Accelerated curing is any method by which high early age strength is achieved in concrete. These techniques are especially useful in the prefabrication industry, wherein high early age strength enables the removal of the formwork within 24 hours, thereby reducing the cycle time, resulting in cost-saving benefits. The most commonly adopted curing techniques are steam curing at atmospheric pressure, warm water curing, boiling water curing and autoclaving.
A typical curing cycle involves a preheating stage, known as the “delay period” ranging from 2 to 5 hours; heating at the rate of 22 °C/hour or 44 °C/hour until a maximum temperature of 50−82 °C has been achieved; then maintaining at the maximum temperature, and finally the cooling period. The whole cycle should preferably not exceed 18 hours
