The Effect of Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement on the Engineering Properties of High Performance Concretes with and Without Fibers

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of fully replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA) as a sustainable binder in High Performance Concrete (HPC). In addition, the effect of introducing double hooked-end (DHE) steel fibers at fiber volume fraction of 1% was assessed. The mechanical properties of HPC were evaluated and the microstructure of the concretes was studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) method. The replacement of OPC with CSA cement results in an improvement in the mechanical properties of HPC particularly at later ages of curing. The addition DHE steel fibers significantly increased the engineering properties of concrete. The bond between cement matrix and steel fibers has been enhanced due to the expansive behavior of CSA cement. The SEM observations also show the significant influence of CSA cement on the microstructure of concrete by formation a rich amount of ettringite that subsequently results in an improvement in the properties of concrete.