Cement-based materials encompass a broad spectrum of construction materials that utilize cement as the primary binding agent. Among these materials, concrete stands out as the most commonly employed. The cement, which is the principal constituent of these materials, undergoes a hydration reaction with water, playing a crucial role in the formation of the hardened composite. However, the exothermic nature of this reaction leads to significant temperature rise within the concrete elements, particularly during the early stages of hardening and in structures of substantial thickness. This temperature rise underscores the critical importance of predictive modeling in this domain. This paper presents a review of modeling approaches designed to predict temperature and accompanying moisture fields during concrete hardening, examining different levels of modeling accuracy and essential input parameters. While modern commercial finite element method (FEM) software programs are available for simulating thermal and moisture fields in concrete, they are accompanied by inherent limitations that engineers must know. The authors further evaluate effective commercial software tools tailored for predicting these effects, intending to provide construction engineers and stakeholders with guidance on managing temperature and moisture impacts in early-age concrete.

Even though concrete is considered to be durable, the environment to which the concrete is exposed plays an important role in its durability. The durability of concrete is challenged due to its porous nature, which is especially important in harsh exposure conditions such as marine environment. The reinforced concrete elements of marine structures such as bridges, wharves, docks, etc. are subjected to various types of exposures such as wetting and drying action [WDA], fully submerged condition, and in contact with chlorides. To refine the pore structure of concrete and to improve the durability characteristics of such structures, it is essential to use high performance concrete [HPC]. In this study, metakaolin [MK] is used as partial replacement of cement to produce HPC. The use of metakaolin is found to be very effective in reducing the porosity of concrete. As the porosity of concrete decreases, the corrosion rate can be reduced considerably. The durability characteristics of metakaolin-incorporated HPC is studied for 365 days to investigate the changes in its pore structure in long term. The iCOR® NDT method is used to find the corrosion performance and concrete resistivity of high performance metakaolin concrete under a simulated wetting and drying action [WDA] of seawater over several periods. The deterioration effect caused by the simulated WDA of seawater is also studied by considering the bond strength of specimens subjected to normal and corrosive exposure conditions.