Abstract
The main assumption of eco-efficient High-Performance Concrete (HPC) design is the reduction of Portland cement clinker content without negatively affecting the composite’s mechanical and durability properties. In this paper, three low-clinker HPC mixtures incorporating slag cement (CEM III/B as per EN 197-1) and Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs)—Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS), Siliceous Fly Ash (SFA) and Silica Fume (SF)—were designed. The maximum amount of Portland cement clinker from CEM III/B varied from 64 to 116 kg in 1 m3 of concrete mix. The compressive strength of HPC at 2, 7, 14, 28, 56, 90 days, and 2 years after casting, as well as the modulus of elasticity on 2-year-old specimens, was tested. The depth of water penetration under pressure and internal frost resistance in freeze–thaw tests were evaluated after 56 days of curing. Additionally, the concrete pH value tests were performed. The microstructure of 2-year-old HPC specimens was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The research proved that it is possible to obtain low-clinker High-Performance Concretes that reach compressive strength of 76–92 MPa after 28 days of curing, show high values of modulus of elasticity (49–52 GPa) as well as increased resistance to frost and water penetration under pressure.
Highlights
According to the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency report [1], Portland cement clinker production is one of the key drivers of global CO2 emissions.Production of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), which consists of more than 95% Portland cement clinker, exceeded a level of 4 billion metric tons in 2019 and is expected to increase by 25% over in the 10 years [2,3]
Since the production of 1 ton of OPC generates nearly 900 kg of CO2 [4], the global trend is to reduce the amount of OPC in concrete mixes by using binary cements, as well as partially replacing it with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS), Siliceous Fly Ash (SFA) and Silica Fume (SF) [5,6,7]
All low-clinker High-Performance Concretes (HPC) mixtures met the requirements of the S3 slump class, with slump
Summary
According to the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency report [1], Portland cement clinker production is one of the key drivers of global CO2 emissions.Production of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), which consists of more than 95% Portland cement clinker, exceeded a level of 4 billion metric tons in 2019 and is expected to increase by 25% over in the 10 years [2,3]. According to the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency report [1], Portland cement clinker production is one of the key drivers of global CO2 emissions. Since the production of 1 ton of OPC generates nearly 900 kg of CO2 [4], the global trend is to reduce the amount of OPC in concrete mixes by using binary cements, as well as partially replacing it with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS), Siliceous Fly Ash (SFA) and Silica Fume (SF) [5,6,7]. Slag cement CEM III/B (as per EN 197-1) is characterized by an embodied CO2 value of 232–359 kg CO2 e/t, which is more than two times lower than OPC. The environmental impact of OPC production is an issue that cannot be ignored, especially in the design process of High-Performance Concretes (HPC), which are characterized by high compressive strength (from 50–60 MPa to 100–120 MPa at 28 days) as a result of low water/binder ratio, and by the high modulus of elasticity, high density and enhanced durability in comparison to normal strength concretes [8]
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