Admixture tuning for high‐performance concrete for the production of novel precast pre‐stressed long‐span girders for highway overpasses

Abstract

AbstractThe improvements observed in concrete technology in the last decades, namely the production of Portland cement CEM I 52.5 R, the development of third generation super‐plasticizers, and the commercialization of additions with high pozzolanic properties, turned possible the development of new concrete products using high performance concrete (HPC). Nevertheless, their implementation in the production process of the conservative precast concrete industry is not yet a reality. In this paper, the development and characterization of a HPC exhibiting high workability in the fresh state and high compressive strength in hardened state is presented. This HPC aims at producing, on a competitive basis, precast pre‐stressed long‐span girders for highway overpasses. For this reason, the main goal was to maximize the abovementioned properties but using the constituents available at the concrete precast company supporting the research. A set of different commercial admixtures was gathered and their influence on both compressive strength and workability of concrete was experimentally investigated. Results show that the compatibility between the admixture and the cementitious material is of paramount importance. By selecting the best type of the considered super‐plasticizers and by optimizing its dosage, it was possible to increase the workability from class S1 to S5 and, simultaneously, increase the compressive strength in circa 50%, up to 120 MPa, at 28 days of age.