Creep and fracture of UHSC — A microindentation study

Abstract

Creep and fracture behaviour of normal strength concrete was investigated by various researchers whereas, research on creep and fracture of Ultra-High-Strength Concrete (UHSC), i.e., concrete with 28-day compressive strength greater than 100MPa is scanty. Also, a detailed investigation of the creep–fracture interaction of UHSC has not been conducted.This study aims at examining creep and fracture of UHSC cement paste mixes (w/b = 0.20) with varying levels of silica fume (SF) replacement (0%, 20%, and 40%) at different ages (3d, 7d, 28d, 90d) using microindentation technique. Two different holding durations, namely 5 s and 180 s, were considered in the indentation test. The findings revealed a noteworthy variation in estimated fracture toughness (Kc) between the two dwelling periods. Longer sustained loading times (180s) indicated a decrease in fracture toughness for all ages considered, suggesting progressive internal cracking during creep phase. Attempt has been made to investigate the interaction effect.