High Performance Concrete & High Strength concrete

Presentation by M.L.Anoop Kumar I ME Structural Engineering School of Civil Engineering, Karunya University

High Performance concrete

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) defines highperformance concrete as concrete meeting special combinations of performance and uniformity requirements that cannot always be achieved routinely when using conventional constituents and normal mixing, placing and curing practices.

A commentary to the definition states that a highperformance concrete is one in which certain characteristics are developed for a particular application and environment

Because many characteristics of high-performance concrete are interrelated, a change in one usually results in changes in one or more of the other characteristics. Consequently, several characteristics have to be taken into account in producing a concrete for the intended application. A high-performance concrete is something more than is achieved on a routine basis and involves a specification that often requires the concrete to meet several criteria.

For many years, high-strength, high-performance concrete has been used in the columns of high-rise buildings. However, in recent years, there has been increased use of high-performance concrete (HPC) in bridges where both strength and durability are important considerations. The primary reasons for selecting HPC are to produce a more economical product, provide a feasible technical solution, or a combination of both. A high-performance concrete is something more than is achieved on a routine basis and involves a specification that often requires the concrete to meet several criteria. Most high-performance concretes have a high cementitious content and a water-cementitious material ratio of 0.40 or less. However, the proportions of the individual constituents vary depending on local preferences and local materials.

Characteristics of HighPerformance 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

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 HighPerformance Concrete

Concrete materials Most high-performance concretes produced today contain materials in addition to portland cement to help achieve the compressive strength or durability performance. These materials include fly ash, silica fume and ground-granulated blast furnace slag used separately or in combination. At the same time, chemical admixtures such as high-range water-reducers are needed to ensure that the concrete is easy to transport, place and finish. For high-strength concretes, a combination of mineral and chemical admixtures is nearly always essential to ensure achievement of the required strength.

Materials Used in HighPerformance Concrete

Material Portland cement Blended cement Fly ash / Slag / Silica fume Calcined clay/ Metakaolin Cementing material / Durability / High strength Flowability Reduce water-cement ratio Control setting Primary Contribution/Desired Property Cementing material / Durability

Calcined shale
Superplasticizers High-range water reducers Hydration control admix.

Material Retarders

Primary contribution/Desired property Control setting

Accelerators Corrosion inhibitors Water reducers

Shrinkage reducers ASR inhibitors Optimally graded aggregate Polymer/latex modifiers

Accelerate setting Control steel corrosion Reduce cement and water content Reduce shrinkage Control alkali-silica activity Improve workability/reduce paste Durability

Properties of High-Performance Concrete

Property High Strength Criteria that may be specified 70-140 N/mm2 @ 28 to 91 days 2-4 N/mm2 @ 3-12 hrs or 1-3 days H-E Comp. Strength 20-30 N/mm2 @ 3-12 hrs or 1-3 days H-E Flex. Strength

Abrasion Resistance 0-1 mm depth of wear

Low Permeability 500 to 2000 coulombs

Chloride Penetration Less than 0.07% Cl at 6 months Low Absorption High Modulus of Elasticity
2% to 5%

More than 40 GPa

Advantages
Higher Strength Rapid Strength Gain Low Permeability Improved Durability Costs Less Members

Ease of Placement Volume Stability Toughness Higher Modulus Lower Creep

High strength Concrete

A high-strength concrete is always a highperformance concrete, but a high-performance concrete is not always a high-strength concrete. ACI defines a high-strength concrete as concrete that has a specified compressive strength for design of 41 N/mm2 or greater. Other countries use a higher compressive strength in their definitions of high-strength concrete with 48 N/mm2 minimum or above and now it is >= 70 N/mm2.

90% of ready-mix concrete 20 N/mm2 - 40 N/mm2 (3000 6000 psi) @ 28-d (most 30 MPa 35 MPa) High-strength concrete by definition 28 day compr. strength 70 N/mm2(10,000 psi)

Why do we need High Strength concrete?

To put the concrete into service at much earlier age, for example opening a the pavement at 3-days. To build high rise buildings by reducing column sizes and increasing available space. To build the superstructures of long span bridges and to enhance the durability of bridge decks. To satisfy the specific needs of special applications such as durability, Modulus of Elasticity and Flexural strength. Some of these applications include dams, grandstand roofs, marine foundations, parking garages and heavy duty industrial floors.

How to Design High-Strength Concrete Mixtures?

Aggregate should be strong and durable. They need not be of high strength and durability but should be compatible in terms of stiffness and strength with the cement paste. Generally smaller maximum size coarse aggregate is used for higher strength concretes. High strength concrete will have high cementitious materials content that increase the heat of hydrationand probably higher shrinkage leading to the potential for cracking. Most mixtures contain one or more cementitious materials such as fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, silica fume metakaolinor natural pozzolanic material.

High strength generally need to have low water-cement ratio. w/c ratios can be in the order of 023 to 0.35. These w/c ratios are only attainable only with quiet large doses of high range water reducing admixtures or superplasticizers. The use of air entrainment in the high strength concrete will greatly reduce the strength potential.

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 N/mm2 and greater, the Fineness Modulus of the sand should be 2.8 3.2. (lower may give lower strengths and sticky mixes)

Supplementary Cementing Materials

Fly ash, silica fume, or slag often mandatory Dosage rate 5% to 20% or higher by mass of cementing material.

Admixtures

Pozzolans, such as fly ash and silica fume, are the most commonly used mineral admixtures in highstrength concrete. These materials impart additional strength to the concrete by reacting with portland cement hydration products to create additional C-S-H gel, the part of the paste responsible for concrete strength

 Use of water reducers, retarders & superplasticizers is mandatory in high-strength concrete Air-entraining admixtures not necessary or desirable in protected high-strength concrete. Air is mandatory, where durability in a freeze-thaw environment is required (i.e.. bridges, piers, parking structures) Recent studies:

w/c 0.30air required w/c < 0.25no air needed

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 bleedingfog or evaporation retarders have to be applied immediately after strike off to minimize plastic shrinkage and crusting 7 days moist curing

Normal Strength Concrete -(5oC,25oC,50oC.)

8000 7000 6000
Strength (psi)

5000
Cold-actual data

4000 3000 2000 1000 0 0 10 20 30

Age (days)

Warm-actual data Hot-actual data

40

50

60

High Strength Concrete -(5oC,25oC,50oC.)

10000 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 0 20 40
Age (days)

Strength (psi)

Cold Actual Data Warm Actual Data Hot Actual Data

60

80

100

Advantages

In simple terms, high strength concrete provides the most economical way to carry a vertical load to the building foundation. By utilizing high-strength concrete, the column size is reduced. Consequently, less concrete and less formwork are needed. At the same time, the amount of vertical reinforcement can be reduced to the minimum amount allowed by the code. The net result is that the least expensive column is achieved with the smallest size column, the least amount of reinforcement and the highest readily available concrete strength.

High-strength concrete is specified where reduced weight is important or where architectural considerations call for small support elements. By carrying loads more efficiently than normalstrength concrete, high-strength concrete also reduces the total amount of material placed and lowers the overall cost of the structure.