Cite this article Research Article Keywords: beams & girders/concrete

Mustafa TS, El Hariri MOR, Khalafalla MS and Said Y Paper 1900170 structures/materials technology
Application of nanosilica in reinforced concrete beams. Received 21/08/2019;
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Structures and Buildings, Accepted 27/05/2020
https://doi.org/10.1680/jstbu.19.00170
ICE Publishing: All rights reserved

Structures and Buildings

Application of nanosilica in reinforced

concrete beams
Tarek Sayed Mustafa BSc, MSc, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Shoubra Faculty of
Engineering, Benha University, Benha, Egypt (corresponding author:
dr_tareksayedm@yahoo.com) (Orcid:0000-0003-1327-8143)
Mohamed O.R. El Hariri BSc, MSc, PhD
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Shoubra Faculty of
Engineering, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
Mohamed S. Khalafalla BSc, MSc, PhD
Researcher, Construction Research Institute, NWRC, Egypt
Yasmin Said BSc
Researcher, Department of Civil Engineering, Shoubra Faculty of
Engineering, Benha University, Benha, Egypt

The partial replacement of cement with nanomaterials such as nanosilica (NS) particles in concrete improves its
strength and other properties. In this study, the effect of NS as a partial replacement of cement for concrete mixes
and concrete beams was examined. The studied response characteristics of reinforced concrete beams included the
compressive strength, failure mechanisms, load-carrying capacity and load–deflection behaviour. The results showed
that compressive strength increased with an increase in NS content up to 2.0% replacement of cement weight. The
rate of increase in compressive strength was no longer significant beyond 2.0% replacement, indeed there was a
slight decrease in compressive strength for NS content of 3.0%. The effect of increased NS content on the flexural
behaviour of beams was also studied. Increased NS content led to increases in the first-cracking and ultimate loads
and reductions in the deflection at cracking and ultimate load levels. No major differences in the structural response
parameters were observed for test beams with zoning of NS in the bottom tension or top compression zones. An
increase in NS content led to a slight increase in the ultimate strain associated with the ultimate load. Good
agreement was found between experimental and theoretical ultimate moments.

Notation porosity and increases its compressive strength (Al-Najjar

fcu concrete cube compressive strength (N/mm2) et al., 2016; Hussain and Sastry, 2014; Jo et al., 2007;
fcuNS cube compressive strength of concrete with NS Maheswaran et al., 2013; Saloma et al., 2015; Yasser and
(N/mm2) Sherif, 2017; Yeşilmen et al., 2015). Previous experimental
Mcr cracking moment (kN.m) studies (Gao et al., 2015; Kamal et al., 2017; Mathialagan
Mu ultimate moment (kN.m) et al., 2017) have also found that the use of NS in concrete
Pcr cracking load (kN) improves its workability and compressive strength, reduces the
Pu ultimate load (kN) setting time and accelerates cement hydration. In the pro-
w NS replacement percentage (%) duction of concrete or mortar, a small fraction of cement can
Δcr deflection at cracking load (mm) be replaced by NS without affecting the mechanical properties
Δu deflection at ultimate load (mm) (Ehab and Manar, 2017; Gopinath et al., 2012; Khanzadi
εu ultimate strain et al., 2010; Quercia and Brouwers, 2010).

NS is an effective highly pozzolanic material with a small

1. Introduction
Cement is characterised by a small particle size. It thus not
only works as a filler material in concrete but has a vital role
in bonding all the structural elements of concrete. However,
cement is a significant environmental polluter due to its pro-
duction process, which is energy intensive and emits large
amounts of carbon dioxide. To address this issue and improve
the performance of cement, different types of binding materials
are currently being used. One of these materials is the
amorphous powder nanosilica (NS). NS can be used as a
replacement for cement in small quantities (Bagheri et al.,
2013; Intisar et al., 2016; Sarade et al., 2017; Ye Qing et al.,
2007). Small particles of NS fill the voids in a concrete
mixture, accordingly making the mixture denser and more
durable with enhanced stress–strain behaviour. Additionally,
partial replacement of cement with NS reduces concrete
particle size and high surface area. Arunbalaji et al. (2017)
performed an experimental study on the behaviour of
reinforced concrete (RC) beams containing microsilica (10%)
and NS (0%, 0.5%, 1.0% or 1.5%). The concrete mixes had
a fixed water/binder ratio of 0.53. The development of
mechanical strength indicated that a cement replacement of
10% microsilica and 0.5% NS was the optimal proportion.
A similar study was carried out by Hanadi (2016) to
investigate the shear behaviour and cracking and ultimate
shear capacities of beams made from NS-dosed reactive
powder concrete (Hanadi, 2016). The research covered four
parts. The first part dealt with an experimental study of the
effects of varying some material parameters on the mechanical
properties of the concrete. One of these material parameters
was NS content (0%, 1.0%, 2.0% or 3.0%). It was found that
increasing the NS content from 0 to 3.0% led to an increase in

1
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the diagonal cracking and ultimate shear strengths by 35.7%
and 25.1%, respectively.
These previous studies involved testing concrete mixtures to
evaluate the mechanical properties without focusing on the
structural behaviour of the concrete elements. Accordingly, and
to reduce the gap between the available experimental studies
on concrete mixtures and the required studies on the structural
behaviour of RC beams, the current study evaluated the
behaviour of RC beams containing different NS ratios (0%,
1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0% by weight of cement (bwoc)). The study
investigated the effect of experimental variables on the
response characteristics of the beams and their related failure
mechanisms, load-carrying capacity and load–deflection
behaviour.
2. Research significance
The aim of this study was to practically investigate the
structural behaviour of RC beams with different percentages of
NS as cement replacement. The experiments had two objec-
tives: the first was to study the mechanical properties of the
concrete mixes and the second was to study the structural
behaviour of RC beams in terms of their flexural behaviour,
load–deflection behaviour, cracking loads and ultimate loads.
This work lays a foundation to develop and evaluate equations
for nano-modified concrete.
3. Experimental programme
3.1 Materials
The target compressive strength of the concrete used in this
study was 35 MPa. The cement used in the concrete mix was
ordinary Portland cement type CEM I 42.5N. Fresh drinking
water was used for mixing and curing the concrete cubes and
beam specimens. The water/cement ratio was 0.4. The coarse
aggregate was well-graded natural gravel with a nominal
maximum size of 20 mm. The fine aggregate was natural sand
with a rounded particle shape and smooth texture, with a fine-
ness modulus of 3.0. The specific gravities of the gravel and
sand were 2.7 and 2.61, respectively. All the test beams were
reinforced with locally produced mild steel reinforcement, with
diameters of 8 mm and 6 mm respectively for the longitudinal
reinforcement (top and bottom) and vertical stirrups. The yield
and ultimate strengths of the steel were 240 MPa and
350 MPa, respectively.
Silicon dioxide with an average particle size of less than 75 nm
(NS) was used as a partial replacement for cement. Four NS
Table 1. Composition of concrete mixtures
Cement: kg/m3 NS: kg/m3 SP: % Fine aggregates: kg/m3
0% NS (control) 400 0.0 0.5
1.0% NS 396 4.0 0.5
2.0% NS 392 8.0 0.5
3.0% NS 388 12.0 0.5
2
Application of nanosilica in reinforced
concrete beams
Mustafa, El Hariri, Khalafalla and Said
contents were examined: 0%, 1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0% bwoc. The
NS powder used in this experimental investigation was
synthetic amorphous silica with a bulk density of 2 kN/m3.
Additionally, a superplasticiser (SP) (Sika ViscoCrete-3425)
was used to ensure uniform dispersion of the nanoparticles
and to maintain the workability of the concrete mixes. This SP
is an aqueous solution of modified polycarboxylates. It is a
clear liquid with a density of 1.08 kg/l and does not contain
chlorides or other ingredients that would promote corrosion of
steel reinforcements. It is thus suitable for use in RC without
any restriction.
3.2 Mix proportions
The experimental programme involved testing four concrete
mixes with different cement replacement ratios (NS contents of
0%, 1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0% bwoc). The compositions of the con-
crete mixes are provided in Table 1. The mixes were designed
to achieve a target compressive strength of 35 MPa at age
28 days. Two beams (100
200
900 mm) and six standard
cubes (150
150
150 mm) were prepared from each
concrete mix.
A laboratory concrete mixer of 0.15 m3 capacity was used mix
the concretes. Dry Portland cement, sand and gravel were
placed in the concrete mixer and mixed for 2 min until a hom-
ogenous colour was observed. During the dry mixing of the
cement and aggregates, the NS was mixed in its powder state
with SP and part of the mixing water in a rotary machine for
2 min. The remaining mixing water and the NS mixture were
gradually added to the dry mixture in the concrete mixer. The
concrete was mixed for about 4 min until complete homogen-
eity of the constituents was achieved. The difference between
the bulk density of cement and NS was negligible due to the
relatively small percentages of NS replacement.
For each concrete mix, two steel beam moulds (100
200

900 mm) and six standard cube moulds (150
150
150 mm)
were cleaned and coated with a thin layer of an insulating
material to ease mould removal after concrete setting. Figure 1
shows the casting procedure for the test beams. 24 h after
casting, the concrete beams and cubes were removed from their
moulds and placed in water-curing tanks until the age of
testing.
3.3 Specimen details
Six simply supported RC rectangular beams were cast and
tested. Details of the test beams and loading setup are shown
Coarse aggregates: kg/m3 Water: kg/m3
634 1270 160
633 1266 158
631 1262 158
630 1260 158
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Figure 1. Casting of the test beams and cubes
in Figure 2. The beams were tested under two equal concen-
trated loads with a shear span to depth ratio of 1.5. Specimen
B1 was the control specimen, with no cement replacement
(0% NS). To investigate the effect of increasing the NS content
in the concrete mix on the experimental behaviour, three
beams with different NS percentages were investigated: beam
B2 with 1.0% NS bwoc, B3 with 2.0% NS bwoc and B4 with
3.0% NS bwoc. Additionally, in order to study the effect
of adding NS in the compression and tension zones of the
beam height, two beams (B5 and B6) had concrete with a NS
replacement of 2.0% bwoc in the bottom tension zone
(i.e. only in the bottom-half of the beam) (beam B5) and 2.0%
bwoc in the top compression zone (i.e. only in the top-half of
Jack
Load cell
Steel beam
200
Strain gauge
LVDT
50 300 200
Figure 2. Details of test beams (dimensions in mm)
Application of nanosilica in reinforced
concrete beams
Mustafa, El Hariri, Khalafalla and Said
the beam) (beam B6). To prevent shear failure of the test
beams, stirrups with a diameter of 6 mm and spacing of
200 mm were used in addition to the relatively large shear
span to depth ratio. Additionally, to allow for flexural failure,
under-reinforced section design was considered by using
bottom reinforcement of two 8 mm dia. bars.
3.4 Slump test
After finishing concrete mixing, slump tests were carried out
on the fresh concrete specimens using a slump test cone. The
cone used was 300 mm high, with a bottom diameter of
200 mm and top diameter of 100 mm. The internal surface of
the cone was first cleaned carefully. Then, the cone was placed
on a clean, smooth, horizontal and non-porous base plate. The
test was started by filling the cone with fresh concrete in three
layers and each layer was compacted 25 times using a standard
compacting rod. After filling the cone, the surface was levelled
and then the cone was lifted vertically. The decrease in height
was measured to record the slump value.
3.5 Compressive strength test
To determine the compressive strengths of the concretes, cube
specimens of size 150
150
150 mm were cast. The cube
specimens were cast as close as practicable after mixing in
order to ensure a symmetrical distribution of the concrete in
the mould. Proper compaction was carried out during casting.
The test cubes were stored at room temperature and a relative
humidity of at least 90% for 24 h. After this period, they were
removed from their moulds, immediately submerged in clean
fresh water and kept there until testing at age 7, 28 and
90 days. Using a Forney universal testing machine, compres-
sive load was applied at a rate of 1.40 kN/cm2 per minute. The
load was gradually increased until failure of the specimen.
3.6 Loading and instrumentation details
Loading tests were carried out in a 500 t universal testing
machine. Each beam was tested as a simply supported beam
2 T8
T6 @200
200
2 T8
100
300 50 Beam section
3
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Figure 3. Loading and instrumentation details

under two vertical concentrated loads using a vertical hydraulic

jack, as shown in Figure 3. Deflections were measured using
dial gauges (0.01 mm divisions) attached to the mid-point of
the bottom surface of the test beams. All the beams were
tested to failure in a single load cycle. Detection and marking
of cracks for each incremental load were made when the load
reached steady state. The load was gradually increased by
using the hydraulic jack until failure with 5% increments of the
expected failure load, and the incremental applied load was
recorded. At every load increment, cracks were examined and
strain and deflection readings were recorded during loading Figure 4. Failure shape of cubes
until failure.

4. Test results: fresh concrete and

50
concrete cubes 0% NS 1.0% NS 2.0% NS 3.0% NS
45
4.1 Slump test
The slump tests on the fresh concrete specimens, carried out 40
Compressive strength: MPa

according to ASTM C143/C143M (ASTM, 2015), showed that 35

the slump and setting time decreased with an increase in NS
30
content. This is due to the small size and microstructure of the
nanoparticles. The microstructure of the NS concrete was 25
denser and more uniform than that of the conventional 20
concrete, as also reported by Ozyildirim (2010).
15

4.2 Compressive strength test 10

The failure shapes of the cubes (Figure 4) showed that failure 5
occurred in the aggregates due to the increased cement paste–
0
aggregate bond strength, which is a result of the filling effect 7 days 28 days 90 days
of NS particles, as concluded by Gao et al. (2015). Figure 5 Curing age
shows the compressive strength test results at 7, 28 and
90 days. The figure shows that use of a small amount of NS as Figure 5. Compressive strength test results for all concrete mixes
cement replacement increased the compressive strength of the at different curing ages
concrete specimens compared with the control specimens for
all NS ratios (i.e. up to 3.0% bwoc). The reason for the
increased compressive strength is the pozzolanic nature of NS It was found that the rate of increase in compressive strength
in addition to its filling action. Similar results have been was no longer significant for NS content greater than 2.0%
reported elsewhere (Hussain and Sastry, 2014; Yasser and bwoc. There was also a slight decrease in compressive strength
Sherif, 2017). at later ages for a NS content of 3.0% bwoc. The same findings

4
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were reported by Gopinath et al. (2012). This indicates that the
optimum NS replacement is 2.0% bwoc, as also concluded by
Gao et al. (2015) and Sarade et al. (2017).
5. Experimental results: beams
5.1 Crack patterns and failure modes
Figure 6 shows the crack patterns of all the test beams. They
all exhibited conventional flexural failure in which the beam
failed through yielding of the steel reinforcement followed by
concrete crushing at large strains. The first crack occurred in
the flexural region perpendicular to the direction of the
maximum principal tensile stress induced by pure moment.
Compared with the control specimen B1 without NS, speci-
mens B2, B3 and B4 with 1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0% NS replace-
ment bwoc respectively showed higher values of the first
cracking load. An increasing in NS content led to an increase
in the first cracking load due to the filling effect of the NS
particles in the concrete mix. At a higher load level, shear
stresses became dominant, which induced inclined cracks in
the test beams. The effect of combined shear and bending
stresses led to propagation of the cracks. All of the tensile
reinforcements in these specimens yielded and all of the speci-
mens showed flexural failure due to the relatively low ratio of
the longitudinal tensile reinforcement. Similar findings have
been reported elsewhere (Alyousif et al., 2015; Sarwary et al.,
2019). Approaching the failure load level, shear cracks started
from the support and propagated diagonally towards the point
load, as shown in Figure 6.
(a)
(c)
(e)
Figure 6. Crack patterns of test beams: (a) B1; (b) B2; (c) B3; (d) B4; (e) B5; (f) B6
Application of nanosilica in reinforced
concrete beams
Mustafa, El Hariri, Khalafalla and Said
5.2 Load–deflection relationships
The ultimate load (Pu) was defined as the maximum recorded
load during the testing of each beam, with a corresponding
deflection of Δu. The first cracking load (Pcr) and the
corresponding cracking deflection (Δcr) were also recorded.
The load–mid-span deflection relationships of all the test
beams are shown in Figures 7 and 8 and the structural test
results are summarised in Table 2.
5.2.1 Effect of increasing NS replacement
Figure 7 shows the effect of increasing the cement replacement
by NS on the load–deflection curves. Analysis of the data from
this figure and Table 2 shows that an increase in NS content
led to increments in the ultimate and cracking loads and
reductions in the corresponding deflections. Compared with
the control beam B1 (0% NS), the increase in NS content to
1.0% bwoc for B2, 2.0% for B3 and 3.0% for B4 led to
increases in Pu by 5.5%, 11.5% and 19.2%, respectively, and
decreases in the associated deflection Δu by 6.0%, 12.5% and
23.0%, respectively. An increase in NS content to 3.0% resulted
in greater enhancement in the flexural parameters compared
with the compressive strength. This may be attributed to the
improved bond between concrete and reinforcement due to the
increased NS percentage. Compared with the control beam
(B1), the first cracking load (Pcr) of beams B2, B3 and B4
(Pcr) increased by 11.8%, 17.8% and 20.3%, respectively. The
deflections at the first cracking load also decreased by 6.5%,
13.1% and 22.9% for the same beams in comparison with the
control beam.
(b)
(d)
(f)
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35

30

25

20
Load: kN

15
B4 3.0% NS
10 B3 2.0% NS
B2 1.0% NS
5 B1 0% NS

0
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5
Deflection: mm

Figure 7. Effect of increasing NS content on load–deflection curves

35 Generally, no major differences in the structural response

parameters were found. Providing NS concrete in the bottom
30
tension zone (B5) led to a decrease in the ultimate load by
25 3.5% and an increase in the ultimate deflection by 11.0% when
compared with B3. For beam B6, the corresponding decrease
Load: kN

20
in ultimate load was 2.0% and the increase in ultimate
15 deflection was 7.8%.

10 B3 2.0% NS
5.3 Load–steel strain relationship
B5 2.0% NS Bottom
5 The effects of increasing NS content and zoning of NS
B6 2.0% NS Top
concrete on the measured load–steel strain behaviour for the
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 bottom and top reinforcement cases are illustrated in
Deflection: mm Figures 9–12.

Figure 8. Effect of NS zoning on load–deflection curves 5.3.1 Effect of increasing NS replacement

5.2.2 Effect of NS zoning in the beam section
Beams B5 and B6 had concrete with NS replacement with
2.0% bwoc for in the bottom tension zone (B5) and 2.0%
replacement bwoc in the top compression zone (B6). The effect
of NS concrete zoning in the beam section on the load–
deflection curves is illustrated in Figure 8 in comparison with
beam with 2.0% NS concrete over the full depth of the beam.
The load–steel strain curves of the test beams were used to
study the effect of NS replacement. Figure 9 shows the exper-
imental load–strain curves of the bottom reinforcement for
beams B1 (0% NS), B2 (1.0% NS), B3 (2.0% NS) and B4
(3.0% NS). It can be seen that an increase in NS content had a
minor effect on the improvement of the ascending branch of
the load–strain curves. The curves of the beams made with NS
concrete showed higher ultimate loads. The results shown in
Figure 9 and Table 2 indicate that an increasing NS replace-
ment led to a slight increase in the strain associated with the

Table 2. Comparison between experimental and theoretical results of the tested beams
Pcr: kN Pu: kN Mcr: kN.m Mu: kN.m Δcr: mm Δu: mm εu × 10−3 MuACI: kN.m Mu/MuACI

B1 5.90 26.0 0.79 3.9 0.61 4.07 3.61 3.72 1.05

B2 6.60 27.5 0.88 4.125 0.57 3.78 3.70 3.76 1.10
B3 6.95 29.0 0.93 4.35 0.53 3.56 3.76 3.77 1.15
B4 7.10 31.0 0.95 4.65 0.47 3.10 3.82 3.77 1.23
B5 5.96 28.0 0.79 4.2 0.59 3.96 3.76 3.72 1.13
B6 6.56 28.5 0.87 4.275 0.58 3.84 3.77 3.77 1.13

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35

30

25

20
Load: kN

15
B4 3.0% NS

10 B3 2.0% NS
B2 1.0% NS
5 B1 0% NS

0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
Bottom steel strain × 10–6

Figure 9. Effect of increasing NS content on load–steel strain curves of bottom reinforcement

35

30

25

20
Load: kN

15
B4 3.0% NS

10 B3 2.0% NS
B2 1.0% NS
5 B1 0% NS

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
Top steel strain × 10–6

Figure 10. Effect of increasing NS content on load–steel strain curves of top reinforcement

ultimate load (εu). Increasing the NS content from 0% to
1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0% bwoc led to an increase in εu by 2.4%,
4.1%, and 5.8%, respectively. The bottom reinforcement in all
the beams reached the yield load level with considerable strain
ductility due to the under-reinforced design of the beam
sections.
The experimental load–strain curves for the top reinforcement
of beams B1, B2, B3 and B4 are shown in Figure 10.
Generally, the top reinforcement did not reach the yield level
because of the higher value of the compression steel compared
with the bottom tension steel. All the test results showed
similarities in the ascending branch and up to the ultimate
load level.
5.3.2 Effect of NS zoning in the beam section
The effect of NS concrete zoning on the measured load–
steel strain curves for beams containing 2.0% NS concrete
is shown in Figures 11 and 12 for the bottom and top
reinforcement, respectively. These figures compare the
behaviour of beam B3 with full NS concrete and beams B5
and B6 with partially replaced NS concrete. The results shown
in these figures indicate that, similar to the fully replaced NS
beam (B3), the load–strain behaviour of beams B5 and B6
(with partially placement of NS concrete) showed limited
effect on the ultimate strain. The partial inclusion of NS
concrete had a minor effect on the ascending branches for
all beams and up to ultimate load level. Compared with
beam B3, the steel strains of the bottom and top

7
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35

30

25

20
Load: kN

15

10 B3 2.0% NS
B5 2.0% NS Bottom
5
B6 2.0% NS Top

0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
Bottom steel strain × 10–6

Figure 11. Effect of NS zoning on load–steel strain curves of bottom reinforcement

35

30

25
Load: kN

20

15
B3 2.0% NS
10
B5 2.0% NS Bottom

5 B6 2.0% NS Top

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Top steel strain × 10–6

Figure 12. Effect of NS zoning on load–steel strain curves of top reinforcement

reinforcement at the ultimate load level (εu) showed almost the
same values.
6. Evaluation of ultimate flexural moment
6.1 Evaluation of compressive strength of NS concrete
Six concrete cubes without NS and eighteen cubes with
different NS contents were tested after 28 days in the standard
compression machine. To determine the strength gain of con-
crete containing NS, an analytical expression was sought in
terms of the NS replacement percentage and the compressive
strength of concrete matrix without NS replacement. For this
purpose, these key parameters were statistically related to the
experimental data of the concrete cubes. It was generally found
that a least-squares fitting linear relation was quite acceptable
and simple. The general form used was
1: fcuNS ¼ fcu ða þ bwÞ
where fcuNS and fcu are, respectively, the compressive strength
of concrete with and without NS and w is the percentage NS
replacement. The constants a and b are the slope and intercept
of the linear fitting equation, respectively. From statistical
analysis of the experimental results, the following linear

8
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4.7
Mu (experimental): kN.m
4.5
4.3
4.1
3.9
3.7
3.7 3.9 4.1 4.3
MuACI: kN.m
Figure 13. Correlation between predicted and experimental
ultimate moments
regression equation was derived to predict the compressive
strength of NS concrete.
2: fcuNS ¼ fcu ð1:05 þ 0:13wÞ
6.2 Comparison of experimental and theoretical
flexural moments
The experimentally obtained flexural moments (Mu) of all the
test beams based on elastic theory are listed in Table 2. The
theoretical values of these moments (MuACI) from the design
equation of ACI 318-14 (ACI, 2014) and the enhanced
Equation 2 are shown in the same table. Generally, the predic-
tions of ACI 318-14 for the flexural moments are on the safe
side. There is good agreement between the experimental and
theoretical ultimate moments. The average value of the ratio
between the experimental and theoretical flexural moments
(Mu/MuACI) was 1.13, with a standard deviation of 0.062.
Figure 13 shows the correlation between the experimental and
predicted ultimate moments of the test beams.
7. Conclusions
The behaviour of RC beams made with concrete with various
NS ratios (1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0% bwoc) was examined and
compared with the results of a control specimen (made with
concrete with 0% NS). Using a Forney universal testing
machine, compressive strength tests were conducted at testing
ages of 7, 28 and 90 days. The structural experimental
responses (crack patterns, load–deflection curves and load–
steel strain curves) were evaluated. Based on the experimental
observations, the following conclusions were drawn.
(a) For fresh concrete, the slump and setting time decreased
as the percentage content of NS increased. For hardened
concrete, an increase in NS content increased the cement
paste–aggregate bond strength and, accordingly, cube
failure occurred in the aggregates.
(b) NS as a cement replacement material increased the
compressive strength of the concrete specimens because
Application of nanosilica in reinforced
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Mustafa, El Hariri, Khalafalla and Said
of the pozzolanic and filling nature of the NS. The rate
of increase in the compressive strength was no longer
significant when the content of NS was more than
2.0% bwoc.
(c) Compared with control specimen B1 with 0% NS,
specimens B2, B3 and B4 with respectively 1.0%, 2.0%
and 3.0% NS bwoc showed higher values of load-
carrying capacities at first cracking load and ultimate
load levels. An increase in NS replacement led to a slight
increase in the strain associated with the ultimate load.
4.5 4.7
(d) Increasing the NS content to 1.0% (B2), 2.0% (B3) and
3.0% (B4) bwoc led to an increase in the ultimate load by
5.5%, 11.5% and 19.2%, respectively, and a decrease in
the ultimate deflection by 6.0%, 12.5% and 23.0% in
comparison with B1 (0% NS). When compared with the
control beam (B1), at the cracking load level, the first
cracking load was increased by 11.8%, 17.8% and 20.3%
for beams B2, B3 and B4, respectively.
(e) Generally, no major differences in the structural response
parameters were observed for beams B5 and B6 with
partial replacements of NS concrete when compared with
beam B3 with full replacement of NS concrete.
(f ) Based on the proposed mathematical model for
evaluating the compressive strength of concrete and the
design equation of ACI 318-14 (ACI, 2014), good
agreement between the experimental and theoretical
ultimate moments was found. The average value of the
ratio of experimental to theoretical flexural moments was
1.13, with a standard deviation of value 0.062.
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