Title: Mechanical Properties and Durability of Two Industrial Reactive Powder Concretes

Author(s): Olivier Bonneau, Mohamed Lachemi, Eric Dallaire, Jerome Dugat, and Pierre-Claude Aitcin

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 94

Issue: 4

Appears on pages(s): 286-290

Keywords: confining; durability; industrial production; mechanical properties; permeability; reactive powder concrete; scaling resistance; stress-strain curve;

DOI: 10.14359/310

Date: 7/1/1997

Abstract:
Two reactive powder concretes (RPC) were produced on an industrial scale at the UniversitÉ de Sherbrooke and in a nearby precast plant. A 2.6 m3 mix was prepared in a ready mix truck while a 1.35 m3 mix was prepared in the central mixer of the precast plant. The ready mix RPC was sampled before and after the addition of steel fibers while the one produced at the precast plant was sampled only at the end of the mixing process. These RPCs were tested for compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, freezing and thawing cycling resistance, scaling resistance to deicing salts and resistance to chloride ion penetration. Large samples were also cast allowing core samples to be taken. The results show that a 200 MPa compressive strength could be achieved in both cases: after curing in hot water at 90 deg C or in the low pressure steam chambers at the precast plant. Confinement of the RPC in a steel tube greatly increases its compressive strength and its ductility The two mixes were found to be freeze-thaw resistant and presented a very low mass loss under the scaling test. Chloride ion permeability was below 10 Coulombs even for the specimens containing steel fibers; this extremely low value translates to the quasi impermeability of the two RPCs.