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MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
ENGINEERING STRUCTURES
Under The Guidance of
Dr.D.Ravi Prasad
Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering Department
CERTIFICATE
This is certified that N. SIVA RAMA KRISHNA has submitted the seminar report on
STUDIES ON REACTIVE POWDER CONCRETE- ULTRA HIGH STRENGTH
CONCRETE in partial fulfillment of the 1st semester M.Tech course in Engineering
Structures as prescribed by the National Institute of Technology, Warangal during
academic year 2014-2015 under the guidance of Dr.D.Ravi Prasad.
Dr.D.Ravi Prasad
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I express my deep sense of gratitude to Dr.D.Ravi Prasad sir, Assistant Professor in
Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Warangal for his invaluable
guidance, motivation and constant encouragement throughout the course of this seminar work.
I will remain thankful to all the faculty members of Department of Civil Engineering,
NIT Warangal for their support during the course of this work.
Finally, we express gratitude to our parents for supporting us in every walk of life.
ABSTRACT
Concrete is a versatile and critical material for the construction of infrastructure facilities throughout
the world. A new developing material known as reactive powder (RPC) is available that differs
significantly from traditional concretes. It is catching more attention nowadays because of its high
mechanical and durability characteristics. RPC mainly comprise of cement, silica fume, silica sand,
quartz powder and steel fibers. RPC has been able to produce with compressive strength ranging from
200 MPa to 800 MPa with flexural strength up to 50 MPa. There is no coarse aggregate is present in
RPC. Since coarse aggregate is the weak link the concrete. The production of very high strength normal
weight Reactive powder concrete (RPC) requires detailed investigation of number of factors that have
and what can be done to optimized their contribution to the attainment of very high compressive
strength. In the present seminar I will focus to study the effects of w/c ratio, amount of silica fume,
curing conditions and the effect of mineral, chemical admixtures to achieve compressive strength.
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
3. COMPOSITION OF REACTIVE POWDER CONCRETE
4. BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF RPC
5. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
6. RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS
7. CONCLUSIONS
8. REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
RPC is ultra-high-strength and high ductility cementations composite with advanced mechanical and
physical properties. It is a special concrete where the microstructure is optimized by precise gradation
of all particles in the mix to yield maximum density. It doesnt contain coarse aggregate, but contains
cement, silica fume, sand, quartz powder and steel fiber with very low water binder ratio. The absence
of coarse aggregate was considered by inventors to be key aspect for the microstructure and
performance of RPC in order to reduce the heterogeneity between cement matrix and aggregate.
RPC with trade name DUCTAL was developed in France by researchers Mr.
Richard and Mr. Cheyrezy in the early 1990s at Bouygues, laboratory in France. The worlds first RPC
structure, the Sherbrooke Bridge in Canada, was constructed in July 1997. RPC has been able to
produce with compressive strength ranging from 200 MPa to 800 MPa with flexural strength up to 50
MPa. Although suitable guidelines are not available to produce RPC in India, the present study focuses
on developing RPC of compressive strength up to 150 MPa. Without using steel fibers we can produce
strength up to 200 MPa.
This new material demonstrates greatly improved strength and durability
characteristics compared with traditional or even high-performance concrete. Classified as Ultra-High
Performance Concrete (UHPC), or Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC). The improved properties of RPC
are obtained by improving the homogeneity of the concrete by eliminating large aggregates, increasing
compactness of the mixtures by optimizing packing density of fine particles, and using fine steel fibers
to provide ductility.
RPC will be suitable for pre-stressed application and for structures acquiring light and
thin components such as roofs of stadiums, long span bridges, space structures, high pressure pipes, and
blast resistance structures and the isolation and containment of nuclear wastes.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Many researchers have carried out studies on RPC in the past years to assess the properties and its
behavior. Some of the works carried out re discussed below:
Richard and Cheyrezy (1995) developed an ultra-high strength ductile concrete with the basic
principles of enhancing the homogeneity by eliminating the coarse aggregate and enhancing the
microstructure by post-set heat treatment. In addition, the ductility and tensile strength of concrete is
increased by incorporating small, straight, high tensile micro fibers. Two types of concretes are
developed and designated as RPC 200 and RPC 800. These concretes had exceptional mechanical
properties, which resulted in elimination of reinforcement, and reduction of materials resulting in
reduction of self-weight resulting in cost savings. The concrete finds its applications in industrial and
nuclear waste storage silos.
Chan and Chu, [2002] has studied the effect of silica fume on the bond characteristics of steel fiber in
matrix of reactive powder concrete (RPC) by bond strength, pullout energy, etc. Various silica fume
contents ranging from 0% to 40% are used in the mix proportions. Results of them show that the
incorporation of silica fume can effectively enhance the fibermatrix interfacial properties, especially in
fiber pullout energy.
Dili and Manu Santhanam (2005) developed two RPC mixes of 200MPa and 800MPa strength,
which could be suitable for nuclear waste containment structures. The workability and durability
properties were studied for the designed RPC mix. Also characterization of mechanical properties was
carried out. The durability test carried out for the RPC mixes showed that the flow table test was in the
range of 120%-140% and the water and chloride ion Permeability is extremely low. These test results
indicates the suitability of the designed RPC mix for nuclear waste containment structures.
S. Lavanya Prabha [2010] conducted a study on complete stress-strain curves from uniaxial
compression tests. The effect of material composition on the stress strain behavior and the toughness
index were studied. The highest cylinder compressive strength of 171.3 MPa and elastic modulus of
44.8 GPa were recorded for 2% 13 mm length fibers. The optimum fiber content was found to be 3% of
6mm length or 2% of 13mm length fibres. A new measure of compression toughness known as MTI
(modified toughness index) was proposed by them and it is found to range from 2.64 to 4.65 for RPC
mixes.
Table 1 lists salient properties of RPC, along with suggestions on how to achieve them. Table 2
describes the different ingredients of RPC and their selection parameters. The tables are obtained from
literature. The mixture design of RPC primarily involves the creation of a dense granular skeleton.
Optimization of the granular mixture can be achieved either by the use of packing models or by particle
size distribution software, such as LISA [developed by Elkem ASA Materials].
Description
Recommended Values
RPC
Types of failure
eliminated
Mechanical,
aggregate size
sand is 600 m
Chemical &
Thermo-mechanical
aggregate by a factor of
about 50.
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Improved mechanical
Youngs modulus
Enhanced mechanical
values in 50 GPa 75
Disturbance of the
properties
GPa range
fume
Reduction in aggregate
Limitation of sand
to matrix ratio
content
(e.g., formwork).
non-compacted sand.
Selection
Function
Particle Size
Types
Readily available
Give strength,
150 m
Natural,
Aggregate
to
Crushed
parameters
Sand
Good hardness
Cement
600 m
C3S: 60%;
Binding material,
C2S : 22%;
Production of
1 m
OPC,
C3A : 3.8%;
primary hydrates
to
Medium
100 m
fineness
C4AF: 7.4%.
(optimum)
Quartz Powder
Max. reactivity
5 m
during heat-
to
treating
25 m
0.1 m
Procured from
of impurities
Enhance
to
ferrosilicon
rheology,
1 m
industry
fineness
Silica fume
Production of
secondary
hydrates
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Crystalline
Steel fibers
Improve ductility
L : 13 25 mm
Straight
: 0.15 0.2 mm
Super Plasticizer
Less retarding
Reduced W/C
characteristic
Polyacrylate
based
RPC is a better alternative to High Performance Concrete and has the potential to structurally
compete with steel.
ii.
Its superior strength combined with higher shear capacity results insignificant dead load
reduction and limitless structural member shape.
iii.
With its ductile tension failure mechanism, RPC can be used to resist all but direct primary
tensile stresses. This eliminates the need for supplemental shear and other auxiliary reinforcing
steel.
iv.
RPC provides improve seismic performance by reducing inertia loads with lighter members,
allowing larger deflections with reduced cross sections, and providing higher energy absorption.
v.
Its low and non-interconnected porosity diminishes mass transfer making penetration of
liquid/gas or radioactive elements nearly non-existent.
Limitations of RPC:
In a typical RPC mixture design, the least costly components of conventional concrete are basically
eliminated or replaced by more expensive elements. The fine sand used in RPC becomes equivalent to
the coarse aggregate of conventional concrete, the Portland cement plays the role of the fine aggregate
and the silica fume that of the cement. The mineral component optimization alone results in a
substantial increase in cost over and above that of conventional concrete (5 to 10 times higher than
HPC). RPC should be used in areas where substantial weight savings can be realized and where some
of the remarkable characteristics of the material can be fully utilized.
Since RPC is in its developing stage, the long-term properties are not known.
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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
The present study focuses on developing RPC of compressive strength up to 150 MPa. Along with the
development of RPC, various factors affecting the strength of RPC are studied. The 100100100 mm
size RPC cube specimens were cast by varying the constituent materials and cured at both normal and
high temperature before testing for their strength.
Materials Used in Mix design:
Cement: The Ultra-Tech 53 Grade Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) which complies with IS: 122691987 is used in the present study. Its specific gravity is 3.15
The Silica fume: 945 D from Elkem India Ltd. which complies with ASTM C 1240
95a and IS: 15388-2003 is used in the study. It contains sio2 90%. Maximum size of the particle is
15m. Its specific gravity is 2.2
Quartz Powder - The crushed quartz with particle size ranging from 10m to 45m is used. The
specific gravity of quartz powder is 2.6
Silica Sand: It is yellowish-white high purity silica sand. The particle size of sand is 150m 600m.
Super Plasticizer: The very low w/b ratio required for RPC can be achieved with use of super
plasticizer (SP) to obtain good workability. In this study, the 2nd generation of super plasticizer called
Glenium B-276 Surtec from BASF India Ltd. was used.
To study the influence of the constituent materials, 14 different proportions were
considered by varying water-binder ratio, silica fume and quartz powder content. Cement of quantity
900 kg/m3 was kept constant for all the mixes. The water-binder ratio of the mixes varied from 0.16 to
0.24. Silica fume was added by 15 to 25 percent by weight of cement. 20 percent of quartz powder by
weight of cement was also added for few mixes. Super plasticizer dosage varied from 1 to 4 percent for
all the mixes. Detailed mix proportioning is mentioned in Table 3 from literature.
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TM1
MATERIAL
TM2
TM3
TM4
TM5
TM6
TM7
TM8
TM9
Cement
Silica
Fume
Quartz
Powder
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.20
0.20
0.20
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.2
0.2
0.2
Sand
1.33
1.28
1.24
1.19
1.15
1.16
1.11
0.91
0.98
0.98
0.92
0.82
0.82
0.82
W/B
ratio
0.16
0.18
0.20
0.22
0.24
020
0.22
0.24
0.20
0.22
0.24
0.18
0.2
0.22
SP %
2.5
1.5
2.5
2.5
Curing
Regime
For each batch of concrete, 100 x 100 x 100 mm cubes were cast to evaluate compressive strength
(IS: 10086-1999). The specimens were cured at both normal temperature for 28 days and at 90 C for
48 hours, remaining 26 days at normal temperature. The casted specimens were tested for 7days and 28
days compressive strength.
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Beyond 0.2 strength is decreasing due to excess amount of water which will create entrainment of air
bubbles. The compressive strengths of all mix proportions at 7 and 28 days are tabulated in Table 4
Table 4: Compressive strength of RPC
Normal Curing at 270C
Sample No
Compressive
Compressive
strength at 7 days strength at 28
days
N/mm2
N/mm2
Compressive
strength at 7 days
N/mm2
Compressive
strength at 28
days
N/mm2
TM-1
72
116
81
124
TM-2
70
120
85
132
TM-3
94
128
99
138
TM-4
69
110
78
121
TM-5
66
112
76
119
TM-6
62
93
TM-7
58
95
TM-8
56
87
TM-9
61
96
TM-10
55
90
TM-11
57
85
TM-12
88
112
94
138
TM-13
91
117
105
146
TM-14
85
109
89
122
14
15
16
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CONCLUSIONS
Following are the conclusions that can be drawn from laboratory results:
a. The maximum compressive strength of RPC obtained in the present study is 146 MPa at
W/b ratio of 0.2 with accelerated curing.
b. In the production of RPC the optimum percentage addition of silica fume is found to be
15% (by weight of cement) with available super plasticizer.
c. The addition of quartz powder increases the compressive strength of RPC up to 20%
d. The high temperature curing is essential for RPC to achieve higher strength. It increases
the compressive strength up to 10% when compared with normal curing.
Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is an emerging technology that lends a new
dimension to the term high performance concrete. It has immense potential in construction due to its
superior mechanical and durability properties compared to conventional high performance concrete,
and could even replace steel in some applications. The development of RPC is based on the application
of some basic principles to achieve enhanced homogeneity, very good workability, high compaction,
improved microstructure, and high ductility. RPC has an ultra-dense microstructure, giving
advantageous waterproofing and durability characteristics. It could, therefore, be a suitable choice for
industrial and nuclear waste storage facilities. Its application in India is very little or nil due to there is
no experimental guidelines. Currently research is going on this RPC at CSIR-SERC, Chennai.
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REFERENCES
1. Richard P., Cheyrezy M., Composition of Reactive Powder Concretes, Cement and
Concrete Research, Vol. 25, No. 7, pp. 1501-1511, 1995.
2. Cheyrezy M. et al., Microstructural Analysis of RPC, Cement and Concrete Research,
Vol. 25, No. 7, pp. 1491-1500, 1995.
3. S. Lavanya Prabha., J.K.Dattatreya., Study on stress-strain properties of reactive powder
concrete under uniaxial compression, International Journal of Engineering Science and
Technology Vol. 2(11), 2010, 6408-6416.
4. MK.Maroliya., An Investigation on Reactive Powder Concrete containing Steel Fibers and FlyAsh, International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering, Volume 2,
Issue 9, September 2012.
5. Khadiranaikar R.B. and Muranal S. M., Factors affecting the strength of Reactive Powder
Concrete, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, Volume 3, Issue 2, JulyDecember (2012), pp. 455-464.
6. Mr.Anjan kumar M U, Dr. Asha Udaya Rao, Dr. Narayana Sabhahit, Reactive Powder Concrete
Properties with Cement Replacement Using Waste Material, International Journal of Scientific
& Engineering Research Volume 4, Issue 5, May-2013.
7. http://www.theconcreteportal.com/
8. http://rebar.ecn.purdue.edu/ect/links/technologies/civil/reactive.aspx
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