Classification of Ultra-high Performance Concrete (UHPC)

Abstract

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) been an advanced concrete introduced as reactive powder concrete (RPC) over twenty years ago, is now being employed for use in the construction industry of some developed countries like China, Germany and United States of America. Its excellent properties in structural performance and durability make it the civil engineering material that will reshape the future of the construction industry in terms of structural performance; and this paper aims at helping construction experts and developing countries to understand and accept UHPC for use in everyday construction works. The paper gives an in-depth review on the classification of UHPCs based on mix proportion and mechanical properties. Firstly, the mixture design and the mechanical properties of UHPC were discussed. Then UHPC was classified into different types based on mechanical properties and the manufacturer’s modification of the ingredients used for reactive powder concrete or multi-scale cement composite production. This review shows that Funk and Dinger model (also known as Modified Andreasen and Andersen model (MAA)) is the most accepted and widely used mix design method for UHPC. It also revealed that UHPC’s compressive strength, tensile strength and flexural strength are in excess of 150, 7 and 40 MPa respectively. It further classified UHPC into BCV®, BSI®, Cemtec®, Ceracem, Ductal, DURA and UHPC with coarse aggregate; and this classification (especially UHPC with coarse aggregate) is a good sign that local materials can be incorporated into UHPC by developing countries for cost minimisation.