CVE520 Fall 2016

FIRST CLASS
INTRODUCTORY LECTURE
Definition of High Performance/Sustainable Concrete HPC
HP/Sustainable Concrete CAN BE CONSIDERED IN THE
CONTEXT OF:
A. Properties of hardened concrete
B. Properties of fresh concrete
C. Suitability of concrete for a specialized / high performance production /
construction process.

Below are typical parameters falling into each of the

categories indicated above:
PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS

A:

HARDENED CONCRETE
1. Strength:

grade > 80 MPa in compression

2. Durability: service life extended beyond 100 years

resistance to severe environmental conditions during its service
life (chlorides, freeze/thaw, carbonation, etc. etc.)
durable surface finish & properties (wear, appearance etc.)
3. Toughness: very high impact strength, thin-wall concrete structures
4. Density: much greater strength/density ratio: strong lightweight concretes,
foamed concrete; very heavy concretes
PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS

B:

FRESH CONCRETE
1. Workability: Super-fluid, self-compacting and non- segregating mixes. Selfleveling mixes. Extended workable time.
2. Washout resistance: Non-dispersive concretes for underwater placing

PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS

C:

SPECIAL PRODUCTION/CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES

Sprayed-concrete: (e.g. fiber reinforced)

Pumping: very long distances, great heights
Slip forming and in situ extrusion: correct degree of cohesion
Factory extrusion: very dry mixes
Repairs: superfluid grouts, thixotropic, high-build mixes, ultra
rapid hardening mixes, etc.

A practical classification, based on a combination of performance parameters and/or

applications has been adopted, leading to the following SPECIAL (or HIGH
PERFORMANCE) Sustainable CONCRETES considered initially:

CONCRETE OF GRADE > 80 MPa

CONCRETE FOR UNDERWATER PLACING (NON-DISPERSIVE)
LIGHTWEIGHT, FOAMED CONCRETE
FLOWING & SELFCOMPACTING CONCRETE
CEMENTITIOUS CONCRETE REPAIR MIX
SPRAYED CONCRETE
VERY DRY CONCRETE FOR PRECASTING
ROLLER COMPACTED CONCRETE

In all the special concretes, specific subdivisions were applicable, reflecting the
composition of the mix:
Significant ingredients other then the basic ones include:

FIBRES OF ALL TYPES (steel/metal,polymeric,glass,carbon,other)

MICROSILICA (SILICA FUME)
POLYMERS
SPECIAL CEMENTS
VERY LIGHT WEIGHT OR HIGH DENSITY AGGREGATES
FINE FILLERS
FLY ASH OR SLAG

All mixes achieve Performance parameters, namely:

I1.
2.
3.
4.

Strength and related parameters:

COMPRESSIVE, TENSILE, (shear)
MODULUS OF ELASTICITY, ULTIMATE STRAIN, CREEP,
TOUGHNESS & IMPACT RESISTANCE

IIDurability & service life resistance to severe environmental conditions during

its service life (chemical attack, freeze/thaw, biological attack, fire resistance
etc.) durable surface finish & properties ( wear, appearance etc.)

IIIOTHER PARAMETES
Density: strength/density ratio
Thermal properties
Acoustic properties
Workability, machinability
Resources/recycling/safety etc.
For a technically and economically effective construction process using special /high
performance/Sustainable concrete the focus must be on the mixing/batching stage
and, particularly on their properties when fresh.

HPC-Sustainable
Some Challenges of the Properties when it is fresh

High Strength Concrete (HSC/HPC)

Concretes with characteristic compressive strengths
80MPa.
A wide range of workabilities is possible, from very dry to
flowing. Superplasticizers and microsilica are usually
present. A rapid loss of workability is of concern,
compactability, pumpability and finishability may be
difficult.

 Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC/GRC,SFRC etc.)

Very many different types of fibres are available. All
types of fibres affect workability. Workability required
depends also on the construction process used. Standard
tests are often not applicable or their results require
different interpretation.
Flowing, superfluid, self-compacting concretes.
Current developments aim to produce mixes of very high
mobility (ability to flow) while retaining an adequate level
of internal cohesion to avoid them being too susceptible to
segregation. Standard test methods are often inapplicable
and unable to differentiate between the mixes and provide
the required site-control.

Lightweight aggregate concrete.

Behaviour of LA concretes is relatively better known but a
systematic assessment during construction ( eg. for
pumpability in case of a high water absorption of the
aggregate ) should be introduced and the test results
properly interpreted.

 Cementitious concrete repair mixes .

Such fresh mixes present a strong challenge workabilities
required
range
from
super-fluid,
selfcompacting mixes to extremely thixotropic, 'highbuild' mixes and very dry ones. An appropriate degree of
workability is crucial for a cost effective and high quality
execution of repairs. There is little existing overall
guidance available, it is mostly fragmented amongst the
technical information on specific repair products.
Sprayed concrete.
The recent trend towards a greater use of wet-spraying
(premixed concrete) emphasises the critical influence of
several workability parameters on a successful application
of sprayed concrete. Workability of the mix influences
compaction, rebound of fresh concrete etc. Practical site
checks on fresh properties need to be developed.

Very dry concrete.

Such mixes find most of their applications in precast
concrete industry and where extruded products are made.
Workability is critical for the production process,
however, new tests recently developed still require to be
brought up to a standard level and publicized.

 Non-dispersive underwater concrete.

Fresh concrete resistant to washout when passing through
water offers great reductions in cost, much improved
quality and safer underwater construction procedures.
However, to achieve this the concrete must have the
required properties, namely workability (mobility,
stability) and an adequate washout resistance before it is
placed under water. The behaviour of such fresh concrete
differs very much from that of ordinary mixes making
standard tests inapplicable. There is an urgent requirement
for appropriate tests to verify the effectiveness of the
specialist admixtures used (washout) and to check on site
the correct workability (eg. self-compaction) of the mix
Foamed concrete.
Fresh foamed concretes became firmly established in the
special concrete category over the last decade. Properties
of hardened foamed concretes have been well
documented. However, there are applications which
require either high fluidity or a significant degree of
thixotropy for which adequate independent guidance on
specification and site testing is not yet available.
Concretes containing special cements .
Ultra-fine or sulphate free cements are just two of the
recently developed special cements. Hydration of such
cements and their interaction with aggregate modifies
workability which is often maintained only over a very
short period of time. A comprehensive survey of different
aspects of workability of concretes with a range of special
cements is required.

CONCLUSIONS:

HIGH PERFORMANCE/SUSTAINABLE, SPECIAL

CONCRETES CAN BE PRODUCED
EFFICIENTLY; HOWEVER, BENEFITS IN
TERMS OF COSTS AND QUALITY CAN BE
OBTAINED ONLY IF:

AN
APPROPRIATE
SPECIFICATION
IS
PROVIDED, COMPLIANCE WITH WHICH CAN
BE VERIFIED RELIABLY

THE PRODUCTION PROCESS IS FULLY

CONSIDERED (plant & equipment for mixing,
placing, compaction, finishing, curing), including
SITE TESTS for quality control