Mechanical Behavior Based on Aggregates Microstructure of Ultra-high Performance Concrete

We developed ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)incorporating mullite sand and brown corundum sand(BCS),and the quartz sand UHPC was utilized to prepare for comparison.The properties of compressive strength,elastic modulus,ultrasonic pulse velocity,flexural strength,and toughness were investigated.Scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation were also conducted to reveal the underlying mechanisms affecting macroscopic performance.Due to the superior interface bonding properties between mullite sand and matrix,the compressive strength and flexural toughness of UHPC have been significantly improved.Mullite sand and BCS aggregates have higher stiffness than quartz sand,contributing to the excellent elastic modulus exhibited by UHPC.The stiffness and volume of aggregates have a more significant impact on the elastic modulus of UHPC than interface performance,and the latter contributes more to the strength of UHPC.This study will provide a reference for developing UHPC with superior elastic modulus for structural engineering.

The Influence of Chemical Admixtures on the Fluidity,Viscosity and Rheological Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

To achieve higher strength and better durability,ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC)typically employs a relatively small water-binder ratio.However,this generally leads to an undesired increase in the paste viscosity.In this study,the effects of liquid and powder polycarboxylate superplasticizers(PCE)on UHPC are compared and critically discussed.Moreover,the following influential factors are considered:air-entraining agents(AE),slump retaining agents(SA),and defoaming agents(DF)and the resulting flow characteristics,mechanical properties,and hydration properties are evaluated assuming UHPC containing 8‰powder PCE(PCE-based UHPC).It is found that the spread diameter of powder PCE is 5%higher than that of liquid PCE.Among the chemical admixtures studied,AEs have the best effect on improving UHPC workability,while DFs have the worst effect.When the addition of AE and SA is 1.25‰and 14.7%of PCE,paste viscosity reduces by 35%and 19%,respectively compared to the paste with only 8‰PCE.A low AE dosage(1.25‰)decreases compressive strength by 4.1%,while SA(8.1%)increases UHPC compressive strength by 9.1%.Both AE and SA significantly delay the UHPC hydration process,reducing the hydration heat release peaks by 76%and 27%,respectively.

Effect of Shrinkage Reducing Agent and Steel Fiber on the Fluidity and Cracking Performance of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Due to the low water-cement ratio of ultra-high-performance concrete(UHPC),fluidity and shrinkage cracking are key aspects determining the performance and durability of this type of concrete.In this study,the effects of different types of cementitious materials,chemical shrinkage-reducing agents(SRA)and steel fiber(SF)were assessed.Compared with M2-UHPC and M3-UHPC,M1-UHPC was found to have better fluidity and shrinkage cracking performance.Moreover,different SRA incorporation methods,dosage and different SF types and aspect ratios were implemented.The incorporation of SRA and SF led to a decrease in the fluidity of UHPC.SRA internal content of 1%(NSRA-1%),SRA external content of 1%(WSRA-1%),STS-0.22 and STE-0.7 decreased the fluidity of UHPC by 3.3%,8.3%,9.2%and 25%,respectively.However,SRA and SF improved the UHPC shrinkage cracking performance.NSRA-1%and STE-0.7 reduced the shrinkage value of UHPC by 40%and 60%,respectively,and increased the crack resistance by 338%and 175%,respectively.In addition,the addition of SF was observed to make the microstructure of UHPC more compact,and the compressive strength and flexural strength of 28 d were increased by 26.9%and 19.9%,respectively.

Polymer-modified Concrete with Improved Flexural Toughness and Mechanism Analysis

By selecting different types of polymer mixing into concrete, the toughness of concrete is investigated, and results indicate polymer has obvious effect to improve the toughness of concrete. Microstructure of polymer-modified concrete were studied through environment scanning electron microscope and digital micro-hardness tester, results show that polymer acts as a flexible filler and reinforcement in concrete, and alters the microstructure at mortar and ITZ. By crack path prediction and energy consumption analysis, the crack path of polymer-modified concrete is more tortuous and consumes more energy than that of ordinary concrete.

Effect of Calcium Carbonate Whisker on Impact Toughness of Precast Concrete

The impact toughness and compressive strength of concrete added with calcium carbonate whisker are studied.It is found that calcium carbonate whisker can significantly improve the impact energy consumption at failure of 55℃steam cured concrete,but has limited impact on 90℃steam cured concrete.At the same time,SEM,XRD and LF-NMR were used to study the micro morphology,hydration product components and pore structure of the concrete,and the mechanism of the influence of calcium carbonate whisker on the impact toughness and compressive strength of concrete was analyzed.

Toughness improvement mechanism and evaluation of cement concrete for road pavement:A review

Traditional cement concrete has the disadvantages of low tensile strength,poor toughness,and rapid development of cracks while cracking,which causes a significantly negative influence on the safety and durability of concrete road pavement.This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of toughness improvement mechanisms and evaluation methods of cement concrete for road pavement.The review indicates that(i)The performance of concrete material depends on its material composition and internal structure.Aggregate size,cement properties and admixtures are the main factors of concrete toughness.(ii)The incorporation of rubber or fiber in pavement concrete improves the toughness of concrete materials.However,these additions must be maintained within a reasonable range.The amount of rubber and fiber are encouraged not more than 30%of the volume of fine aggregate and 2%of the volume of concrete,respectively.(iii)The toughness of pavement concrete material includes the toughness regarding bending,impact and fracture.The toughness of cement concrete for highway and municipal pavement is generally evaluated by bending and fracture toughness,while the toughness of airfield pavement concrete is more focused on impact toughness.(iv)The toughening measures of cement concrete for road pavement are mainly mixed with rubber or fiber,while these two materials have their defects,and the application of hightoughness cement concrete in the actual road still faces many challenges.For example,the synergistic effect of rubber and fiber,the development and application of new flexible admixtures,and the formulation of the toughness index of pavement cement concrete materials need further research.

Toughness of Polymer Modified Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete

An experimental investigation is carried out to study the toughness of polymer modified steel fiber reinforced concrete. Volume fraction of steel fibers is varied from 0% to 7% at the interval of 1% by weight of cement. 15% SBR latex polymer was used by weight of cement. Cubes of size 150 × 150 × 150 mm for compressive strength, prism specimens of size 150 mm × 150 mm × 700 mm for flexure strength and, specimen of size 150 × 150 × 150 mm with 16 mm diameter tor steel bar of length 650 mm embedded in concrete cube at the center for bond test were prepared. Various specimens were tested after 28 days of curing. Area under curve (toughness) is measured and mentioned in this work.

Design of Eco-friendly Ultra-high Performance Concrete with Supplementary Cementitious Materials and Coarse Aggregate

Aiming to investigate the mix design of eco-friendly UHPC with supplementary cementitious materials and coarser aggregates, we comprehensively studied the workability, microstructure, porosity, compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus of UHPC. Relationship between compressive strength and Young’s modulus was obtained eventually. It is found that the compressive strength, flexural strength, and Young’s modulus of UHPC increase by 19.01%, 10.81%, and 5.99%, respectively, when 40 wt% cement is replaced with supplementary cementitious materials. The relationship between compressive strength and Young’s modulus of UHPC is an exponential form.

Dynamic Mechanical Behaviour of Ultra-high Performance Fiber Reinforced Concretes

Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concretes （UHPFRC） were prepared by replacing 60% of cement with ultra-fine industrial waste powder. The dynamic mechanical behaviour of UHPFRC with different fiber volume fraction was researched on repeated compressive impact in four kinds of impact modes through split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB）. The experimental results show that the peak stress and elastic modulus decrease and the strain rate and peak strain increase gradually with the increasing of impact times. The initial material damage increases and the peak stress of the specimen decreases from the second impact with the increasing of the initial incident wave. Standard strength on repeated impact is defined to compare the ability of resistance against repeated impact among different materials. The rate of reduction of standard strength is decreased by fiber reinforcement under repeated impact. The material damage is reduced and the ability of repeated impact resistance of UHPFRC is improved with the increasing of fiber volume fraction.

Preparation of Heavyweight Ultra-high Performance Concrete Using Barite Sand and Titanium-rich Heavy Slag Sand

The heavyweight ultra-high performance concrete(HUHPC)was prepared with barite sand partially replaced by titanium-rich heavy slag sand(THS)at replacement proportion of 0%,30%,50%,70%and 100%in this work.The results show that THS incorporation can effectively improve the mechanical properties and reduce the volume shrinkage of HUHPC.The HUHPC with 50%THS replacement reaches an apparent density of 2890 kg/m^(3)(for fresh HUHPC),28 d compressive strength of 129 MPa,28 d flexural strength of 23 MPa,28 d flexural toughness of 28.4,56 d volume shrinkage of 359×10^(-4) and,as expected,excellent durability.Microstructural investigation demonstrates that the internal curing of pre-wetted THS promotes the hydration of the surrounding cement paste thereby strengthening the interfacial transition zone,resulting in the“hard shell”formation around aggregate to“protect”the aggregate.Additionally,the“pin structure”significantly improves the cement paste-aggregate interfacial connection.The combination of“hard shell protection”and“pin structure”remarkably improve the mechanical properties of HUHPC produced with porous THS aggregate.

Preparation of Self-compacting Ultra-high Toughness Cementitious Composite

A self-compacting ultra-high toughness cementitious composite （UHTCC） reinforced by discontinuous short polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） fibers, which exhibits self-compacting performance in the fresh state and strain-hardening and multiple cracking behavior in the hardened state, was developed through controlling flow properties of fresh mortar matrix at constant ingredients concentrations determined by micromechanical design and ensuring uniform fibers dispersion. The superplasticizer was utilized to adjust its flow properties in the fresh state. A series of flow tests, including deformability test, flow rate test, and self-placing test, were conducted to characterize and quantify the fluidity performance of fresh mortar matrix and self-compactability of fresh UHTCC. It is revealed that the utilization of superplasticizer is efficient in producing the fresh mortar matrix with desirable fluidity and the resulting self-compacting UHTCC. In addition, results of four point bending tests on the developed self-compacting UHTCC confirm the insensitivity of mechanical performance of self-compacting UHTCC to the presence of external vibrations as well as the flexural characteristics of deformation hardening and multiple cracking.

Influence Mechanism of Curing Regimes on Interfacial Transition Zone of Lightweight Ultra-High Performance Concrete

This study aims to clarify the effects of curing regimes and lightweight aggregate(LWA)on the morphology, width and mechanical properties of the interfacial transition zone(ITZ) of ultra-high performance concrete(UHPC), and provide reference for the selection of lightweight ultra-high performance concrete(L-UHPC) curing regimes and the pre-wetting degree LWA. The results show that, under the three curing regimes(standard curing, steam curing and autoclaved curing), LWA is tightly bound to the matrix without obvious boundaries. ITZ width increases with the water absorption of LWA and decreases with increasing curing temperature. The ITZ microhardness is the highest when water absorption is 3%, and the microhardness value is more stable with the distance from LWA. Steam and autoclaved curing increase ITZ microhardness compared to standard curing. As LWA pre-wetting and curing temperatures increase, the degree of hydration at the ITZ increases, generating high-density CSH(HD CSH) and ultra-high-density CSH(UHD CSH), and reducing unhydrated particles in ITZ. ITZ micro-mechanical properties are optimized due to hydration products being denser.

Different Curing Systems on Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete with Coarse Aggregate

High durability and high tensile strength makes ultra-high performance concrete( UHPC) an ideal material for bridges,while its early shrinkage in the construction of cast-in-situ mass concrete leads structure crack-easily,which restricts the application of UHPC in deck system. Whether reasonable amount of coarse aggregate can influence the strength of UHPC and improve the shrinkage performance or reduce the cost is still in doubt. Besides,in order to improve its constructability and workability, whether autoclaved curing system of UHPC can be changed remains to be further researched. In response to these circumstances, a systematic experimental study on the strength of UHPC mixed with coarse aggregate in different ratios has been presented in this paper. The three curing systems,namely standard curing,180-200 ℃/1. 1 MPa autoclaved curing,and hot water curing were tested to reveal the relationship between UHPC's properties and curing systems,and the UHPC ' s microstructure was also preliminarily studied by scanning electron microscope( SEM). The experimental research can draw the following conclusions. Under the condition of the same mix ratio, autoclaved curing guarantees the highest compressive strength,followed by hot water curing and standard curing. The compressive strength of concrete increases with the temperature in the range of 25 to 90 ℃ hot water curing,and high temperature in precuring period can speed up the strength development of UHPC,but the sequence of precuring period does not obviously affect the results. In 90 ℃ hot water and autoclaved curing,the strength is over 150 MPa,and it has little relation with gravel ratio. While the value increases first and then decreases in a lower temperature curing with the increasing of gravel amount,even only about 80 MPa at room temperature. The strength increases moderately along with the increase of the curing age by standard curing,especially in the initial stage.

Experimental Study on Flexural Behavior of Post-Tensioning Bonded Partially Prestressed Ultra-High Strength Concrete Beams

This paper presents the results of four partially prestressed ultra-high strength concrete beams in flexure. The test results are used to evaluate the effects of prestressing tendon depth and area on flexure behavior of specimen beams. The test results indicate that: the cracking load,yielding load,peak load and stiffness postcracking of specimen beams are enhanced by reducing prestressing tendon depth or increasing prestressing tendon area, and the flexural ductility is improved by increasing prestressing tendon depth or reducing prestressing tendon area. The effect of complex reinforcement index considering the strength of the equivalence principle and the reinforcement position on loading levels under serviceability limit state,flexural strength and displacement ductility factor are studied. The influence coefficient of prestressing tendon kpis introduced in the complex reinforcement index. As the complex reinforcement index increases, the loading levels under serviceability limit state and flexural strength increases linearly,and the displacement ductility factor decreases linearly. The test results also verify the conventional beam flexural theory based on the plane cross-section assumption for predicting ultimate flexural strength of partially prestressed ultra-high strength concrete beams is valid. After the introduction of the coefficient kp,the calculation method of cracks in code for design of concrete structure in china are appropriated for the specimen beams.

Effects of freeze-thaw cycles on fracture behavior of epoxy asphalt concrete

According to the winter temperature of Peking,the freeze-thaw（FT） condition in laboratory was determined.Seven groups of epoxy asphalt concrete（EAC） specimen were exposed to different FT cycles.The flexural modulus and fracture energy（G_F） of EAC exposed to different FT cycles were obtained through the 3-point bending test.Meanwhile,the plane strain fracture toughness（K_（IC）） of EAC was obtained through numerical simulation.The results show that the flexural modulus of the FT conditioned EAC samples decreases with the increase of FT cycles.The FT damage of flexural modulus is 60%after 30 FT cycles.Nevertheless,with the increase of FT cycles,the G_F and K_（IC） of EAC decrease first and then increase after 15 FT cycles.

Tests and Simulation Analysis on Fracture Performance of Concrete

To obtain the fracture parameters of concrete, fracture tests were conducted with three-point bending beam method aiming at 30 concrete beams with different sizes and different intensity. The concrete specimen with prefabricated crack to determine the fracture parameters of concrete were conducted and the fracture performance of the specimen was analyzed. The test results show that, initial fracture toughness is unrelated to the size of specimens; while unstable fracture toughness is related to the size of specimens. As for specimens of bastard size, when concrete intensity is relatively low, unstable fracture toughness increases along with the increase of intensity; when concrete intensity is relatively high, unstable fracture toughness will decrease; when concrete intensity increases continuously, unstable fracture toughness will further increase somewhat. As for specimens of standard size, unstable fracture toughness will increase along with the increase of intensity. Aiming at concrete beam specimens, we conducted two-dimensional non-linear finite element analysis, obtained the stress intensity factor, and carried out contrastive analysis with the experimental results.

Mechanical Properties of Layered Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete

To improve the mechanical properties of concrete,Layered Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete (LHFRC) was developed in this paper.Through comparative tests,the effects of layered hybrid fibers on a series of mechanical properties of concrete were discussed.The mechanical properties include compressive strength,tensile strength,flexural strength,compressive stress-strain relationship,flexural toughness and cracking resistance of concrete.The testing results and analysis demonstrate that layered hybrid fibers can significantly improve the flexural strength,toughness and cracking resistance of concrete while the cost of concrete increases slightly.

Spalling and Mechanical Properties of Fiber Reinforced High-performance Concrete Subjected to Fire

Spalling and mechanical properties of FRHPC subjected to fire were tested on notched beams. The results confirm that the internal vapor pressure is the leading reason for spalling of high-performance concrete （HPC）. At the same time, the temperature-increasing velocity and constrained conditions of concrete element also play significant roles in spalling. Steel fibers cannot reduce the risk of spalling, although they have obvious beneficial effects on the mechanical properties of concrete before and after exposure to fire. Polypropylene （PP） fibers are very useful in preventing HPC from spalling, however, they have negative effects on the strengths. By using hybrid fibers （steel fibers＋PP fibers）, both good anti-spalling performance and improved mechanical properties come true, which may provide necessary safe guarantee for the rescue work and structure repair after fire disaster.

Effects of submicron-MgO and nano-MgO on the expansion and microscopic properties of high-performance concrete

MgO-series expansive agents can effectively compensate for the shrinkage and deformation of concrete structures.However,few experimental studies have been conducted on MgO expansive agents,particularly concerning the difference between and effects of submicron-MgO and nano-MgO in high-performance concrete(HPC)with a low water-cement ratio,thereby limiting their application in practical engineering.To clarify the expansion effect and expansion mechanism of MgO expansive agents in HPC,the effects of submicron-MgO and nano-MgO on the strength,toughness,and expansion characteristics of HPC were examined.The test results showed that submicron-MgO and nano-MgO continued to hydrate in the cement environment to produce Mg(OH)_(2),thus improving the structural compactness and structural strength of HPC.Nano-MgO concrete was found to have more stable mechanical properties and better structural deformability than submicron-MgO concrete.This study provides effective data support and theoretical reference concerning the hydration expansion mechanisms and engineering applications of nano-expanded materials.

Improvement of Toughness of UHMWPE/PP Blends

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was blended with polypropylene (PP) in order to ensure good processing. Inorganic rigid particles were also used to toughen UHMWPE/PP blends. CaCO3 and a compound additive containing heat mixed polyethylene glycol 2000 and white diatomite were added to the blends. The crystalline, surface morphology and mechanical properties of the blends were investigated comprehensively. The toughness of the material is effectively improved. By contrast, the compound additive had a better result. When the content of additive was 15%, the elongation at the break increased by 279.2% and the fracture energy increased by 343.8% compared to the original samples.