Development of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Using GGBS and Alccofine

Abstract

Ultra-high-performance concrete, or UHPC, is a cementitious mixture that is distinguished by its exceptionally high compressive strength—more than 120 MPa as well as its remarkable toughness, tensile ductility, and longevity. Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) and Alccofine (AF) are commonly used in the matrix composition to increase the particle system\'s packing density and subsequently enhance the matrix\'s strength in order to guarantee that UHPC has the proper strength. To investigate the engineering properties of ternary blended UHPC with GGBS, AF, a comparative study was conducted. In comparison to the control UHPC mix, the ternary blended UHPC mix\'s mechanical and durability qualities were improved by the percentage variation of AF within specific bounds. In this study, the experimental work included mix proportioning and preparation of ternary blended UHPC specimens and various tests like Compressive Strength, Split Tensile Strength, Flexure Strength and RCPT (Rapid Chloride Penetration Test) were performed in the laboratory. The results show that under normal water curing conditions, the strength qualities of UHPC based on GGBS are considerable, up to a cement replacement level of 40%. In addition, compared to the binary counterpart, the mixture of 20 Percent AF and 40 Percent GGBS showed better mechanical and durability properties.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

A cementitious blend with extraordinary mechanical strength and performance is known as ultra-high-performance concrete, or UHPC. UHPC has the capacity to offer superior strength and performance since the world's population is expanding quickly and there is a demand for building materials. Following 15 years of research and development on new UHPC, multiple researchers have determined the ratio of strength to serviceability that characterizes high-performance concrete. This concrete can be used for heavy construction projects like road pavement, flyovers, bridges, dams, and multistory buildings. Its performance could revolutionize buildings. Due to high costing the use of UHPC is limited and the design codes which provide information regarding designing of UHPC are also limited. To reduce the initial cost of UHPC, microfine mineral admixture as Alccofine (AF) and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) have been incorporated. Basically, GGBS is the waste by product of Steel Manufacture industry. The binding properties of GGBS and AF will reduce the water content in concrete mix to enhance the properties of concrete. These are capable enough to enhance the strength and durability of concrete. It may be possible to significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced by including supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Researchers have found that industrial by-products such as fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), and GGBS are pozzolanic and cementitious, which makes them a good option to use with cement to lower carbon emissions.

II. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE

Larrard first coined the term UHPC in 1994 [1]. These days, it is more precisely defined as a cementitious composite with a compressive strength more than 120 MPa [2].  Together with superior durability, tensile ductility, toughness, and compressive strength exceeding 120 MPa [3]–[5].  In addition to its exceptional endurance qualities, UHPC possesses incredibly low porosity and low permeability  [6], [7].Replacement of certain amount of cement with Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) such as AF and GGBS in the production of UHPC itself leads to lesser consumption of cement. Both AF and GGBS, when added to cement, alter its hydration rate and volume. Similar to AF, adding GGBS to concrete can decrease the amount of porosity and Ca (OH)2 in the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the aggregate and the cement paste as well as the breadth of the ITZ relative to the control sample [8]

III. METHODOLOGY

A.  Material Properties

In the present experimental investigation, Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) of 53 Grade corresponding to Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) IS: 12269:2013 [9]. The other cementitious materials included GGBS and AF was used in the densified form in this research. The GGBS  and AF sample satisfied the requirements of IS 15388-2003 [94] and IS 12089–1987 [10]. W/b ratio is taken as 0.20 for all mixes. As fine aggregate, common riverbed sand with a Fineness modulus of 2.60 was used. Specific gravity and water absorption were found to be 1.1% and 2.51, respectively. As coarse aggregate 12.5mm-sized crushed Pakur stone that was readily available locally was used. Specific gravity and Water absorption were found to be 0.4% and 2.82, respectively. Polycarboxylic ether-based water-reducing superplasticizer Structuro 203 (FOSROC) [11] was used in preparing UHPC mixes.

B.  Mixture Proportion

Mix proportions were taken from previous research work [12].The mix proportions for UHPC mixes are shown in Table 1.

The results show that the resistance to chloride ion penetration increases as the dosage of AF in the UHPC mix increases. As a result of AF replacement, UHPC's pore structure physically densifies, which in turn raises chloride resistance. The results here are in line with the findings of previous researcher [12].

Conclusion

1) The optimum level of compressive strength was seen when 40% GGBS was mixed the 20% of AF with UHPC mix compared to normal plane concrete. 2) Around 17% enhancement in compressive strength result was observed at the optimum quantity of mineral admixture used as compared to GGBS based UHPC. 3) Early strength was also achieved in ternary blended UHPC mix because of its ultrafine materials. Around 36% of ultimate compressive strength was achieved in one day after casting. 4) In comparison to binary blended UHPC with GGBS, ternary blended UHPC shows a flexural strength improvement of about 30% after 28 days. Similarly, compared to binary blended UHPC, there was an improvement of about 73% in split tensile strength. 5) Addition of mineral admixture also gave improved results for RCPT. It tends to fill all the void present in the concrete mix hence increasing the resisting power of the mix against chloride ions. Conflict of Interest: The author declares that they have no conflict of interest

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2024 Prerna Kumari, Gautam Kumar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.