Effect of Metakaolin as Partial Substitution to Portland Cement on the Mechanical and Durability Properties of High Performance Concrete

Abstract

In Burkina Faso, concrete remains the most used building material. Although several studies have been carried out for development of special concretes that have high performances, all methods for the formulation of concretes do not ensure the appropriate performances needed in buildings. This study is part of a project attempting to develop building materials that satisfy sustainable development in the construction area. It investigates the feasibility of using local materials such as metakaolin in partial substitution of Portland cement for formulation of High Performances Concretes (HPC). The physico-mechanical and durability properties were tested on fresh and hardened HPC incorporating 0-30 % metakaolin with respect to the mass of Portland cement. The results showed that High Performances Concretes containing metakaolin present higher mechanical performance than the reference concrete containing only Portland cement. The compressive and tensile strength reached 88 MPa and 7 MPa at the age of 28 days, respectively. It was also revealed that the incorporation of metakaolin contribute to the reduction of water absorption and porosity, and improvement of the resistance to the acid attacks.