High Performance Concrete

1. What is High Performance Concrete? The American Concrete Institute (ACI) defines high-performance 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 high-performance concrete is something which demands much higher performance from concrete as compared to performance expected from routine concrete. 2. What are the typical performance parameters of High-Performance Concrete? The "igh #erformance Concrete is normally designed for parameters (one or more) falling under the $rength criterion or%and under the &urabilty criterion as tabulated below'trength Criteria Compressive $trength *odulus of +lasticity $hrin,age Creep !ura"ility Criteria (ree)e-Thaw $caling Abrasion Chloride #ermeability

$pecification for "igh #erformance Concrete often requires the concrete to meet several criteria! #. What is the degree of $uality control re$uirement for High Performance Concrete? "igh-performance concretes are also more sensitive to changes in constituent material properties than conventional concretes! This means that a greater degree of $uality control is required for the successful production of high-performance concrete! %. Ho& is High Performance Concrete o"tained in practice? -y careful selection of ra& materials (including chemical%mineral admixtures) . appropriate mix design to achieve the desired performance ob/ectives! *ost high-performance concretes have a high cementitious content and a water-cementitious material ratio of 0!10 or less! '. What are the "enefits of High Performance Concrete? "igh #erformance Concrete ("#C) is designed to provide several benefits in the construction of concrete structures as tabulated below' Performance (enefits ease of placement and consolidation without affecting strength long-term mechanical properties early high strength toughness volume stability longer life in severe environments Cost ) *ther (enefits less material fewer beams reduced maintenance extended life cycle aesthetics

+. Is High Performance Concrete same as High trength Concrete? 2o! A high-strength concrete is al&ays a high-performance concrete, "ut a high-performance concrete is not al&ays a high-strength concrete.

High trength Concrete

1. What is High trength Concrete? ACI defines a high-strength concrete as concrete that has a specified compressive strength for design of 3 000 psi (%1 -Pa) or greater. It should be noted that the definition of high strength concretes is continually developing! In the 4560s 71*#s was considered high strength and in the 4530s compressive strengths of up to 68*#a were being used commercially! *ore recently compressive strengths approaching 479 *#a have been used in cast-in-place buildings! Two buildings in $eattle :ashington contain concrete with a compressive strength of 45 000 psi (474 *#a)! 2. What is the difference "et&een High trength Concrete and the 2ormal Concrete? The primary difference between high-strength concrete and normal-strength concrete relates to the compressive strength that refers to the maximum resistance of a concrete sample to applied pressure! Although there is no precise point of separation between high-strength concrete and normal-strength concrete the American Concrete Institute defines high-strength concrete as concrete with a compressive strength greater than 3000 psi (14 *#a)! #. Ho& is High trength Concrete o"tained in practice? *anufacture of high-strength concrete involves ma,ing optimal use of the basic ingredients that constitute normal-strength concrete! #roducers of high-strength concrete ,now what factors affect compressive strength and ,now how to manipulate those factors to achieve the required strength! In addition to selecting a high-quality portland cement producers optimi)e aggregates then optimi)e the combination of materials by varying the proportions of cement water aggregates and admixtures! :hen selecting aggregates for high-strength concrete producers consider the strength of the aggregate the optimum si)e of the aggregate the bond between the cement paste and the aggregate and the surface characteristics of the aggregate! Any of these properties could limit the ultimate strength of high-strength concrete! Admixtures' #o))olans such as fly ash and silica fume are the most commonly used mineral admixtures in high-strength concrete! These materials impart additional strength to the concrete by reacting with portland cement hydration products to create additional C-$-" gel the part of the paste responsible for concrete strength! It would be difficult to produce high-strength concrete mixtures without using chemical admixtures! A common practice is to use a superplastici)er in combination with a water-reducing retarder! The superplastici)er gives the concrete adequate wor,ability at low water-cement ratios leading to concrete with greater strength! The water-reducing retarder slows the hydration of the cement and allows wor,ers more time to place the concrete! %. What is the main application area of High trength Concrete? High-strength concrete is specified &here reduced &eight is important or &here architectural considerations call for small support elements! -y 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! "igh-strength concrete columns can hold more weight and therefore be made slimmer than regular strength concrete columns which allows for more useable space especially in the lower floors of buildings! "igh $trength Concrete are also used in other engineering strucures li,e "ridges! '. Is High trength Concrete same as High Performance Concrete? 2o! A high-strength concrete is always a high-performance concrete but a high-performance concrete is not always a high-strength concrete!