High Performance Concrete Mixed with Combinations of Mineral Admixtures

Abstract

Concrete is a widely used construction material all over the world. However, the raw material resources used for making concrete are degrading day by day. This gives scope for researchers to experiment with new materials for replacement which will help to conserve natural resources and further limit environmental concern caused due to the extraction of materials and emission of carbon dioxide during the process of manufacturing. Moreover, a lot of modern-day constructions require the use of high-grade concrete, leading to the development of High Performance Concrete (HPC). Partial replacement of cement in HPC with fly ash, GGBS, metakaolin and silica fume presents an environmentally friendly way of dealing with increased construction demands. Although studies have been carried out on partial replacement of cement with mineral admixtures in HPC, the performance of the combination of mineral admixtures in HPC has received little to no attention. This paper deals with the study of compressive strength, tensile strength and durability of M40 grade concrete partial replacement of cement with combinations of different mineral admixtures. Three combinations of mineral admixtures namely a combination of fly ash and silica fume, fly ash and metakaolin, and fly ash and GGBS were used for the replacement of 15% of cement by weight. A comparison of strength and durability of different combinations are presented and discussed.