Abstract
In this study, the effects of water-to-binder (W/B) ratio and replacement ratio of blast furnace slag (BFS) on the compressive strength of concrete were first investigated to determine an optimized mixture. Then, using the optimized high-strength concrete (HSC) mixture, hooked steel fibers with various aspect ratios and volume fractions were used as additives and the resulting mechanical properties under compression and flexure were evaluated. Test results indicated that replacement ratios of BFS from 50 to 60% were optimal in maximizing the compressive strength of steam-cured HSCs with various W/B ratios. The use of hooked steel fibers with the aspect ratio of 80 led to better mechanical performance under both compression and flexure than those with the aspect ratio of 65. By increasing the fiber aspect ratio from 65 to 80, the hooked steel fiber volume content could be reduced by 0.25% without any significant deterioration of energy absorption capacity. Lastly, complete material models of steel-fiber-reinforced HSCs were proposed for structural design from Lee’s model and the RILEM TC 162-TDF recommendations.
Highlights
In recent years, the development of green concrete with low CO2 emissions has received a great deal of attention from researchers worldwide (Bilodeau and Malhotra 2000; Menendez et al 2003; Mahmoud et al 2013; Kinoshita et al 2014)
We propose complete material models of steel-fiber-reinforced High-strength concrete (HSC) (SFR-HSC) based on previous models and the RILEM TC 162-TDF recommendations
According to a previous study performed by Barnett et al (2006), under standard curing conditions, mortar including blast furnace slag (BFS) exhibited slower strength development than that of mortar composed of Portland cement only, whereas under higher curing temperatures, the strength gain was much faster and the enhancement of earlyage strength was more significant for cements with higher BFS replacement ratios, apparently owing to the greater activation energy
Summary
The development of green concrete with low CO2 emissions has received a great deal of attention from researchers worldwide (Bilodeau and Malhotra 2000; Menendez et al 2003; Mahmoud et al 2013; Kinoshita et al 2014). The production of Portland cement contributes a large portion of anthropogenic CO2 emissions; a key challenge is to reduce the amount of cement used in concrete mixtures. High-strength concrete (HSC) has many advantages for use in precast pre- or post-tensioned structures, which are normally steam-cured with heat. Optimized mixtures need to be developed for steamcured HSCs incorporating high volumes of mineral admixtures
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