DevELoPMENT oF REACTIVE PowDER CONCRETE (RPC) PRECAST PRODUCTS FOR THE UNITED STATES MARKET by William M. Dowd & Christophe E. Daurise Sumopsis: Reactive Powder Conereie (RPC) is an ultrayhigh-strength, very-low- porosity concrete material with advanced mechanical and physical properties. Pipe products for the conveyance of water, sewage and other liquids under pressure of sravity flow provide an opportunity to utilize many of the enhanced properties of RPC. In the US, research is being conducted under the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Construction Productivity Advancement Research (CPAR) Program to develop and commercialize those types of precast pipe products. CPAR is a public-private partnership, cost-shared, research, development, commercilization, and technology transfer program. The overall goals of the RPC research program under the CPAR program is the development of pipe prototypes which exhibit greater overall value than pipes fabricated from other materials, ‘The project was initiated in the fall of 1994 and reaches now its third and final yeat Progress to date includes: US component materials identification and the development of customized mixture designs for each product and casting operation. To date, six casting sessions have been held at five differeat plants to produce prototype specimens using the following production methods: wet casting, spin casting, injection, dry casting, and packer-head casting, Destructive testing has been performed on the prototypes to establish the properties of the RPC products with respect 10 the prevailing industry standard for similar pipe products. This paper describes the research and reports on the progress to date. Keywords: casting operation, concrete, concrete components, concrete mixtures, dry casting, injection casting, intemal pressure, low porosity concrete, packer-head casting, precast concrete pipe, pressure pipe, Reactive Powder Concrete, spin casting, three-edge bearing load, Ultra-high- strength concrete, wet casting, raha 1996William M. Dowd is an executive vice president and national technical director of ‘transportation for HDR Engineering, Inc. His responsibilities include directing the 32- office transportation division of the company and coordinating the technical activities of its 500 person staff: Mr. Dowd has extensive applied research, design, inspection and rehabilitation experience for highway, railroad, and pedestrian bridges. He also leads the company’s efforts in the development in the area of advanced cement based composite materials. Mr. Dowd received B.S. and MS. degrees in Civil Engineering, from the University of Nebraska. He is a registered professional engineer in eleven states Christophe E, Dauriac is a material & design engineer in the HDR Engineering's Seattle bridge group. Prior to joining HDR, Mr. Dauriae worked under HDR’s former Parent Corporation, Bouygues, where he started with the construetion management services and then joined the scientific division. Assigned to the US in 1994, he first coordinated R&D activities for developing a new generation of RPC pipe products ‘Mr. Dauriac holds # B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering earned at the National Institute of Applied Sciences of Toulouse, France and accredited in the United States. He is a registered engineer in France, Ivteopucrion Reactive Powder Conerete (RPC) is an ulta-highstrength, ve-low- porosity conrete ‘material with advanced mechanical and physical properties. RPC high performances result in substantial increase in cost over and above that of conventional feven High Performance Concrete (HPC) in which case it is appropriate to identify applications which fully utilize RPC’s mechanical properties and performance characteristics. The recent development of reactive powder concrete (RPC) has Prompted its developers to identify effective and efficient uses for the material. Pipe products for the conveyance of water, sewage and other liquids under pressure or gravity flow provide an opportunity to utilize many of the enhanced properties of RPC. In the United States, research is being conducted under the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Construction Productivity Advancement Research (CPAR) Program to develop and commercialize those types of precast pipe products. CPAR is a public. private partnership, cost-shared, research, development, commercialization, and technology transfer program. ‘The overall goals of the RPC research program under the CPAR program is the development of pipe prototypes which exhibit greater overall value than pipes fabricated from other materials ‘The project was initiated in the fall of 1994 and reaches now its third and final year. Progress to date includes: US component materials identification and the development ‘of customized mixture designs for each product and casting operation, Fiat 1998To date, six casting sessions have been held at five different plants to produce prototype specimens using the following production methods: wet casting, spin casting, injection, dry casting, and packer-head casting. Destructive testing has been performed on the prototypes to establish the properties of the RPC products with respect to the prevailing industry standards for similar pipe products. RPC PROPERTIES SUITABLE TO Pre PRODUCTS Precast concrete pipes are commonly used for several gravity flow piping applications as drainage culverts, storm sewer systems, sanitary sewer systems and also for the conveyance of water under pressure, The loading from the surrounding soil and surcharge from surface live loads generally control the design of concrete pipe for sravity flow applications. On the other hand, design for pressure pipes is driven by internal pressure confinement. A variety of different jointing systems are used. ‘Watertight joints are generally required for sanitary sewer systems whereas lower cost Joints are generally specified for culvert installation. ‘A comparison of RPC properties with respect to those of traditional concrete for pipe is shown in Teble 1. Each ofthese RPC’s enhanced properties can add significant ‘value othe pipe products on a mechanical, physical and durability stand REC Pure PRopucts DEVELOPMENT In developing the protorype design for RPC pipes, a comprehensive list of goals was perfected to achieve the production of precast products with smaller and simpler cross sections and overall improved durability. ‘These include: ‘+ Produce lightweight units to reduce shipping and handling cost, ‘+ Streamline pipe production by eliminating steps in the process, ‘Permit efficient structural design by using flexible pipe theory, ‘+ Improve water tightness, © Improve joint details, Reduce of damage during handling and placing, # Reduce installation time, ‘Improve resistance to attack by sulfates and other chemicals thereby increasing service life By optimizing the design for RPC culvert and sewer pipe, itis projected that each of the above goals can be achieved. By utilizing the high flexural strength and ductility ‘OfRPC, the traditional wire mesh used to reinforce the pipe wall can be eliminated, In addition, the wall thickness ofthe pipe can be significantly reduced. The actual wall thickness will vary based upon the diameter ofthe pipe as well as the in-place service application Shatgy 998Reduced wall thickness will save on material costs and will result in lighter pipes which will be easier to handle and less expensive to transport ‘The fact that RPC exhibits substantially lower permeability than HPC will result in a reduction in water absorption and improved water tightness of the completed pipe sections. However, the most influential factor in the water tightness of gravity flow Pipelines is the water tightness of the joints between pipe sections. Research is currently underway to develop improved jointing systems with the RPC pipe products ‘The dense microstructure of the material results in an extremely smooth surface profile when cast against smooth steel forms. Because ofthis fact, a high degree of optimism exists in the ability to east precision O-ring grooves into the pipe sections to facilitate sealed joints which will ou-perform joint details currently used with concrete pipe RPC’s reduced porosity coupled with the smooth surface profile should prove to be very effective at improving the resistance to attack by sulfates and other chemicals, ‘The lower corrosion potential of RPC adds to this optimism, Preliminary testing to ‘measure the resistance to chemical atack has been performed and testing on full-scale prototype pipe sections is planned during 1996. ‘The high flexural strength and thin wall design combine to permit significant 4eflection prior to cracking and ultimate failure. These features allow designers to switch ffom the rigid pipe design method, traditionally used for conventional reinforced concrete pipe, and utilize more efficient flexible pipe design theory. This, latter approach has been traditionally limited to steel, aluminum and plastic pipe design. With the increased use of finite element computer software, more rigorous and. accurate methods to assess the interaction of the pipe structure and the surrounding. soil have been developed. ‘This soil structure interaction method also provides an accurate design method for pipes which cannot be classified as truly rigid nor truly flexible. This may be the case for RPC pipes in several different design applications Analysis is currently underway to define the appropriate RPC pipe design methods for various loading conditions in order to establish criteria forall anticipated applications. ‘RPC Pressure Pine DeveLorMent Many of the same development goals, stated above for gravity flow pipe, also apply to the development of RPC pressure pipe. Since pressure pipes are subjected to internal Pressure, the direct tensile capacity of the pipe is also a consideration. Internal Pressure causes hoop tension in the pipe, and in some pipe sections, longitudinal tension results from the thrust forces caused by elbows or blind ends. Current concrete pressure pipe technology requires a multiple step process for pipe fabrication. ‘These steps include: ‘+ The fabrication of a thin wall steel pipe or cylinder which provides the water tightness of the pipe, ‘© The casting of a concrete interior core which provides the structural section of the pipe and corrosion protection forthe stel eylinder, ol 198‘+ Prestressing the cylinder and concrete core by using high tensile stel wire in a wire wrapping operation, ‘The application of an exterior mortar coating to provide corrosion protection for the prestressing wire and steel cylinder ‘Typically, fabricated steel joint rings are used to accommodate watertight O-ring joints between pipe sections. The joint rings are typically welded to the steel eylinder prior to casting the concrete core. A potential exists for an extensive reduction in the number of operations necessary to fabricate RPC pressure pipe. Because of its low permeability, the RPC prototypes hhave been cast without incorporating steel eylinders. For high-pressure applications, it {is anticipated that prestressing, similar to that used for conventional conerete-cylinder pressure pipe, would be used for large diameter RPC pressure pipes, For lower pressure applications and for smaller diameter high-pressure pipes, the potential exists to utilize RPC without prestressing. It is envisioned that operating hoop tensile stresses of up to 10 MPa may be accommodated with this type of pipe design. With the successful development of such 4 pipe, a significant reduction in the production cost of pressure pipe would result. Pipes could be fabricated in a single casting operation, thus simplifying the multiple step process. Additional savings in material costs will result from the elimination of the costly steel cylinders and prestressing wire. This research is also investigating the possibility of fabricating RPC joint rings integrally with the pipe casting operation. ‘This will further reduce cost and simplify fabrication, Uses Tras L 1 PRODUCTION METHODS ‘There are four basic methods currently used to fabricate concrete pipe: © Wet casting Dry casting © Spin casting ‘+ Packer-head method Culvert and sewer pipes are typically fabricated using the dry cast method or packer- head method with a limited quantity of this pipe being fabricated by the wet casting method, Pressure pipes, on the other hand, are primarily fabricated utilizing the wet casting ‘method or the spin casting method. Specifically proportioned mixtures of RPC, shown in Table 2, were designed to efficiently work with each of these casting methods RPC baseline mixture includes the hydraulic binder, which is formed by the RPC pre- blended powders, and the quartz sand acts as the aggregate, From that beseline, several variants were designed to fit different pipe casting methods. The use of silica flour provides more body tothe skelefon for immediate demolding purposes. Glands 936Fine steel fibers are added to provide interlock and can be a mix of optimum virgin fibers and recycled fibers with an option for conventional concrete steel fibers. In that ‘case, the distribution for the fine fibers is 2/3 virgin and 1/3 recycled fibers. The ‘conventional concrete fibers are added up to that baseline. The use of recycled fibers for replacement of the virgin fibers is for economical reasons only. On another hand, longer and larger fibers, referred as conventional steel fibers for concrete, are added to provide even mote interlock necessary forthe immediate demolding, All the different component materials meet precise specifications developed during the first part ofthat research program, Table 3 lists the component material specifications RPC 10 ACCOMMODATE INDUSTRIAL CAPABILITY AND HiGH-PERFORMANCES. Based on the optimum heat-treatment and curing process mastered in a laboratory ‘environment, an industrial curing was developed. This one incorporates concrete precast plant capability and conventional practices, as well as RPC technology's demand to obtain high-performances. A typical Industrial curing sequence is as followed. First, at the end of the casting operation, RPC specimens are promptly protected from any moisture loss by using cure agent or vapor barrier. Then, from the time of demolding, the newly precast RPC specimen is kept in an environment with a relative humidity of 90% to 100% for a period of time varying between 16h and 24h At the end of that cycle, hot-steam curing is applied for 24h using steam at 90°C, and ‘meanwhile maintaining @ relative humidity of 100%. The delay in applying the hot steam allows the enhancement of RPC properties compared to just the acceleration of the compressive strength. For each different types of casting, RPC specimens, such as cylinders and beams, were cast to evaluate mechanical properties: respectively compressive and flexural strengths. With respect to the different types of casting, RPC achieved different performances. Overall, the average compressive strength reached in a production environment, with application of the industrial cure, is 189 MPa with a maximum of 215 MPa. ‘The 3-point bending flexural strength averages at 27 MPa with the ‘optimum virgin fibers and at 25 MPa for the fibers’ blend including the recycled fibers. Table 4 gathers that information, RPC PRovoryPes Cast UsiNG TRADITIONAL PIPE PRODUCTION METHODS Wet Casting Method ‘Wer casting, the most basic method, involves the use of inner and outer pipe forms positioned vertically on a base plate using airtight ring. A casting cone is generally placed on the top of the inner form to funnel the concrete into the annular space between the inner and outer forms. External vibration is traditionally used to consolidate the concrete and is usually applied on the outside form. Fig. I shows a wet vertical casting of a 1 370mm-diameter RPC pipe. rake 1998 S-To date, RPC has been placed using the wet cast method at two different production plants in the U.S, Each of these trial castings has resulted in the production of high quality prototypes. An RPC mixture design with a relatively fuid consistency was used for each casting. Even with the fluid mix and extensive extemal vibration, no segregation of aggregates or steel fibers was observed. RPC batching and placing properties accommodated a production-sized mixer. During the casting of the RPC pipes, the time and vibration required to expel air trapped between the forms and the RPC mixture exceeds that observed for HPC. Because of this phenomena it is advantageous to cast RPC with a method that ‘minimizes the entrapment of air. Based on that observation and since a high quality RPC mixture can be achieved with a very fluid consistency, an injection casting ‘method was developed and implemented. This technology is not conventional for pipe casting but proved to be effective for RPC because of its theological properties. With this method, the RPC mixture is pressure pumped through a closed piping system into the bottom of the form. In this fashion, the forms ean be filled from the bottom up. This method not only minimized the ‘entrapment of air but also significantly reduced the overall labor cost needed to piace the pipe. Small diameter RPC pressure Pipes of very good overall quality were produced. The injection process erested an orientation ofthe fibers in the direction of flow and also produced weakened planes along the longitudinal axis on the opposite side from the entry port. It was at this location that the two flows of RPC met which resulted in poor fiber distribution across the plane. This resulted in poor results when the pipe was pressure-tested with failure ‘occurring at the weakened plane. For those reasons, that technique has not been pursued further. Spin Casting Method ‘This method is generally limited to the production of pressure pipes having a diameter ‘of 1200mm and smaller. The method involves the placement of a precise amount of ‘concrete mixture into an exterior pipe form, which is positioned horizontally in a bed designed to spin the pipe form on its longitudinal axis. Typically with conerete Pressure pipe, the steel cylinder also serves as the rotating pipe form and, later in service, as the steel liner. The concrete is delivered inside the form using a delivery ‘tongue while the spinning takes on with low rpm. ‘As the form spins and the velocity gradually increases, the centrifugal force distributes the concrete evenly along its length and perimeter. Then the forms are rotated at fll speed (200 to $00 rpm) for approximately 10 minutes, Fig. 2 shows an RPC pressure pipe being spun, Several RPC prototypes were cast using this method and full mechanical evaluation of these prototypes has been conducted to date. Observations during casting indicate that RPC is very wel suited for this casting method for different reasons. Spin casting of conventional concrete mixtures normally results in significant segregation of concrete ‘components. Segregation was not apparent with the RPC specimensWith conventional concrete, the centrifugal force drives the aggregate to the outside and a significant amount of water and cement are forced to the free surface at the interior of the pipe. This results in a deposit ofa laitence of weak high-W/C ratio ppaste on the inside surface of the pipe. This laitence deposit and the concrete segregation reduce the quality of the concrete pipe products. No ffee water was observed with the RPC specimens and only a very thin laitence layer was detected on the interior surface of the pipe. Also, the distribution of the RPC material along the circumference of the pipe specimen was very homogeneous. Some fiber migration was observed in smaller scale trail mixtures RPC specimens. This phenomena was generally associated only with mixtures which had higher ‘luidity and cast using rotational velocities higher than production range. Velocity up to 750mpm was used on RPC mixtures during production and did not produce any fber’s migration to the outward of the pipe. Despite the use of fine steel fibers, the inside surface of the pipe had a smooth finish, which is important not to obstruct the ‘water flow. ‘The dry casting consists of heavily vibrated stationary forms. The forming system for the dry casting method is similar to that used for wet casting. Typically, the forms are hydraulically clamped on a vibrating table, which delivers a powerful vibration with and up&:down motion. The major difference inthe two methods isthe consistency of the mix that is use and the time period between casting and demolding. In wet casting, 4 mixture with a slump of approximately 100mm is used, whereas, a zero-slump ‘mixture is used with dry casting, Wet cast forms are stripped one or two days after casting, but with dry casts pipes both the inner and outer forms are stripped immediately after casting. The aggregate interlock resulting after intense vibration plus the wire mesh used to reinforce the pipes provide the stability necessary for immediate demolding of dry cast pipes ‘To date, one successful casting session was conducted using the dry cast method. Two challenges facing researcher in the refinement of this method were overcome. The first one consisted in maintaining the stability of the pipe after immediate demolding. Wire mesh reinforcement was not used in the production of those RPC specimens. The special properties of the customized RPC mixture combined with « powerful rade the stability of the pipe possible. The mixture took advantage of RPC special blend of fibers and denser granular skeleton to replace the benefit of aggregate interlock present in conventional concrete for pipes. Controlling the entrapment of air during the casting process was enhanced ‘but not completely solved Packer-Head Method ‘This method, used extensively for gravity flow pipes with diameters of 1200mm and smaller, is a heavily automated process. A stationary external pipe form is positioned in the casting bed and an internal core mechanism is used to cast the pipe section. abe 1 eee‘A rotating distributing head is situated on top of the core mechenism which is designed to propel the concrete mixture onto the outer form. Directly below the distributing head are rollers which pack the plastic conerete against the outer form. Dual counter-rotating heads are used on newer machines to prevent twisting of the reinforcement cage during casting. The concrete is conveyed fom the mixer and dropped onto the distributing head. Below the rollers is a vibrating steel cylindrical screed which produces the finished interior surface of the pipe. The entire core ‘mechanism ascends from below the bottom of the pipe, up through the pipe during the casting operation in one single lift. Using an overhead crane the newly cast pipe along, ‘with the outer form is then transported fo the stripping area and set on a cart. The ‘exterior form is released using its hinges and then removed from the pipe by overhead lifting. Average timing for an industrial casting sequence is Imin, 30 sec. Figs. 3, 4 & 5 show packerchead machine and equipment as well as a 305mm-diameter RP( pressure being cast and stripped. So far, the packer-head method appeared to be the most suited technique to fabricate RPC pressure pipes. Dense, well-compacted and stable pipe products were produced using an even stiffer RPC mix than the one developed for dry cast. The specimens ‘were cast in their full-length (2.30m) which is delicate to realize for those small diameters. Furthermore, the entrapment of air was reduced compared to the dry cas. Casting time and sequence were close enough 10 production schedule to be realistic. ‘The next step will focus in developing a more appropriate mixing procedure and cutting time along with thinner-walled pipes. Table 5 lists all the different type of pipe specimens fabricated to-date using the different techniques. DESTRUCTIVE MECHANICAL EVALUATION OF THE RPC PIPE SPECIMENS Destructive testing has been performed on the prototypes to establish the properties of the RPC products with respect to the prevailing industry standards for similar pipe products External Three-Edge Bearing Load Test Specimens were subjected to a load test using the three-cdge bearing test defined by ASTM specifications. The load at the formation of the first identifiable crack was recorded and so at the ultimate stage. Excessive crack width and pull-out of the steel fibers defined the ‘ultimate failure condition. Fig, 6 shows a RPC pipe specimen being load tested. Calculation of the flecural tensile stress -- The formula is based on the moment developed on a two-point clamped pipe. © S penal =—Z- + with R= fesal =and R: radius P: test load 1D: internal diameter ‘: pipe wall-thickness LL length ofthe tested pipe specimen Refer to Table 6 and Fig. 7 for test results. In addition of the very high flexural strength, RPC pipes also exhibits superior flexibility. The post eracking ductility of the pipe was exhibited by the measured deflection of $ to 8% of ID at the ultimate loading condition, Hydrostatic Pressure Test For additional evaluation of RPC Pressure Pipes, specimens were subjected to the hhydrostatic pressure test per ASTM standard. The pipe specimens were positioned horizontally between two bulkheads which were clamped tight to the ends of the pipe using tension rod between the two bulkhead support assemblies. Stiff neoprene gaskets provided the seals between the ends of the pipe and the flanged bulkheads, Fig. 8 shows @ RPC pipe specimen being pressure tested, Cateutation of the pipe wall tensile stress ~~ The calculations take into account the thin and thick wall pipes. ‘Thin-walled pipes: ‘Thick-walled pipes, inner concentration: ‘with P: internal pressure 2: outside radius average radius b: inside radius ww: wall thickness ‘The maximum of the two stresses is selected to represent the ultimate of the pipe RPC wall in terms of tensile stress, Refer to Table 7 for test results. The average tensile failure stress calculated of 10 MPa, is representative ofthe anticipated tensile stress of RPC material manufactured with these mixtures and conditions, ‘REC Pressuns Pires ECONOMICALLY VIABLE Seventeen different RPC pipe specimens were fabricated using S different casting techniques at 5 different production plants through out the US and Canada. This prototype casting phase demonstrates that it's feasible to fabricate a non-prestressed RPC pressure pipe, without an inner steel liner, capable of confining a design internal pressure without leakage, using the packer-hear method of casting,The pipe wall thickness system shall be sized for an ultimate hoop tension stress of, 13.5 to 20.5 MPa atthe maximum internal working pressure of 1 $00 to 2.000 kPa, ‘The wall-system should control micro-erack propagation and to allow an ultimate strength in excess ofthe pressure at leakage ‘Small diameters pressure pipes made of RPC are economically viable and could capture a share of the market currently dominated by other products, The target is ‘mainly a smaller wall-thickness considering a minimum reinforcement cover of approximately 8 to10mm, a minimum cage reinforcement which would supplement a special blend of steel fibers, and a minimum thickness to accommodate pressure ‘The target for wall thickness should be inthe 25 to 30mm range. CONCLUSION REMARKS ‘The CPAR cooperative research agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers represents the most accomplished RPC development accomplished to-date by HDR in North America, RPC is also being investigating for security enclosures and computer centers applications which require extreme high penetration and thermal resistance along with fire recovery properties and weight reduction, High-strength liners for tunnels and ‘mining shatis, railroad crossing planks, cooling towers structural elements, containers for the storage of medium level nuclear wastes, pedestrian overpasses, tanks in water treatment filter floor panels, architectural and technical floor panels are also part of the evelopment effort”,[REFERENCES Pierre Richard, Marcel H. Cheyrezy, Reactive Powder Coneretes with High Ductility and 200-800 MPa Compressive Swength, American Concrete Institute Spring Convention, ACI SP144-24 p.S07-518, March 1994, San Francisco, CA, Nicolas Roux, C. Andrade, M.A. Sanjuan, Experimental Study of the Durability of Reactive Powder Coneretes (RPC), Journal of Materials - ‘American Society of Civil Engineers, Feb. 1996, Edward F. O’Neil, Christophe E. Dauriac, Scott K. Gilliland, Development OF Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) Products in the United States Construction ‘Market, American Concrete Institute: 1995 Fall Convention, Nov. 1995, ‘Montréal, Canada, William M. Dowd, Edward F. O'Neil, Development of Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) precast products for the USA market, 4° International ‘Symposium on utilization of high-strengtlvhigh-performance concrete, May 1996, Paris, France, Pierre Richard, Marcel H. Cheyrezy, Jéréme Dugat, Pretensioned beam without conventional reinforcing, FIP notes 1995/1, .2-3, 1995. William M. Dowd, Piere-Claude Antcin, Christophe E. Dauriac, Applying Reactive Powder Concrete Research to Bridge Construction Practice: Sherbrooke Pedestrian/Bikeway Bridge, Civil Engineering Research Foundation: Finalist at the 1996 International Technology Showcase - Innovation Awards Program, Feb. 1996, Washington DC. William M. Dowd, Christophe E. Dauriac, Reactive Powder Conerete, The Construction Specifier, Cover feature, Dec. 1996. Phaala 1990Lisrorrasies Table | - Properties of RPC with Respect to Conerete for Pipe Table 2- RPC Mixtures Table 3 ~RPC Component Materials’ Specifications Table 4 RPC Mechanical Performances ‘Table 5 ~RPC Prototype specimens fabrieted Table 6 — External Three-Edge Bearing Load Test Table 7 ~ Hydrostatic Pressure test Lisror Ficunes Fig. 1 - Vertical wet casting of 1,370mmiameter RPC pipe Fig. 2 - Spun-castng of a 610mmdiameter RPC pressure pipe Fig. 3-Packershead machine and formwork Fig. 4 Packer-hea cating of « 305mm-diameter RC pressure pipe Fig. 5 Immediate demolding of « 305mm-diameter and 2.5Om-tall RPC pressure pipe Fig. 6 Thres-edge bearing lod test on a 30mm thin-walled RPC pipe Fig. 7 - External Three-Edge Bearing Load Test curve of a 610mm-Diameter RPC pipe Fig. 8 - Hydrostatic pressure test on a 305mm-diameter RPC pressure pipe‘Table 1 - Properties of RPC with Respect to Traditional Concrete for Pipe Physical ‘Traditional Concrete | RPC Characteristics for Pipe i “Mechanical Compressive strength 351070MPa | 18010200 MPa Flexural strength |__ Sto 10MPe 30 t0 50. MPa + Resistance to abrasion (*) 3104 127 ‘+ Resistance to cavitation for hrs 7010 85 ce 1See exposure eval __volume loss Durability ‘© Water Absorption O3Skgim? =| 0.05 kg/m? ‘+ Hydrogen sulfate resistance for 10% | 25% 225 days exposure mass oss mass loss (CF rao of volume removed with respect to reference of glass Table 2- RPC Mixtures |___2 Recycled (dosage by vol) |__ ‘© Conventional stel fibers Type of Casting Wet \ Component Materials Vertical | Spinning | Injection | Dry | Packer- | head RPC pre-blended powders: x ere: Sila flour ie x Quart fne sand | x Fine sel fibers t © Virgin (dosage by vol.) : (dosage by vol) = = ‘¢ Wreementitious 0150 0.130 [0.130 o.108 ‘© Rheology - Slump 100mm | 100mm | 100mm }~Omm | Omm = Aspect fluid | fluid | uid | dry paste | dry and I | granular Sethe 1990 “sO.‘Table 3 ~ RPC Component Materials” Specifications Materials Specifications ‘RPC pre-blended powders porlland cement + siliea fume HWRA in powder_ [average particle sizes 13m average particle size: 300 ym © Virgin 150 jm in @ ~ 12mm long ~ straight Recycled _ 150 ym ing = 12mm long-bent_| ‘+ Conventional stel fibers for concrete | 500 ym in } — 30mm long - pinched at ends ‘Table 4 - RPC Mechanical Performances “Type of Casting Wet: i ‘Mechanical Performances vertical, spinning | Dry | Packer-head Achieved ina production environment | __& injection Compressive strength |__—(189 MPa MPa ‘= Flexural strength 27M Provorype ies ‘Typeof | Number | Diameter | Wall thickness | Length | Prestressing or casting __| of pieces | { Reinforcement Vertical 2 | 120mm Siam [2am | None Vertical 2 1370mm 4émm | 245m None Vertical 1 610mm 32mm 045m | None Injection 4 | 508mm 25mm =| 110m | None Spinning 1 760mm asmm | 490m None Spinning 1 610mm 19mm | 490m None Dy 2 203mm vom | 120m None Dry 2 254mm 32mm | 110m | WWE(*) cage Packersead |_2 305mm Tomm 230m _| WWF) Cage () WWF: Welded Wire Fabric‘Table 6~ External Three-Edge Bearing Load Test ‘Test Resale | Pipe Characteristics 1=305mm_| ID=610mm | 1D=1370mm + Wall thickness 7mm Ram | + Type of casting Packer-head Vertical | 4 syeimen length) Sam | 4s0mm_| “Test load ] ‘onda i*idnifsbecrst | @S8MN | commen | __+ Load atukimate condition | NA __|_0.030MN_| Computed flexural tensile stress 1 T + SuessatI* identifiable crack | 413MPa -27.0MPa_ | (33.6 MPa Suess at ultimate condition NA. 40SMPa_| 48.1 MPa ‘Table 7 ~ Hydrostatic Presure test Test Results Pipe Characteristics 105 mm | 1D = 610mm | 1D = 120mm _1D= 1 370 mm + Wall thickness Tom | 2mm) 3mm =| 4mm + Typeofcasting | Packer-head | spinning | _ vertical Maximum hydrostatic pressure + tT seep zeke | NA | NA NA *Atmuliple leaks | 3792kPa_ | 793kPa_| 621 kPa_| 621 kPa ‘Computed ultimate pipe ie | wal tensile sess + Atl seep 78MPa | NIA wa | NA + Atmultipleleaks | 105MPa__9.9MPa__103MPa_|_99MPa leFig. 2- Spun-casting of a 610mm-diameter RPC pressure pipe z State 98Se: Fig. 4 - Packer-head casting of a 30Smm-diameter RPC pressure pipe Fiabe 1998 “eebi a: ll Fig. § - Immediate demolding of a 30Smn-diameter and 2.50m-tall RPC pressure pipe Fig. 6 Three-edge bearing load test on a 30mm thin-walled RPC pipe Pale 1998 ‘s.500 —-- - ultimate failure 300 200 Ist identifiable crack 100 ‘COMPUTED FLEXURAL TENSILE STRESS, MPa 00 1020 3040 50 60 DEFLECTION, %LD, Fig. 7 - External Three-Edge Bearing Load Test curve ‘of a 610mm-Diameter RPC pipeSathke 1998 “er: