductivity of ternary mixtures increased by 7–10% due to an increase of 1% in moisture. The study developed a model equation that predicts the thermal conductivity of concrete as a function of moisture content and coarse aggregate percentage.