Air Pressure Test on Concrete with Nano-Cement

Abstract

Nanotechnology is an emerging area of research that has received a lot of attention for its ability to make use of the unique properties of nano-sized materials. The grain size of the nano particles will be in the order of 10–9 m (1–100 nm). Due to the very small particle size and extremely large specific surface area, nano particles have same remarkable properties. The use of nano materials for making concrete is of recent origin. Addition of nano materials in concrete can lead to significant improvements in the strength and durability of concrete. For nuclear power plants, concrete with high compressive strength, high split tensile strength, low porosity and high density are required. An attempt has been made to increase the compressive and split tensile strength of concrete by replacing a portion of cement with nano cement. M20, M30, M40 and M50 grades of concrete were cast. For each of these mixes, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of cement was replaced with nano- cement. Nano-cement was made by grinding the commercially available 53 grade pozzolona cement in the ball grinding mill. A scanning electron microscope was used to determine the particle size of the nano-cement produced. A hollow cylinder of the concrete was made with concrete containing nano materials. The Air pressure test was carried at on hardened concrete and the results were compared with that of normal cement concrete. The safe internal pressure for M50 concrete with 50% replacement of cement with nano-cement was found to be 13.3 kg/cm2, which 31.6% higher than that of the normal M50 concrete.