High Performance Concrete

By

Rafat Siddique, Ph.D., PDF (U.S.A.)

Senior Professor of Civil Engineering
Thapar University
Patiala – 147 004

Email: siddique_66@yahoo.com
 High Performance Concrete
High Performance Concrete (HPC) is a specialized
series of concretes designed to provide several benefits
in the construction of concrete structures

Performance Benefits
• ease of placement and consolidation without affecting
strength
• long-term mechanical properties
• early high strength
• toughness
• volume stability
• longer life in severe environments
 High Performance Concrete

Cost & other benefits

• less material
• fewer beams
• reduced maintenance
• extended life cycle
• aesthetics
 Introduction

• High Performance Concrete just can not be

defined as commodity but a range of products,
each specifically designed to satisfy in most
effective and efficient way performance
required for intended applications.
 Introduction
HPC has large number of attributes

• Attributes which benefit to the construction

process
• Attributes which enhance the mechanical
properties
• Attributes which enhance the durability
 Characteristics of HPC
• High Compressive Strength
• Better Tensile Strength
• High Fatigue Strength
• High Thermal Capacity
• High Ductility
• High Corrosion Resistance
• High Acid/alkali resistance
 Characteristics of HPC
• Low Shrinkage
• Low Creep
• Low Permeability
• High Fire Resistance
• Good bond characteristics
 Strength Characteristics
According to Strategic Highway Research
Program, USA, it shall have one of the
following strength characteristic

• 4 hours compressive strength > 17.5 MPa

• 24 hours compressive strength > 35 MPa
• 28 days compressive strength > 70 MPa
• Water cementitious ratio < 0.35
• Durability Factor not less than 80 after 300 freezing
and thawing cycles
 Development of HPC
HPC can be modeled as three phase
composite material, the phases are:

• The hardening cement paste

• The aggregates
• The interfacial zone between hardened cement
paste and aggregates
 Proportioning of HPC consists of
inter-related steps
• Selection of suitable ingredients: cement,
supplementary cementing materials,
aggregates, water, chemical admixtures

• Determination of relative quantities of the

ingredients in order to produce a concrete that
has desired rheological properties, strength,
and durability.
 Materials for HPC - Cement
• Quality control of each and every phase of
concrete making process

• Cement to be used in the production of HPC

must meet the following two requirements

- it must develop appropriate strength

- it must represent appropriate rheological
behaviour
 Materials for HPC - Aggregates

• Coarse aggregates properties play significant role

in determining the properties of HPC.
• Aggregate properties can be categorized through
two groups
- exterior features: maximum size, particle
shape, textures
- interior quality: strength, porosity, hardness,
elastic modulus, chemical/
mineralogical composition
 Materials for HPC - Aggregates
• Smaller sized aggregates produce higher
concrete strength.

• Particle shape and texture effect the

workability of fresh concrete and strength of
the hardened concrete.

• Fine aggregates should be free from clay, silt

and use of relatively coarser sand with fineness
modulus of about 3 is generally recommended.
 Materials for HPC - Aggregates
• The choice of coarse aggregate could be made
from stress-strain curve, and loading-unloading
hysteresis loop of HPC mixtures made with
various types of coarse aggregates.

• The aggregates giving higher stress-strain ratio

and narrow hysteresis loop are best suited.

• The tests such as abrasion resistance, hardness,

soundness, void ratio, also indicate the strength
of coarse aggregates.
 Materials for HPC - Aggregates
• High percentage of absorption and low specific
gravity indicate more permeable pore space,
which implies weak compressive strength.

• Usually an aggregate with specific gravity more

than 2.55 and absorption less than 1.5% can be
regarded as good quality aggregate.

• Aggregates with good soundness can resist

weathering action and increase the durability of
concrete.
 Materials for HPC - Aggregates
• Lower the abrasion resistance, lower is the
strength of aggregates.

• Higher soundness also gives lower aggregate

strength

• Higher aggregate strength gives higher

compressive strength
HPC- Supplementary Cementing
Materials
• Silica Fume
• Fly Ash
• GGBS
• Rice husk
• Metakaolin
Silica Fume
 Silica Fume
• Silica fume, also known as microsilica, is a
byproduct of the reduction of high-purity
quartz with coal in electric furnaces in the
production of silicon and ferrosilicon alloys.

• Silica Fume is also collected as a byproduct in

the production of other silicon alloys such as
ferrochromium, ferromanganese, ferro-
magnesium, and calcium silicon (ACI Comm.
226 1987b).
 Silica Fume
• Before the mid-1970s, nearly all Silica Fume
was discharged into the atmosphere.
• After environmental concerns necessitated the
collection and landfilling of Silica Fume, it
became economically justified to use Silica
Fume in various applications.
• Because of its chemical and physical
properties, it is a very reactive pozzolan.
• One of the most beneficial uses for silica fume
is in making high strength and durable
concrete.
 Silica Fume
• Silicon metal and alloys
are produced in electric
furnaces.
• The raw materials are
quartz, coal, and
woodchips.
• The smoke that results
from furnace operation
is collected and sold as
silica fume, rather than
being landfilled.
 Silica Fume
• Silica fume consists primarily of amorphous
(non-crystalline) silicon dioxide (SiO2).
• The individual particles are extremely small,
approximately 1/100th the size of an average
cement particle.
• Because of its fine particles, large surface area,
and the high SiO2 content, silica fume is a very
reactive pozzolan when used in concrete.
• The quality of silica fume is specified by ASTM
C 1240 and AASHTO M 307.
Premium White Standard Grey

Silica Fume Colours

Silica Fume -- Physical Properties
Particle size (typical) <1µm
Bulk density
(as-produced) 130 to 430 kg/m3
(slurry) 1320 to 1440 kg/m3
(densified) 480 to 720 kg/m3
Specific gravity 2.2
Surface area (BET) 13,000 to
30,000 m2/kg
Silica Fume – Chemical Composition
Constituent %
SiO2 90 to 96
Al2O3 0.5 to 0.8
Fe2O3 0.2 to 0.8
MgO 0.5 to 1.5
CaO 0.1 to 0.5
Na2O 0.2 to 0.7
K2O 0.4 to 1.0
SEM Picture of Silica Fume
Fly Ash
 Fly Ash
Fly ash is the residue from the combustion
of pulverized coal, which is collected by the
mechanical or electrostatic precipitators
from the flue gases of the thermal power
plants.
Typical ash colors
Fly Ash – Physical properties

Colour Whitish grey to grey

with black
Bulk Density 1.12 gm/cc

Specific Gravity 2.14 to 2.42

Fineness 2800 to 3200 cm2/gm

Fly Ash – Chemical Composition
Constituent %
SiO2 40 to 79
Al2O3 23 to 33
Fe2O3 0.6 to 4
MgO 1.5 to 5
CaO 2.8 to 20
Na2O 0.5 to 1.5
LOI 1 to 5
Fly Ash, 5000 X Magnification
Ground Granulated Blast Furnace
Slag (GGBS)
Ground granulated blast-furnace slag is the
granular material formed when molten iron
blast furnace slag is rapidly chilled (quenched)
by immersion in water.

It is a granular product with very limited

crystal formation, is highly cementitious in
nature and, ground to cement fineness,
hydrates like portland cement
Ground Granulated Blast Furnace
Slag (GGBS)
• Ground granulated blast furnace slag is a
cementitious material and can be substituted
for cement on a 1:1 basis.

• Substitution of ground granulated blast

furnace slag should be limited to 50 percent for
areas not exposed to deicing salts and to 25
percent for concretes which will be exposed to
deicing salts
GGBS
GGBS
GGBS – Physical properties

Colour Off white

Bulk Density 1200 Kg/m3

Specific Gravity 2.9

Fineness 275 to 450 m2/kg

GGBS – Chemical Composition
Constituent %
SiO2 35
Al2O3 13
MgO 8
CaO 40%
 Uses of GGBS
• better workability, making placing and
compaction easier.
• lower early-age temperature rise, reducing the
risk of thermal cracking in large pours
• elimination of the risk of damaging internal
reactions such as ASR
• high resistance to chloride ingress, reducing the
risk of reinforcement corrosion
• high resistance to attack by sulphate and other
chemicals
Use of Silica Fume in High-
Rise Columns
 High-strength
silica fume concrete
was used to stiffen

Key Bank Tower in Cleveland, Ohio, USA

 Project:
Key Bank Tower Cleveland, Ohio

Requirements:

High ultimate strength, > 83 MPa

High modulus, > 47 GPa
Pumpable, 57 stories
 Concrete Mixture:

Portland cement, Type I 406 kg/m3

GGBFS 169 kg/m3
Silica fume 47 kg/m3
w/cm 0.24
Slump, minimum 250 mm
HRWRA 2.0-3.3 L/100 kg
WRA, Type A 260 mL/100 kg
Concrete Performance:

Modulus > 48 GPa

Compressive strength,
28 days > 97 MPa
56 days > 103 MPa
High-Performance Concrete
Bridges
Why Use High-Performance
Concrete in Bridges?

High strength -- girders and beams

High durability -- decks, sidewalks,
parapets, piles, piers, pier caps, and
splash zones
Why High-Strength HPC?

• Longer spans
• Increased beam spacing
• Shallower sections for same span
“The use of high-strength concrete in the fabrication
and construction of pretensioned concrete girder
bridges can result in lighter bridge designs, with
corresponding economic advantages, by allowing
longer span lengths and increased girder spacings
for standard shapes.”

-- B. W. Russell
PCI Journal
Ohio HPC Bridge
New Hampshire HPC Bridge
Colorado HPC Bridge
Project:
I-25 and Yale Bridge, Colorado DOT
Denver, Colorado

Requirements:

Reduced number of spans with shallow

substructure depth
Compressive strength: 69 MPa
 Concrete Mixture:

Portland cement, Type I 433 kg/m3

Silica fume 21 kg/m3
w/cm 0.29
HRWRA 1.7-5.1 L/m3
WRA 0.6-2.2 L/m3
Parking Structure
Project:
Parking Structure
General Mitchell Airport
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Requirements:
Resist chloride ion penetration
14 MPa at 36 hours
40 MPa at 56 days
 Concrete Mixture:

Portland cement, Type I 335 kg/m3

Fly ash, Class C 60 kg/m3
Silica fume 17 kg/m3
w/cm 0.35
WRA 440 mL/m3
Slump, maximum 230 mm
Additional WRA and HRWRA in SF slurry
 Concrete Performance:

Compressive strength, 36 hours > 14 MPa

Cores taken at 2 - 10 months averaged < 1,000

coulombs
Slump used: 150- 90 mm
HPC Constructability
Project:

Canister Storage Building

Hanford Nuclear Site, WA

Requirements:
Ease of placement
Temperature control of mass concrete
High early strength for stripping
High durability
Concrete Mixture:

Portland cement, Type I 232 kg/m3

Fly ash, Class F 89 kg/m3
Silica fume 36 kg/m3
w/cm 0.37
Slump 200 mm
HRWRA 5.8 L/m3
Mid-range WRA 2.3 L/m3
Concrete Performance:

Concrete temperature,
as delivered < 21 deg C
in place < 38 deg C

Compressive strength,
28 days > 43 MPa
90 days > 52 MPa
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Bridge, USA
Confederation Bridge, Canada
Confederation Bridge, Canada
Scotia Plaza, Toronto, ON
Fairview Mall Parking Garage
Grand Manan Wharf, New Brunswick
Wharf Repairs at Port of Saint John Saint John,
New Brunswick
Thank You