Behavior of Fiber and Nonfiber Reactive Powder Concrete in an Aggressive Environment

Abstract

Abstract Durability studies have been carried out on the performance of reactive powder concrete (RPC) when exposed to a three-month (accelerated) exposure to varying sulfuric acid concentrations. The compressive strength and weight loss of the specimens were the key parameters investigated. Specimens consisted of nonfiber reactive powder concrete (NF-RPC), fiber-reinforced reactive powder concrete (FR-RPC), and a control high-strength concrete (HSC). Concentrations of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) of 1, 3, and 10 % were utilized as the attack solutions in this investigation. RPCs suffered the highest compressive strength and weight loss after 12 weeks when exposed to 1, 3, and 10 % H2SO4 solutions. It is postulated that the high levels of binding constituents within the RPC are extremely reactive with H2SO4. Results from the HSC specimens showed that a reduced cement content and coarse aggregate inclusion reduced the level of sulfuric acid attack. The presence of fibers within the RPC samples appears to provide benefits in relation to decreased weight loss, but this was not observed for higher concentrations of H2SO4. This study has shown that the durability of RPC in environments subject to high concentrations of sulfuric acid is generally not recommended.