High-Performance Concrete

High-Value Concrete

 All concrete is high value!

 Cost of material (small)

 Cost of placement (significant)

 Cost of Replacement (HIGH)

 High-Value Concrete

 High value generally associated with High-

Performance
 What is High-Performance?
 High-Early Strength Concrete
 High-Strength Concrete
 High-Durability Concrete
 Self-Consolidating Concrete
 Reactive Powder Concrete
Characteristics of High-
Performance Concretes
 High early strength
 High strength
 High modulus of elasticity
 High abrasion resistance
 High durability and long life in
severe environments
 Low permeability and diffusion
 Resistance to chemical attack
Characteristics of High-
Performance Concretes
 High resistance to frost and
deicer scaling damage
 Toughness and impact
resistance
 Volume stability
 Ease of placement
 Compaction without
segregation
 Inhibition of bacterial and mold
growth
 Materials Used in High-
Performance Concrete
Material Primary Contribution/Desired Property
Portland cement Cementing material / Durability
Blended cement
Fly ash / Slag / Silica fume Cementing material /
Durability /
Calcined clay/ Metakaolin
High strength
Calcined shale
Superplasticizers Flowability
High-range water reducers Reduce water-cement ratio
Hydration control admix. Control setting
 Materials Used in High-
Performance Concrete
Material Primary contribution/Desired property
Retarders Control setting
Accelerators Accelerate setting
Corrosion inhibitors Control steel corrosion
Water reducers Reduce cement and water content
Shrinkage reducers Reduce shrinkage
ASR inhibitors Control alkali-silica activity
Optimally graded aggr. Improve workability/reduce paste
Polymer/latex modifiers Durability
 Selected Properties of High-
Performance Concrete
Property Test Method Criteria that may be specified
High Strength ASTM C 39 70-140 MPa @ 28 to 91 days
H-E Comp. Strength ASTM C 39 20-30 MPa @ 3-12 hrs or 1-3 days
H-E Flex. Strength ASTM C 78 2-4 MPa @ 3-12 hrs or 1-3 days
Abrasion Resistance ASTM C 944 0-1 mm depth of wear
Low Permeability ASTM C 1202 500 to 2000 coulombs
AASHTO T
Chloride Penetration Less than 0.07% Cl at 6 months
259/260

Low Absorption ASTM C 642 2% to 5%

High Mod.of Elast. ASTM C 469 More than 40 GPa
High-Early-Strength Concrete
 High-early compressive strength
ASTM C 39 (AASHTO T 22)
20 to 28 MPa (3000 to 4000 psi)
at 3 to 12 hours or 1 to 3 days

 High-early flexural strength

ASTM C 78 (AASHTO T 97)
2 to 4 MPa (300 to 600 psi)
at 3 to 12 hours or 1 to 3 days
 High-Early-Strength Concrete

May be achieved by —
 Type III or HE high-early-strength cement
 High cement content 400 to 600 kg/m3
(675 to 1000 lb/yd3)
 Low water-cementing materials ratio
(0.20 to 0.45 by mass)
 Higher freshly mixed concrete temperature
 Higher curing temperature
High-Early-Strength Concrete

May be achieved by —
 Chemical admixtures
 Silica fume (or other SCM)
 Steam or autoclave curing
 Insulation to retain heat of
hydration
 Special rapid hardening cements
High-Strength Concrete

n 90% of ready-mix concrete

20 MPa - 40 MPa (3000 –
6000 psi) @ 28-d
(most 30 MPa – 35 MPa)

n High-strength concrete
by definition —
28 day – compr. strength
 70 MPa (10,000 psi)
High-Strength Concrete Materials
Aggregates —
 9.5 - 12.5 mm (3/8 - 1/2 in.) nominal maximum size
gives optimum strength

 Combining single sizes for required grading allows for

closer control and reduced variability in concrete

 For 70 MPa and greater, the FM of the sand should be

2.8 – 3.2. (lower may give lower strengths and sticky
mixes)
High-Strength Concrete Materials

Supplementary Cementing Materials —

 Fly ash, silica fume, or slag often mandatory

 Dosage rate 5% to 20% or higher by mass of

cementing material.

High-Value Concrete
High-Strength Concrete Materials
Admixtures —
 Use of water reducers, retarders, HRWRs, or
superplasticizers — mandatory in high-strength
concrete
 Air-entraining admixtures not necessary or
desirable in protected high-strength concrete.
 Airis mandatory, where durability in a freeze-
thaw environment is required (i.e.. bridges,
piers, parking structures)
 Recent studies:
w/cm ≥ 0.30—air required
w/cm < 0.25—no air needed
 High-Strength Concrete
Placing, Consolidation, and Curing
 Delays in delivery and placing
must be eliminated
 Consolidation very important to achieve strength
 Slump generally 180 to 220 mm (7 to 9 in.)
 Little if any bleeding—fog or evaporation
retarders have to be applied immediately after
strike off to minimize plastic shrinkage and
crusting
 7 days moist curing
 High-Durability Concrete

 1970s and 1980s focus on — High-Strength HPC

 Today focus on concretes with high durability in severe

environments resulting in structures with long life — High-
Durability HPC
 High-Durability Concrete

Durability Issues That HPC Can Address

 Abrasion Resistance
 Blast Resistance
 Permeability
 Carbonation
 Freeze-Thaw Resistance
 Chemical Attack
 Alkali-Silica Reactivity
 Corrosion rates of rebar
 High-Durability Concrete

 Cement: 398 kg/m3 (671 lb/yd3)

 Fly ash: 45 kg/m3 (76 lb/yd3)
 Silica fume: 32 kg/m3 (72 lb/yd3)
 w/c : 0.30
 Water Red.: 1.7 L/m3 (47 oz/yd3)
 HRWR: 15.7 L/m3 (83 oz/yd3)
 Air: 5-8%
 91d strength: 60 Mpa (8700 psi)
 Self-Consolidating Concrete
Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) also known as
self-compacting concrete —
flows and consolidates on its own
 developed in 1980s — Japan
 Increased amount of
 Fine material
(i.e. fly ash or limestone filler)
 HRWR/Superplasticizers

 Strength and durability same as

conventional concrete
Self-Consolidating Concrete
 SCC for Power Plant —Mix Proportions

Portland cement (Type I) 297 kg/m3 (500 lb/yd3)

Slag cement 128 kg/m3 (215 lb/yd3)
Coarse aggregate 675 kg/m3 (1,137 lb/yd3)
Fine aggregate 1,026 kg/m3 (1,729 lb/yd3)
Water 170 kg/m3 (286 lb/yd3)
Superplasticizer ASTM C 494, Type F (Polycarboxylate-
based) 1.3 L/m3 (35 oz/yd3)
AE admixture as needed for 6% ± 1.5% air content
Reactive-Powder Concrete (RPC)
 Properties:
 High strength — 200 MPa
(can be produced to 810 MPa)
 Very low porosity

 Properties are achieved by:

 Max. particle size  300 m
 Optimized particle packing
 Low water content
 Steel fibers
 Heat-treatment
 Mechanical Properties of RPC

Property Unit 80 MPa RPC

Compressive
MPa (psi) 80 (11,600) 200 (29,000)
strength
Flexural strength MPa (psi) 7 (1000) 40 (5800)
Tensile strength MPa (psi) 8 (1160)
Modulus of Elasticity GPa (psi) 40 (5.8 x 106) 60 (8.7 x 106)
Fracture Toughness 103 J/m2 <1 30
Freeze-thaw RDF 90 100
Carbonation mm 2 0
Abrasion 10-12 m2/s 275 1.2
Reactive Powder Concrete
Raw Material Components
 Cement

 Sand

 Silica quartz

 Silica fume

 Micro-Fibres - metallic or poly-vinyl acetate

 Mineral fillers - Nano-fibres

 Superplasticizer

 Water
 What is the typical mix ?
Cement
710 kg/m3 Silica fume

230 kg/m3
Crushed
210 kg/m3 Quartz

Sand
1020 kg/m 3

Fibres
Superplasticizer
40 - 160 kg/m 3

13 kg/m3 Total water

140 kg/m3
High-Value Concrete
 What is the typical mix ?
Cement
28 - 30% Silica fume

9 – 10%
Crushed
8.5 – 9% Quartz

Sand
42 –43%
Fibres
Superplasticizer
1.7 – 6.5%
0.6% Total water
5.5 – 6%

w/c = 0.20 No aggregates !

 Conclusion

High Value concrete is a specialized series of concrete

designed to provide several benefits in the construction of
concrete structures that cannot always be achieved
routinely using conventional ingredients, normal mixing and
curing practices.
 References

http://www.mse.mtu.edu/
http://elearning.vtu.ac.in/12/enotes/Adv_Conc_Stru/Unit7-KK.pdf
 Thank You

High-Value Concrete