Analysis and Modelling of Shrinkage and Creep of Reactive Powder Concrete

Pang Chen,Ying Wang,Wenzhong Zheng,Wei Chang

doi:10.3390/app8050732

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the shrinkage and creep of reactive power concrete (RPC) with different steel fibre contents (0%, 1% and 2% by volume). A total of 37 RPC specimens were prepared and tested for compression strength, elastic modulus, shrinkage, and creep. In addition, different axial stress ratios (0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) were used in the creep tests. Furthermore, the accuracy of the ACI 209-82 model, CEB-FIP 90 model, B3 model, and GL 2000 model for predicting the shrinkage and creep of RPC was evaluated and new numerical shrinkage and creep models were developed. The experimental results revealed that the compressive strength and elastic modulus increase with increasing steel fibre content. The shrinkage and creep decreased with increasing addition of steel fibre from 0% to 2%. A good linear relationship was found between the axial stress ratios and creep strain. All four existing models were unable to accurately predict the shrinkage and creep of RPC. A good agreement between the experimental results and proposed shrinkage and creep numerical models was observed. Therefore, it is suggested that the proposed shrinkage and creep models can be used to calculate the shrinkage and creep of RPC.

Highlights

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is a type of ultra-high performance concrete which has been developed in the last two decades [1,2]
Peiliang Shen et al investigated the autogenous shrinkage of steam-heat cured RPC [21], and the results showed that three factors have significant effects on the autogenous shrinkage of RPC
The compressive strength increases from 120 MPa to 142 MPa, and the elastic modulus increases from 44.7 GPa to 48.0 GPa as the steel fibre content increases from 0% to 2%

Summary

Introduction

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is a type of ultra-high performance concrete which has been developed in the last two decades [1,2]. RPC has superior compressive and tensile strengths, which can significantly reduce the dead load of structures [3,4] It is especially suitable for long-span bridge decks, thin-plate structures, and field-cast joints for precast bridge decks [5]. It possesses superior energy absorption owing to the addition of steel fibre [6], provides good structural reliability, and has excellent durability, leading to a long service life. It is almost impermeable, which almost entirely prevents carbonation and penetration of chlorides and sulphates, thereby making it suitable for use in harsh climatic conditions such as freeze-thaw or coastal areas [7]. The high cement content (usually as high as 800–1000 kg/m3 ) affects production costs and increases the risk of shrinkage [8,9,10,11,12]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion