Design development of aggregates cooling systems for hot weather concreting

Abstract

Using hot aggregates, in concrete production, results in a drop in compressive strength of the produced concrete. Various methods have been proposed for cooling concrete aggregates. This paper proposes new two designs for aggregates cooling systems for various production rate demands. Conveyor system for small to moderate production rates and rotating drum for high production rates. Simulation of the heat flow during the cooling process over the conveyor and through the drum are analyzed with the objective of understanding the effect of the various design parameters and achieving minimum cooling time with the least possible power. Finite element models for the new designs are proposed and discussed. The results of the finite element analysis of the new designs are presented for various initial conditions and cooling rates.