cement - finely ground powder made of alumina, silica, lime, iron oxide, and magnesium oxide that binds together when water is added
aggregate - coarse materials like gravel, limestone or sand used to add strength to the overall composite material
chemical admixtures - chemicals added to the concrete to give it special properties to suit the purpose and environment. For example: hardening accelerants, hardening retardants, corrosion inhibitors, agents to bond new concrete to existing concrete and pigment to change the colour.
exothermic reaction - a chemical reaction that releases energy in the form of heat
thermal conductivity - a material's ability to lose or gain heat. Low thermal conductivity indicates that heat loss or gain will be slow.
concrete curing - after sufficient drying time, the mixing of cement and water hardens to form concrete.
density - mass per unit volume
heat - the process of energy transfer from one body or system to another due to a difference in temperature
diffusion - the gradual mixing of a material of the molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration
heat diffusion - the transfer of heat from an area with more heat to an area with less heat. Eventually the material obtains a uniform temperature.
radial direction - moving along the radius
thermal diffusion coefficient - material's ability to conduct heat per heat capacity of the volume
specific heat - also known as specific heat capacity; amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of the substance
volume flux - how the flow of water is effected by the area of the boundary. Flux is determined by density of the fluid, the shape and size of the boundary.
optimization - choosing the most effective solution; usually a maximum or minimum from an allowable set of solutions
numerical analysis - approximating a solution when an exact solution is difficult to obtain.
