A review on the recovery of fire-damaged concrete with post-fire-curing

The recovery of concrete by post-fire-curing is non-negligible in assessing the residual properties of concrete after the fire or similar hazardous disasters. This paper reviewed the related studies on this subject. The post-fire-curing was introduced, the mechanism of post-fire-curing and the properties tested were reviewed. Moreover, some factors influencing the recovery were discussed. The recovery after the post-fire-curing is based on the rehydration of the dehydrates produced in the high-temperatures exposure. Moisture is essential to the recovery, so water post-fire-curing always results in better recovery. After the recovery, the pore structures can recover to the pre-fire level while the mechanical properties and durability cannot. The mechanism and the contribution of the further hydration of unhydrated cement grain are still not clear. The direct relationship between the rehydration and the strength recovery needs further investigation in future studies.