Effect of different supplementary cementitious materials on mechanical properties of high performance concrete

Abstract

High performance concrete prepared from general purpose (GP) portland cement and various supplementary cementitious materials are increasingly finding their use in construction worldwide. This study was undertaken to compare mechanical properties as well as fresh concrete properties of concretes containing silica fume, ground granulated blast furnace slag (slag), fly ash and GP portland cement. The aim of the study was to enable evaluation of the suitability of a particular binder system for an application based on fresh concrete properties and mechanical properties. Concrete mixes were prepared with GP portland cement, high slag cement and slag cement, and also mixes were prepared with the addition of silica fume and fly ash. The work focussed on concrete mixes having a fixed water binder ratio of 0.35 and a constant total binder content of 430 kg/m 3. Apart from measuring fresh concrete properties, the mechanical properties evaluated were development of compressive strength, flexural strength, elastic modulus, and strain due to creep and drying shrinkage. Results indicated that the addition of silica fume to GP portland cement concrete marginally decreased the workability of the concrete but significantly improved the mechanical properties. However the effect of addition of silica fume to high slag cement concrete was less pronounced.