High Performance Concrete

High-Performance Concrete
High Performance Concrete

A Brief History of Development
Products that last longer are called, high-

performance products.
Properly proportioned and cured mixtures of
superplasticized concrete, with 0.4 or less w/cm,
show a little or no permeability.
In fact, superplasticized concrete mixtures made
with blended portland cements containing mineral
additives exhibit unusually low permeability
ratings in the ASTM C 1202, Rapid Chloride
Penetration Test.
P.K. Mehta and P.J.M. Monteiro, Concrete: Microstructure, Properties, and Materials
Introduction
Mehta and Aitcin suggested the term high-

performance concrete (HPC) for concrete
mixtures that possess the following three
properties: high-workability, high-strength, and
high durability.
ACI Definition
HPC is defined as a concrete meeting special

combination of performance and uniformity
requirements that cannot always be achieved
routinely using conventional constituents and
normal mixing, placing, and curing practices.
Characteristics that may be considered critical for particular application
Ease of placement
Compaction without segregation
Early age strength
Long-term strength and mechanical properties
Permeability
Density
Heat of hydration
Toughness
Volume stability
Long life in severe environments
Note: according to the ACI definition, durability under
severe environmental conditions is an optional, not a
mandatory requirement for HPC.
Field Experience
The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP)

in the United States defined HPC for highway
structures by three requirements, namely a
maximum w/cm, a minimum durability factor to
cycles of freezing and thawing (ASTM C 666,
Method A), and a minimum early-age or ultimate
compressive strength.
SHRP
Four types of HPC were subsequently developed:

Very Early Strength (14 MPa in 6 hours),
High Early Strength (34 MPa in 24 hours),
Very High Strength (69 MPa in 28 days),
High Early Strength with Fiber-reinforcement.
Field Experience
U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

sponsored a national program of field testing HPC
bridge decks.
The assumption that “stronger concrete mixtures
would be more durable” did not turn out to be
true in the case of many cast-in-place, exposed,
concrete structures, therefore FHWA has revised
the definition of HPC for highway structures.
New definition
HPC is a concrete that has been designed to be

more durable and if necessary, stronger than
conventional concrete.
HPC mixtures are essentially composed of the
same materials as conventional concrete
mixtures. But the proportions are designed or
engineered to provide the strength and durability
needed for the structural and environmental
requirements of the project.
Off-shore, Oil Drilling Platforms
Since 1970s some 20 concrete platforms have

been installed in the British and Norwegian sector
of the North Sea.
The construction process involves the fabrication
of massive oil-storage cells and prestressed
concrete shafts on a dry dock under rigorous
quality control conditions, and then towing the
structural components to the job site.
The concrete is required to withstand the

corrosive action of sea water, and impacts and
erosion from high tidal waves.
Earlier North Sea platforms were designed for a
service life of approximately 30 years and have
performed satisfactorily.
For the platforms completed in 1993-95, Troll A
and Heidrun, the design life has been extended to
50-70 years.
Extra precautions were taken to prevent thermal cracking:

cooling the concrete constitutes, partly replacing the mixing
water with crushed ice,
increasing the silica fume content from 3 to 9%, and
decreasing the w/cm ratio from about 0.40 to 0.36.
The mix proportions of the lightweight (1940 kg/m3), high-
strength (70 MPa specified cube strength at 28 days) and
pumpable (220-250 mm slump) concrete for the Heidrun
offshore platform.
Long Span Bridges
HPC is being extensively used now for the

fabrication of precast pylons, piers, and girders of
many long span bridges in the world:
The Normandie Bridge in France (1993),
the East Bridge of the Great Belt Link in Denmark
(1994), and
the Confederation Bridge in Canada (1997)
Port de Normandie
the Port de Normandie cable-stay bridge was the

longest in the world when it was built in 1993. It
has 2141m overall length and a center span of
856m.
Approximately 35,000 m3 of 60-Grade HPC (60
MPa specified strength at 28 days) were used in
the construction of pylons and cantilever beams.
Port de Normandie
The concrete mixture was composed of 425

kg/m3 blended portland cement containing 8%
silica fume, 770 kg/m3 fine aggregate, 1065
kg/m3 coarse aggregate of 20mm max. size, 153
kg/m3 water (w/cm=0.36), and 11L/m3 of
melamine-type superplasticizer.
Measures to prevent thermal cracking included
the use of insulated forms, and protecting the
deck slab with hot air for 18 hours followed by a
6-hour waiting period before exposing the
concrete to ambient temperature.
Great Belt Link in Denmark
At a cost of 4 billion USD , the Great Belt fixed

link in Denmark provided a major improvement to
the Northern European transportation system.
The island of Sprogo divides the 18-km Great Belt
into two parts.
Great Belt link
The Great Belt link has a railway tunnel, a high level

motorway bridge across the East Channel and a low level
bridge for rail and motorway across the West Channel.
High-quality precast concrete segments were fabricated on
dry docks under controlled environment. Even for the
50,000-tonne precast concrete units, construction
tolerances were within a few centimeters.
Confederation Bridge
the 12.9 km long Confederation Bridge between

Prince Edward Island and the mainland of Canada
(across the Northumberland Strait), completed in
1997, consists of 44 main spans of 250 m length
each and massive main pier shaft and foundation
elements fabricated on land
Approach pier foundations and some mass
concrete sections, requiring control of thermal
cracking, were built with Class C concrete which
contained approximately 32% fly ash as a cement
replacement material. Both concrete mixtures
contained 7.5% silica fume by mass of the total
cementitious materials.
The specifications for Class A concrete included a

minimum of 55 MPa compressive strength and a
maximum of 1000 coulombs chloride permeability
(ASTM C 1202 test) at 28 days.
Some piers, with an abrasion resistant ice shield,
were made with 80 MPa concrete. The
requirements for Class C concrete were 30 MPa
and 40 MPa minimum compressive strength at 28
and 90 days, respectively.
Class A Concrete Class C Concrete

Mix Proportions, Abrasion-resistant
for Main Piers for Massive
kg/m3 Ice Shield Concrete
and T-beams Foundations
Portland cement 416 285 478
Silica fume 34 22 42
Fly ash, Class F - 133 60
Fine aggregate 737 744 650
Coarse aggregate 1030 1054 980
Water 153 159 142
Superplasticizer 3 2 6
W/cm 0.34 0.37 0.25
Properties
Entrained air, % 6.1 7.0 -
Slump, mm 200 185 -
Compressive Strength, MPa
1-day 35 9.7 -
3 days 52 27.4 -
28 days 82 50.0 100
91 days - 76.0 -
Rapid chloride permeability, Coulombs
(AASHTO T277)
28 days 300 420 -
90 days - - -
Bridge-decks, Pavements, and Parking Structures
Concrete mixtures containing low cementitious

materials content ( 300 kg/m3) and w/cm 0.5 are
prone to show premature deterioration when
exposed to corrosive conditions, such as sea
water or de-icing salts.
The advent of superplasticizers provided an
impetus for the development of very high-
strength concrete mixtures that found their way
quickly into cast-in-place structures designed for
long-term durability under severe environmental
conditions.
Cast-in-place bridge decks, pavements
The total cementitious material content does not

exceed 400 kg/m and, typically, 30 to 40%
portland cement is being replaced by fly ash or
granulated blast-furnace slag.
A low chloride permeability rating, e.g., max.
1500 or 2000 coulombs at 56 days (ASTM C1202
Test Method) is specified.
A very low chloride permeability ( 1000 coulombs)
can be readily achieved even at the early age of
28 days by incorporation of 7-10% silica fume,
metakaolin, or rice husk ash in the concrete
mixture.
High-Performance, High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete
The high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete system

has emerged as a powerful tool to build concrete
structures in the future that would be far more
durable and resource-efficient than those made of
conventional portland-cement concrete.
Whether used as a component of blended
cements or as a mineral admixture added to
concrete batch during mixing, the fly ash content
of concrete must be above 50 percent by mass of
the total cementitious material.
HVFA
In the past, the HVFA concrete mixtures generally

did not perform well with respect to strength
development, drying shrinkage, and durability.
This is because the fly ash produced by old
thermal power plants was coarser and usually
contained high carbon. Laboratory and field
experience have shown that fly ash from the
modern thermal power plants, generally
characterized by low carbon content and high
fineness, when used in a large volume, is able to
impart excellent workability to concrete at a water
content that is 15 to 20 percent lower than
without the fly ash.
HVFA
Further reductions in the mixing water content

can be achieved with better aggregate grading
and with the help of a superplasticizing
admixture.
MIXTURE PROPORTIONS FOR 25-MPa CONCRETE
Conventional Concrete HVFA Concrete
Materials
By mass By volume By mass By volume
(kg/m3) (m3/m3) (kg/m3) (m3/m3)
Cement 307 0.098 154 0.048
Fly ash - - 154 0.064
Water 178 0.178 120 0.120
Entrapped air (2%) - 0.020 - 0.020
Coarse aggregate 1040 0.385 1210 0.450
Fine Aggregate 825 0.319 775 0.298
Total 2350 1.000 2413 1.000
w/cm 0.58 - 0.38 -
Paste volume: (0.296) (0.252)

- -
Percent: 29.6% 25.0%
HVFA
Compared to the conventional concrete mixture,

the HVFA system contains one-third less mixing
water.
Also the total volume of the cement paste is
nearly 16 percent less. Consequently, the drying
shrinkage is much reduced.
HVFA concrete generates nearly 40 percent less
heat of hydration at early age and, therefore, in
massive structural members the potential for
thermal shrinkage and cracking is also greatly
reduced.
Durability of HVFA
For frost resistance, the use of an air-entraining admixture

is mandatory.
The setting time is somewhat longer and the early strength
development rate of HVFA concrete is slower. However,
under warm weather conditions, the strength at 24 to 48-
hour should be adequate for formwork removal.
When possible the forms may be kept in place for 7 days or
even longer to maintain the moist-curing environment. The
long-term strength and impermeability of HVFA concrete is,
generally, far superior to ordinary concrete with no fly ash
or a small quantity of fly ash. Also, from laboratory test data
on the corrosion of steel reinforcement, alkali-aggregate
expansion, and sulfate attack.
Summary
Flowability/Pumpability Easier
Workability/Compactability Easier
Bleeding None or Negligible
Finishing Quicker
Setting Time Slower up to 2 h
Early Strength (up to 7-day) Lower but can be accelerated
Ultimate Strength- 90day + Higher
Crack Resistance Higher
• Plastic Shrinkage Higher (If unprotected)
• Thermal Shrinkage Lower
• Drying Shrinkage Lower
Resistance to Penetration of Chloride Ions Very high after 3 months
Electrical Resistivity Very high after 3 months
Durability
• Resistance to Sulfate Attack Very high
• Resistance to Alkali-Silica Expansion Very high
• Resistance to Reinforcement Corrosion High
Cost
• Materials Lower
• Labor Similar
• Life Cycle Very low
Environmental Benefits ( Reduced CO2 emission) Very high

High Performance Concrete

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High Performance Concrete

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High-Performance Concrete

High Performance Concrete

 Products that last longer are called, high-

 Mehta and Aitcin suggested the term high-

 HPC is defined as a concrete meeting special

 The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP)

 Four types of HPC were subsequently developed:

 U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

 HPC is a concrete that has been designed to be

 Since 1970s some 20 concrete platforms have

 The concrete is required to withstand the

 Extra precautions were taken to prevent thermal cracking:

 HPC is being extensively used now for the

 the Port de Normandie cable-stay bridge was the

 The concrete mixture was composed of 425

 At a cost of 4 billion USD , the Great Belt fixed

 The Great Belt link has a railway tunnel, a high level

 the 12.9 km long Confederation Bridge between

 The specifications for Class A concrete included a

Class A Concrete Class C Concrete

 Concrete mixtures containing low cementitious

 The total cementitious material content does not

 The high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete system

 In the past, the HVFA concrete mixtures generally

 Further reductions in the mixing water content

Conventional Concrete HVFA Concrete

Cement 307 0.098 154 0.048

Fly ash - - 154 0.064

Water 178 0.178 120 0.120

Entrapped air (2%) - 0.020 - 0.020

Coarse aggregate 1040 0.385 1210 0.450

Fine Aggregate 825 0.319 775 0.298

Total 2350 1.000 2413 1.000

w/cm 0.58 - 0.38 -

Paste volume: (0.296) (0.252)

 Compared to the conventional concrete mixture,

 For frost resistance, the use of an air-entraining admixture

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Products that last longer are called, high-

Mehta and Aitcin suggested the term high-

HPC is defined as a concrete meeting special

The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP)

Four types of HPC were subsequently developed:

U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

HPC is a concrete that has been designed to be

Since 1970s some 20 concrete platforms have

The concrete is required to withstand the

Extra precautions were taken to prevent thermal cracking:

HPC is being extensively used now for the

the Port de Normandie cable-stay bridge was the

The concrete mixture was composed of 425

At a cost of 4 billion USD , the Great Belt fixed

The Great Belt link has a railway tunnel, a high level

the 12.9 km long Confederation Bridge between

The specifications for Class A concrete included a

Concrete mixtures containing low cementitious

The total cementitious material content does not

The high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete system

In the past, the HVFA concrete mixtures generally

Further reductions in the mixing water content

Compared to the conventional concrete mixture,

For frost resistance, the use of an air-entraining admixture