Reactive Powder Research Articles

Influence of alkali metal formates and calcium formate on workability, hydration and basic properties of reactive powder concrete

AbstractThis work aims to study whether it would be possible to use alkali metal formates and calcium formate in order to increase the workability of reactive powder concrete (RPC) and how these additives affect hydration, mechanical properties and mineralogical composition of RPC. These substances were added together with superplasticizer. Therefore, paper deals with possibility of increase in workability which would be higher when compared to the sole addition of only the superplasticizer themself. The effect of alkali metal formates and their replacement with calcium formate on slump flow, mechanical properties and pH of RPC was studied. Furthermore, the influence of potassium formate and its replacement with calcium formate and with calcium oxide on the hydration of RPC was observed with the help of isothermal calorimetry and thermal analysis. The results showed that the addition of studied compounds allows to achieve an increase in RPC slump flow. However, it is necessary to add these substances in an optimal ratio of alkali metal formate/calcium formate because a higher content of calcium formate leads to a decrease in slump flow. For ideal ratios, the compressive strength after 90 days is still above 218 MPa and the flexural strength is still above 23 MPa. In calorimetric measurements, it was observed that the addition of potassium formate leads to a decrease in the total amount of heat developed in the induction period. According to thermal analysis, additions of the studied additives to RPC caused changes in the content of portlandite and calcite.

Mix proportion design and carbon emission assessment of high strength geopolymer concrete based on ternary solid waste

To achieve dual optimization of the mechanical properties and environmental impacts of geopolymer concrete (GPC), this study proposes a high-strength geopolymer concrete (HSGPC) without coarse aggregate. The mix proportion of HSGPC was optimized using the response surface methodology, targeting compressive strength and splitting tensile strength to determine the optimal mix. Additionally, the carbon emission impact of HSGPC was assessed and compared with ordinary Portland cement concrete, ultra-high-performance concrete, and reactive powder concrete. The results indicate that the optimal mix proportion for HSGPC includes 15% fly ash content, 10.30% silica fume content, alkali activator ratio of 2.5, and a NaOH molar concentration of 10 M. Simultaneously, the carbon emissions of HSGPC are reduced by about 30% compared to ordinary Portland cement concrete. Compared to ultra-high-performance concrete and reactive powder concrete of the same strength, the production of HSGPC respectively reduces carbon emissions by 59.87% and 68.24%. This study not only provides valuable technical support for the practical application of GPC in engineering but also holds significant implications for promoting sustainable development in the construction industry.

Design of alkali‐activated reactive powder concrete incorporating reactive MgO

AbstractIn this paper, the optimal mix combination of alkali‐activated reactive powder concrete (AARPC) incorporating reactive MgO (R‐MgO) under ambient curing conditions has been developed. The influence of R‐MgO, alkaline activator to binder (Al/Bi) ratio, binder to aggregate (Bi/Agg) ratio, and silicate modulus (SiO2/Na2O) on the properties of AARPC, including workability, flexural strength, and compressive strength, were investigated. A total of 18 trial experiments were designed based on Taguchi‐based weighted Grey relational analysis and executed, along with one confirmation experiment. It was found that the addition of R‐MgO improved the compressive strength by 15%, indicating a positive influence of R‐MgO on the compressive strength of AARPC. While the silicate modulus was the most significant factor influencing the properties of AARPC, R‐MgO emerged as the next most influential factor, followed by the Al/Bi ratio and Bi/Agg ratio. The optimum mix combination comprised 4% R‐MgO (% of binder), an Al/Bi ratio of 0.35, a Bi/Agg ratio of 0.90, and a silicate modulus of 1.5, which provided the highest compressive strength of 136.2 MPa with adequate workability.

Mechanical properties of reactive powder concrete under compression at ultra-low temperatures

In this paper, the mechanical properties of reactive powder concrete (RPC) at ultra-low temperatures were studied. RPC prisms (300 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm) were tested at ultra-low temperatures (20 °C, 0 °C, −20 °C, −40 °C, −80 °C, −120 °C, −165 °C) and resulting prism compressive strength, compressive stress-strain curve, and toughness were determined. The increase in prismatic compressive strength of RPC at ultra-low temperatures is greater than that of ordinary concrete, with an overall strength of about 2.12 times that of ordinary concrete. Pore water freezing behavior was also studied to assess the effects on the mechanical properties of RPC in ultra-low temperatures. The water-ice phase transition further improved the RPC strength. With the reduction in temperature, The change in elastic modulus of RPC change is small, the peak strain of specimens at different temperatures increases with the decrease in temperature. The peak strain of RPC showed an overall linear increase with decreasing temperatures, and the water-ice phase transition at negative temperature increases the peak strain of RPC, adding steel fibers improves the RPC ductility, limiting the fracture. With the temperature reduction, RPC toughness first increases and then decreases. The toughness is lowest at room temperature, and highest at −120 °C, which is 2.26 times higher than at room temperature. RPC has better toughness than normal concrete at different temperatures, the reduction of temperature relatively improves the toughness of RPC, and the addition of steel fibers plays a vital role in improving the toughness. This study can serve as technical support for using RPC to design liquefied natural gas full-capacity tanks.

Eccentric compression behavior of CFRP-confined reactive powder concrete-filled steel tube slender columns

Ultra high and large-span structural components are needed in urban modernization construction to meet the engineering requirements. Reactive powder concrete-filled steel tubes (RPCFSTs) provide a cost-effective and efficient solution for optimizing space utilization in super high-rise buildings and enhancing the crossing capacity of bridge, which accords with such development. However, these components have inherent drawbacks in terms of local buckling and corrosion resistance. The use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) confinement to suppress this innate deficiency has been proven to show great advantages in limited trial results. This article establishes a comprehensive test scheme to investigate the eccentric compression performance of CFRP-confined RPCFST columns. A total of 11 specimens were prepared and subjected to biased compression test by varying the component length (400, 800, 1200, and 1600 mm), number of CFRP layers (0–3), and load eccentricity (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mm). The results showed that the CFRP confinement could effectively enhance the bearing capacity and energy dissipation capability of RPCFST columns while delaying the local buckling of slender specimens with low slenderness ratios. The improvement of ultimate load due to CFRP confinement exceeded 42.5 %. However, in specimens with higher slenderness ratios and with increasing load eccentricity, the confinement effect of the steel tube on the core RPC tended to weaken. An N–M interaction model for slender CFRP-confined RPCFST columns was established, and this model was validated to be in good agreement with the experimental results. The conclusions drawn from this study might given a solid foundation for the future application of CFRP-confined RPCFST structures.

Bond Behavior between Externally Bonded CFRP Laminate and Reactive Powder Concrete using Epoxy Adhesive

Bond Behavior between Externally Bonded CFRP Laminate and Reactive Powder Concrete using Epoxy Adhesive

Behavior of green reactive powder concrete exposed to aggressive solutions

Behavior of green reactive powder concrete exposed to aggressive solutions

Experimental and Numerical Study on the Performance of Steel–Coarse Aggregate Reactive Powder Concrete Composite Beams with Uplift-Restricted and Slip-Permitted Connectors under Negative Bending Moment

An innovative form of steel–concrete composite beam, the steel–coarse aggregate reactive powder concrete (CA-RPC) composite beam with uplift-restricted and slip-permitted (URSP) connectors, is introduced in this paper. The aim is to enhance the cracking resistance under negative bending moments, which is a difficult problem for traditional composite beams, and to make the cost lower than using ordinary reactive powder concrete (RPC). An experimental investigation of the behavior of six specimens of simply supported steel–CA-RPC composite beams with URSP connectors under negative bending moments is presented in this paper. The test results validated that the cracking load of steel–CA-RPC composite beams could be approximately three times that of the ordinary steel–concrete composite beams while the bearing capacity and stiffness are almost the same. A numerical model, using the concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model to simulate the behavior of the CA-RPC material, was proposed and successfully calculated the overall load–displacement relationship of the composite beams with sufficient accuracy compared with the experimental results, and the distribution of cracks and the failure mode of the beams could also be captured by this model. Furthermore, a parametric analysis was carried out to find out how the application of prestress, CA-RPC, and URSP connectors could affect the cracking resistance of the composite beams, and the results indicated that using CA-RPC and prestress made the main contributions and that the usage of URSP could boost the effect of the other two factors. The plastic resistance moment of the beams was also compared with the calculation results using the methods introduced in Eurocode 4, and it was proved that the calculation results were lower than the experimental results by approximately 10%, which meant that the method was reliable for this kind of composite beam.

Effect of nanoparticles on the properties of green reactive powder concrete

Effect of nanoparticles on the properties of green reactive powder concrete

Reactive formation of C3N4 as a by-product of AISI 1070 parts produced by laser powder bed fusion in N2 atmosphere

AbstractIn metal additive manufacturing (AM), inert gases are traditionally used to achieve a controlled atmosphere and mitigate the effects of residual reactive gases. However, the interaction between gases and laser processes, particularly in reactive laser powder bed fusion (RL-PBF) technology, offers the possibility of opening up new avenues for material synthesis. In this experimental work, the authors observed the presence of C3N4 in the residual powder during the manufacture of AISI 1070 steel parts by L-PBF, indicating a reactive process occurred during parts production. This investigation revealed the formation in the working chamber of a waste product containing C3N4 carbon nitride, due to the reaction between the carbon released from the steel and the nitrogen in the chamber. Remarkably, despite carbon depletion, the final product of AISI 1070 steel complies with the specifications of use. Hence, the L-PBF machine was modified to allow black powder sampling from various locations in the chamber. Authors attempted to enhance the production of the C3N4 material by increasing the SED up to 7143 J/mm2 to sublimate a pure graphite rod and concurrently manufacture parts in AISI 1070, in a nitrogen atmosphere. The results obtained at higher SED values showed that in both cases (graphite rod or AISI 1070 steel) a C3N4 compound in the black powder is formed in the investigated atmosphere by reaction of nitrogen atoms with the carbon atoms vaporized by the laser beam. Thus, the study highlights the novel achievement of synthesizing carbon nitride as a high-value by-product while producing functional AISI 1070 steel parts via L-PBF through reaction with nitrogen atmosphere.

Structural Behavior of Full-Scale Novel Hybrid Layered Concrete Slabs Reinforced with CFRP and Steel Grids under Impact Load

Reinforced concrete two-way slabs are important elements in the construction field, and their impact response under drop-weight impact is a complex mechanical issue that can cause the collapse of heavy structures. Previous research has documented the analysis of conventional steel-reinforced concrete slabs under impact loads. However, the investigation of layered hybrid concrete composite flat solid slabs reinforced with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) rebars is an innovative subject. This paper examines the structural behavior of layered novel hybrid concrete composite flat solid slabs with a combination of reactive powder concrete (RPC) in the top layer and normal concrete (NC) in the bottom layer, reinforced with internal CFRP or traditional steel bars in the tension zone, under an impact load test. For this purpose, ten full-scale square flat solid slab samples with a 1550 mm length and a 150 mm depth were fabricated and divided into eight layered hybrid concrete samples with 50% RPC and 50% NC and two samples cast with NC only. The impact tests were carried out using a hardened steel cylindroconical impactor (projectile) with a height of 650 mm and a diameter of 200 mm, a flat nose diameter of 90 mm, and a total mass of 150 kg released from two different heights of 5 and 7 m. The variables considered were the types and ratios of reinforcement, as well as the free-drop weight and height. The experimental results obtained showed that layered RPC flat solid slabs are superior in resisting and sustaining impact forces and also have fewer scattered parts when compared to NC flat solid slabs. Additionally, the flat solid slab samples reinforced with CFRP bar grids were overall more resistant to impact loads, by an average of 19%, compared to flat solid slabs with steel bars and showed lower deflection, by an average of 10%, compared to the other flat solid slabs.

Effect of Chloride Salt Erosion on the Properties of Straw Fiber Reactive Powder Concrete

Effect of Chloride Salt Erosion on the Properties of Straw Fiber Reactive Powder Concrete

Effects of high temperatures on the behavior of reactive powder concrete based on recycled brick powder

Effects of high temperatures on the behavior of reactive powder concrete based on recycled brick powder

Axial compressive behavior of partially encased composite reactive powder concrete columns after high-temperature exposure

Replacing ordinary concrete in partially encased concrete (PEC) columns with high-strength and durability reactive powder concrete (RPC) significantly improves their axial capacity and suppresses local buckling of the steel section. To study the axial mechanical performance of partially encased composite reactive powder concrete (PEC-RPC) columns after exposure to high temperatures, axial compression tests of eight PEC-RPC column specimens were designed and conducted. Thermal response, failure modes, axial load-vertical displacement curves, and strain-axial strain curves of different specimens were observed considering the effects of link spacing, cross-sectional dimensions, constant temperature duration, and cooling methods. Results indicate: PEC-RPC columns exhibited whitening on the surface of RPC after high-temperature exposure, specimens with the largest link spacing experienced RPC peeling due to concentrated thermal stress, exacerbated by spraying water, which created a stress difference between the surface and the interior, resulting in RPC peeling. The deeper the thermocouple was embedded, the lower the measured temperature. Additionally, due to the significantly lower thermal conductivity of RPC compared to steel, the temperature at measurement points within the RPC is much lower than that at the steel web. The failure mode of PEC-RPC columns after axial loading was characterized by the crushing of RPC and local buckling of section steel. The larger the link spacing, the more prone it was to multi-layer buckling, and columns with larger cross-sectional sizes tended to exhibit shear failure. The characteristic value of mechanical performance showed higher sensitivity to cross-sectional dimensions, but relatively lower sensitivity to link spacing and constant temperature duration. As the cross-sectional dimensions increased from 150×150 mm to 250×250 mm, the peak load, residual bearing capacity, stiffness, and ductility increased by 72.51–164.86 %, 89.8–173.6 %, 61.85–151.47 %, and 13.72–31.46 %, respectively. Finally, based on partition constraint theory and superposition principle, a simplified method for calculating the axial mechanical performance of PEC-RPC columns after exposure to high temperatures was proposed.

Research on the Corrosion Resistance of Reactive Powder Concrete with Straw Fibers under Chloride Environment

Research on the Corrosion Resistance of Reactive Powder Concrete with Straw Fibers under Chloride Environment

Analytical Equation for Stress-Strain Relationship in compression for Reactive Powder Concrete

Analytical Equation for Stress-Strain Relationship in compression for Reactive Powder Concrete

Shear Behavior of Reactive Powder Concrete Ferrocement Beams with Light Weight Core Material

In this paper, the shear behavior of ferro-cement hollow beams is investigated experimentally and analytically. Ten reinforced concrete beams with cross-sectional dimensions of 100 × 200 × 1300 mm and a clear span of 1000 mm were cast and tested until failure under a two-point loading system. Ferrocement beams in this research contained either an autoclaved aerated lightweight brick core (AAC) or an extruded foam core (EFC) and were reinforced with either expanded metal mesh (EMM) or welded wire mesh (WWM). The structural behavior of the studied beams, including first crack, deflection, ultimate load, crack pattern, failure mode, and ductility index, was investigated. The experimental data were used to validate finite element models created with the ABAQUS finite element program. It can be concluded that the optimum performance of ferrocement beams can be achieved using beams with a second layer of expanded steel mesh as additional reinforcement, which led to an increase in the ultimate load and maximum deflection by 12.9% and 22.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the Numerical results agreed with the experimental results, where the ratio between the NLFE ultimate loads and the experimental ultimate loads varies between 1.02 and 1.07, with an average ratio of 1.04.

Compressive Strength Study on Reactive Powder Concrete with 30% Quartz Sand and Variations in Fly Ash Composition as Partial Substitution of Cement

The concrete industry is considered environmentally unfriendly and unsustainable due to the significant consumption of natural materials. Currently, the industry predominantly uses Portland cement as its main ingredient, leading to an increase in Portland cement production. However, the use of fly ash can help make the concrete industry more sustainable in the future. Fly ash can be used as a partial replacement for Portland cement in concrete production. This study aims to determine the effect of fly ash variations on the compressive strength of reactive powder concrete. The research method used is experimental. The concrete mix design includes 30% quartz sand and fly ash variations of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%. The compressive strength test specimens are cylindrical with a diameter of 7.5 cm and a height of 15 cm. The resulting test specimens have a compressive strength of more than 41.4 MPa, thus qualifying as high-strength concrete. The compressive strength test results for fly ash variations of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% are 62.62 MPa, 66.27 MPa, 75.59 MPa, 68.78 MPa, 66.21 MPa, and 63.70 MPa, respectively.

Compressive stress-strain relationship of steam free reactive powder concrete at ultra-low temperatures

To explore the applicability of reactive powder concrete (RPC) as a material for LNG storage tanks, the mechanical properties of RPC at ultra-low temperatures were investigate in this paper. Forty-two axial compressive strength tests were conducted on RPC prisms at 20 °C ∼ −165 °C. The influence of temperature and steel fiber on the compressive stress-strain relationship of RPC at ultra-low temperatures was evaluated. The results showed that the axial compressive strength of RPC increases at low temperatures, with a compressive strength increase of over 70 % at −165 °C compared to room temperature. The increase in compressive strength of RPC at ultra-low temperatures is significantly greater than that of ordinary concrete. A relation for predicting the axial compressive strength development of RPC at ultra-low temperatures was also proposed. Steel fibers can increase the toughness of RPC at ultra-low temperatures to a certain extent, and effectively improve the failure mode of RPC, allowing the damaged RPC to maintain its integrity. This work provides a basis for RPC applicability as LNG storage tanks.

Research on the Performance of Steel Strand-Reinforced Reactive Powder Concrete with Mixed Steel Fibers and Basalt Fibers under the Salt Dry–Wet Erosion

In this study, the properties of steel strand-reinforced reactive powder concrete (RPC) with mixed steel fibers and basalt fibers were investigated. The volume ratios of steel fibers and basalt fibers ranged from 0% to 2%. The reinforcement ratio of steel strands was 1%. The flexural strength and toughness were measured. Moreover, the impact toughness was determined. The studies were carried out under an erosion environment with chlorides and sulfates. The electrical resistance and the ultrasonic velocity were obtained to assess the salt corrosion resistance performance of steel strand-reinforced RPC. The results show that the addition of basalt fibers and steel fibers can improve the mechanical strength, ultrasonic velocity, flexural toughness, and impact toughness and decrease the performance degradation of the steel strand-reinforced RPC under the conditions of dry–wet alternations of NaCl and Na2SO4 solutions. Basalt fibers and steel fibers can improve the steel strand-reinforced RPC’s flexural strength by rates of up to 13.1% and 28.7%, respectively. Moreover, the corresponding compressive strength increases by 10.3% and 18.3%. The flexural strength decreases by 11.2~33.6% and 7.3~22.7% after exposure to the NaCl and Na2SO4 dry–wet alternations. Meanwhile, the corresponding compressive strength decreases by 22.1~38.9% and 14.6~41.3%. The electrical resistance increases with the addition of basalt fibers and decreases with the increasing dosages of steel fibers. The steel strand-reinforced RPC with the assembly units of 1% steel fibers and 1% basalt fibers shows the optimal mechanical properties and salt resistance considering its wet–dry alternation performance. The properties of steel strand-reinforced RPC decrease more rapidly after undergoing NaCl erosion than Na2SO4 erosion.