Experimental Evaluation of the Strength Properties of Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) Produced with Indigenous Materials Containing Industrial Steel Fibers

Document Type : Original Research

Author
M. Gholizadeh
Ph.D. Candidate of Engineering and Construction Management, Department of Civil Engineering, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
10.22034/23.5.7
Abstract
Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is one of the ultra-high strength concretes with superior mechanical properties, which is made using cement and very fine powder materials such as quartz sand, microsilica, low amounts of water-cement ratio, super-lubricant and steel fibers. The main role of steel fibers in such concrete is actually a type of composite that has proper integrity and continuity and enables the use of concrete as a flexible material. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of using different types of industrial steel fibers with different length (diameter) and percentages on the strength properties of RPC and to determine a series of experimental relationships for their estimation. To this end, by preparing three types of steel fibers with small diameters (group 1), medium (group 2) and large (group 3) and making a number of RPC samples using indigenous and common mineral materials, the strength characteristics of this type of concrete include compressive, bending and tensile strengths were determined at different ages. To investigate the effect of curing time as well as the diameter and percentage of steel fibers on the compressive strength of RPC, a total of 39 samples + 1 sample without fibers (control concrete) containing 1 to 5% of large steel fibers (with diameter of 0.8 mm), medium (with diameter of 0.6 mm) and small (with diameter of 0.4 mm) were made and their compressive strength was determined at different ages. In addition, to determine the bending and tensile strengths of RPC samples, a total of 18 standard RPC beam and cylindrical samples containing different percentages of medium diameter steel fibers were made. After these samples were cured, their 28-day strength was evaluated in comparison with the control samples. The results of compressive strength tests showed that by increase in the curing age, the strength of RPC increases in compared with the control sample (without fibers). The results of compressive strength tests showed that by reduce in the diameter of steel fibers, the 28-day compressive strength of RPC samples increased significantly and was determined to 423.5 MPa. In compared with the control sample (without fibers), the compressive strength is associated with a growth of 29.11%. Also, the optimal amount of medium steel fibers to achieve RPC with the highest strength was determined to be 2%. The results of flexural strength tests showed that 2% of group 1 steel fibers (with small diameter) and group 2 (with medium diameter) and 3% of group 3 steel fibers (with large diameter) as the optimal percentage of steel fibers to reach the maximum flexural strength in RPC. Therefore, the 28-day flexural strength of RPC samples containing 2%, 2%, and 3% of steel fibers of groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, was equal to 40.9, 44.6, and 39.1 MPa. The highest tensile strength of RPC samples containing 1%, 2%, and 3% of steel fibers of groups 1, 2, and 3 compared to the control sample, was associated with a growth of 61.25%, 66.42%, and 68.21%, respectively. Also, the results of the tensile strength tests showed that the addition of group 2 steel fibers (medium) compared to the other two groups (small and large), had a greater impact on the growth percentage of tensile strength of RPC samples.

Keywords

Subjects

[1] Erntroy, D., and Shacklock, B. (1965). Design and Control concrete mixtures. Taylor & Francis: New York.
[2] Caldarone A. (2009). High Strength Concrete. Taylor & Francis: New York.
[3] Voo, Y.L., and Foster, S.J. (2009). Reactive Powder Concrete: Analysis and Design of RPC Girders Paperback, LAP Lambert Academic Publishing: United Kingdom.
[4] Fang, Y., Yao, Z., Huang, X., Li, X., Diao, N., Hu, K., and Li, H. (2022). Permeability evolution characteristics and microanalysis of reactive powder concrete of drilling shaft lining under stress-seepage coupling. Construction and Building Materials, 331, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.127336.
[5] Aiello, M., Leuzzi, F., Centonze, G., and Maffezzoli, A. (2009). Use of steel fibers recovered from waste tires as reinforcement in concrete: Pull-out behavior, compressive and flexural strength. Waste Management, 29, 1960-1970.
[6] Yu, R., Spiesz, P., and Brouwers, H.J.H. (2014). Mix design and properties assessment of ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). Cement and Concrete Composites, 56, 29–39.
[7] Yu, R., Spiesz, P., and Brouwers, H.J.H. (2015). Development of ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC): Towards an efficient utilization of binders and fibres. Construction and Building Materials, 79, 273–282.
[8] Ismail, Z.Z., and Al-Hashmi, E.A. (2008). Reuse of waste iron as a partial replacement of sand in concrete. Waste Management, 28(11), 2048-2053.
[9] Desai, K. (2016). New Era of concrete: Reactive Powder Concrete: The ultra-high performance concrete. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, Einbeck, Germany.
[10] Wasan, K. (2014). Tensile Behavior of Reactive Powder Concrete. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, Uxbridge, United Kingdom.
[11] Sanjuán, M.Á., and Andrade, C. (2021). Reactive powder concrete: Durability and applications. Applied Science, 11, 5629. https://doi.org/10.3390/ app11125629.
[12] Ashour Al. Khuzaie, H.M., and Atea. R.S. (2019). Investigation of torsional behavior and capacity of reactive powder concrete (RPC) of hollow T-beam. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 8(1), 199-207.
[13] Zeng, W., Li, H., and Wang, Y. (2012). Compressive behavior of hybrid fiber-reinforced reactive powder concrete after high temperatures. Materials and design, 41, 403-409.
[14] Ipek, M., Yilmaz, K., and Uysal, M. (2012). The effect of pre-setting pressure applied flexural strength and fracture toughness of reactive powder concrete during the setting phase. Construction and Building Materials, 26, 459-465.
[15] Hou, X., Cao, S., Rong, Q., Zheng, W., and Li, G. (2018). Effects of steel fiber and strain rate on the dynamic compressive stress-strain relationship in reactive powder concrete, Construction and Building Materials, 170, 570-581.
[16] Abid, M., Hou, X., Zheng, W., Rizwan Hussain, R., Cao, S., and Lv, Z. (2019). Creep behavior of steel fiber reinforced reactive powder concrete at high temperature. Construction and Building Materials, 205, 321-331.
[17] Xun, X., Ronghua, Z., and Yinghu, L. (2020). Influence of curing regime on properties of reactive powder concrete containing waste steel fibers. Construction and Building Materials, 232, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117129.
[18] Huang, L., Yuan, M., Wei, B., Yan, D., and Liu, Y. (2022). Experimental investigation on sing fiber pullout behaviour on steel fiber-matrix of reactive powder concrete (RPC). Construction and Building Materials, 318, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.125899.
[19] Raza, S.S., Ali, B., Noman, M., and Hussain, I. (2022). Development of reactive powder concrete with recycled tyre steel fiber. Materialia, 22, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2022.101386.
[20] Meraji, L., Afshin, H., and Abedi, K. (2013). Investigating the possibility of producing reactive powder concrete with existing materials in Iran. Concrete Research, 5(2), 7-18 (in Persian).
[21] Dashti Ramatabadi, M.A., Shahabian, F., and Haji Kazemi, H. (2021). Experimental investigation of compressive and tensile strength of steel fiber reactive powder concrete, Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering, 8(2), 188-200 (in Persian).
[22] ASTM Standard. (1993). 1st edition, PCN: 03-549093-63, ASTM, Philadelphia.
[23] DIN 1164-85 Standard. (2000). Complete Document. Special cement compositions, Requirements and conformity evaluation, 1st Edition, Publisher: Deutsches Institut fur Normung.
[24] ISIR, National Standard No. 389. (2018). Properties of Portland cement, 3rd Revision- 8th Edition, Publisher: National Standard Organization of Iran.
[25] ASTM C311/C311M-17. (2013). American Society for Testing and Materials. Committee C-9 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates. Standard test methods for sampling and testing fly ash or natural pozzolans for use in portland-cement concrete. ASTM International.
[26] ASTM Standard A820/A820M-16. (2015). Standard specification for steel fibers for fiber-reinforced concrete, ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), West Conshohocken.
[27] ASTM Standard C192-15. (2015). Standard practice for making and curing concrete Test specimens in the laboratory. ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA. www.astm.org
[28] Gutteridge, W.A., and Dalziel, J.A. (1990). Filler cement: the effect of the secondary component on the hydration of Portland cement: part I. A fine non-hydraulic filler. Cement and Concrete Research, 20(5), 778-782.
[29] Zhang, Z., Zhang, B., and Yan, P. (2016). Hydration and microstructures of concrete containing raw or densified silica fume at different curing temperatures. Construction and Building Materials, 121, 483-490.
[30] Xun, X., Ronghua, Z., and Yinghu, L. (2020). Influence of curing regime on properties of reactive powder concrete containing waste steel fibers. Construction and Building materials, 232, 117129.
[31] Dong, S., Han, B., Yu, X., and Ou, J. (2019). Constitutive model and reinforcing mechanisms of uniaxial compressive property for reactive powder concrete with super-fine stainless wire. Composites Part B: Engineering, 166, 298-309.
[32] Liu, K., Yu, R., Shui, Z., Li, X., Ling, X., He, W., Yi, S., Wu, S. (2018). Effects of pumice-based porous material on hydration characteristics and persistent shrinkage of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). Materials, 12(1), 11.
Modares Civil Engineering journal
Volume 23, Issue 5
November and December 2023
Pages 85-113