Ultra-high Performance Concrete Samples Research Articles

Effect of nano SiO2 on rheology, nucleation seeding, hydration mechanism, mechanical properties and microstructure amelioration of ultra-high-performance concrete

The use of Nano SiO2 products will likely change cement, concrete construction sector. Their stability, low toxicity, and ability to functionalise with chemicals and polymers have drawn interest. When mixed with hybrid nanomaterials, nanostructured silica with unique geometric properties can improve biomaterial conjugates. Few scientists have studied the effects of Nano SiO2 on cement-based composites microstructural characterisation and mechanical behaviour. In this study four combinations were made by adding 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% Nano SiO2 by cement weight. The tested Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) mixes with various mechanical and microstructural characterisation techniques utilised. The finding suggests that the UHPC mixture with 2% Nano SiO2 has better mechanical and microstructural capabilities than the others. The study found that UHPC samples with more Nano SiO2 had higher mechanical strength than the reference sample. The study found that adding UHPC 2% Nano SiO2 to the mix increased compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength by 56%, 37%, and 28%, respectively. In UPV testing, this UHPC NS-2% mix had the greatest average velocity 4883 m/s and 4951 m/s for 28 and 90 days, suggesting a stronger concrete matrix. In optimum UHPC mix due to nucleation effect of Nano SiO2 and hydration of cement generates to more Calcium Silicate hydrate gel formation and less ca/si ratio is 0.54. It will lead to produce the dense UHPC with lowest porosity. The environmental and economic benefits of UHPC with Nano SiO2 make it a suitable building material for various civil engineering applications.

Continuous surface cap model for ultra-high-performance concrete under static and low strain rate loadings: Calibration, experiment, and simulation

The ultra-high compressive strength and ductile tensile behavior of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) make it promising in the application of civil and crashworthy facilities. Although numerous experimental studies have been conducted to investigate the performance of UHPC, studies on the methods for simulating the behavior of UHPC are few. In this paper, an overview of widely used constitutive models of concrete-like materials in hydrocode was presented first, and then a comprehensive calibration of the continuous cap surface (CSC) model was performed to simulate the mechanical behavior of UHPC under static and low strain rate loadings. Four groups of parameters: (1) failure surface parameters; (2) cap and hardening parameters; (c) damage parameters; and (4) strain rate parameters were systematically calibrated via extensive available material test data of UHPC with uniaxial compressive strength ranging from 101 MPa to 238 MPa. A calculation method was proposed to address the inconsistency of existing conclusions regarding the fracture energy of UHPC, which significantly affects the modeling of UHPC damage. Moreover, a method was proposed to convert the engineering uniaxial tensile strain of UHPC to the true uniaxial tensile strain, and so does the tensile fracture energy of UHPC. To validate the accuracy of the calibrated CSC model in simulating the behavior of UHPC under static loading, uniaxial tension and compression tests of UHPC samples and three-point bending tests of steel-UHPC-steel composite beams were conducted and simulated. Existing triaxial compression tests of UHPC cylinders were simulated to validate the accuracy of the calibrated CSC under confinement. Moreover, low-velocity impact tests of UHPC columns were simulated to further validate the reliability of the calibrated CSC model to capture the structural behavior of UHPC members under low strain rate loading. It was found that the calibrated CSC model showed excellence in simulating the material properties of UHPC and the structural behavior of UHPC members under static and low strain rate loadings.

Healing capacity of Ultra High Performance Concrete under sustained through crack tensile stresses and aggressive environments

This study investigates the self-healing capabilities of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) under the combined influence of mechanical and environmental factors. Specifically, it delves into the long-term self-healing process in pre-cracked UHPC samples that endure continuous sustained tensile stresses across the cracks and are exposed to aggressive environmental conditions for one year. The results reveal that UHPC with narrow cracks exhibits a higher degree of self-healing, especially when exposed to tap water, where its self-healing capacity is most pronounced and improves with extended exposure. Furthermore, these self-healing mechanisms contribute to the restoration of mechanical properties and prevent chloride ion penetration by sealing the cracks. While a reduced level of self-healing is observed in saltwater and geothermal water exposure, prolonged exposure mitigates the inhibitory effect of aggressive ions on self-healing. SEM and EDS results provide evidence that samples subjected to extended exposure to salt and geothermal water exhibit a substantial presence of self-healing product-CaCO3. This study not only emphasizes that pre-cracked UHPC, when exposed to both mechanical stresses and aggressive environments, can maintain excellent durability and mechanical strength due to its self-healing effect but also lays the foundation for evaluating the self-healing potential of cement-based materials under conditions representative of real-world structural scenarios. This is essential for advancing the integration of self-healing advantages into design concepts and performance-based verification approaches.

Performance and life cycle of ultra-high performance concrete mixes containing oil refinery waste catalyst and steel fibre recovered from scrap tyre

An economic solution to recycle spent equilibrium catalyst (Ecat) disposed of by petrochemical manufacturers and steel fibre recovered from scrap tyre would be their use in the production of structural concrete. In this study, the performance and life cycle of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) mixes containing these waste materials was examined. They were made using a total binder content of 1160 kg/m3 and also contained fly ash and silica fume in addition to Ecat and cement. Their average compressive strength at the end of 28 days was found to be above 150 MPa. The replacement of cement with Ecat reduced the CO2 emission and material cost of recycled steel fibre (RSF) reinforced UHPC samples by 15% and 6%, but there is no significant change in their compressive, flexural and split tensile strengths at the end of 28 days. Only 2% of the elastic modulus of these samples increased as a result of the addition of Ecat by weight of the binder. Ecat, an aluminosilicate material, is generally classified as a pozzolanic material, but its addition together with fly ash and silica fume in the UHPC mixture did not affect the strength gain properties. Based on our experimental findings, the use of waste materials including Ecat and RSF in the preparation of precast UHPC elements for explosion and earthquake resistant structures is recommended.

High‐speed fatigue testing of high‐performance concretes and parallel frequency sweep characterization

AbstractCycling loading of brittle materials like ultra‐high‐performance concrete (UHPC), which is often used in marine and civil structures, results in unexpected failures. When a material is subjected to cyclic loading, its mechanical properties change due to the evolution of (micro‐)fractures often denoted as damage. To better understand the effective material's properties under such kind of fatigue load and to relate the material's properties to the specific time‐dependent loading characteristics, the mechanical response of the material shall be characterized at characteristic harmonic excitations.Therefore, cyclic loading experiments are conducted to determine how the evolution of microfractures, that is, fatigue, affects the material's effective mechanical properties and after how many cycles microfractures further evolve towards meso‐ and macrofractures leading finally to a critical number of cycles to material's failure. The problem with such cyclic fatigue tests is that they are potentially “expensive” to conduct as the number of loading cycles at failure can be extremely high. Moreover, it is not possible to observe and characterize further the evolution of (micro‐)fractures within the different damage phases of the cycling experiment. Further, it is challenging to characterize the material's small‐strain stiffness evolution.In this investigation, a combination of a (high‐amplitude) high‐frequency excitation and a high‐speed fatigue testing approach is used for the high cycle fatigue experiment along with a characterization approach of the material properties using a (low‐amplitude) dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The test setup applies harmonic excitations for high and low amplitudes using a high‐voltage piezoelectric actuators. Furthermore, the failure modes of the material will be examined.The excitation frequency f for the fatigue test is significantly higher than in classical low‐ and high‐cyclic fatigue approaches, that is, Hz, allowing to reduce the overall time of the experimental investigation time to failure. Further, the frequency‐dependent number of cycles to failure is studied. Similar to standard DMA, effective complex mechanical properties of the material in tangential space are obtained in frequencies between 0.01 and 1000 Hz; while the observed mechanical properties of these materials change with increasing frequency. In the case of materials' behavior, by increasing the frequency, Young's modulus increases and Poisson's ratio decreases. Experimental fatigue results will be presented for UHPC samples. Harmonic experimental data include (direct) strain measurements in axial and circumferential directions as well as forces in axial directions. In addition, the resulting complex Young's modulus and evolving damage‐like “history” of UHPC will be shown.

A New Approach for Protection against Ejection Trajectory of Scabbed Materials of Ultrahigh-Performance Concrete under Projectile Impact

Scabbing on the rear face of concrete under impact produces fragments that act as additional projectiles causing fatality or severe damage to the occupants or systems. Ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) has outstanding properties and has proven efficacy in the impact-resistant design of structures. However, the potential damage due to the impact of fragments of scabbed pieces still prevails. This study developed a new approach for preventing ejection of scabbed materials of UHPC under single and repeated bullet impact (using a single-stage gas gun facility). The ejection of scabbed materials was controlled using woven carbon–epoxy and glass–epoxy laminated composite sheets attached to the rear face of UHPC samples. The ejection of scabbed pieces was controlled in UHPC targets with composite backing in the case of both single and repeated impact under similar conditions. Furthermore, a numerical simulation based on nonlinear finite-element code was performed for repeated impact on a UHPC target with a carbon–epoxy laminated composite. The results of the numerical simulation had a good agreement with the experimental data. Thus, the synergistic effects of steel fiber–reinforced UHPC with composite backing can be used to enhance the impact performance of UHPC.

Influence of 3D-printed reinforcement on the mechanical and fracture characteristics of ultra high performance concrete

The current research makes an attempt to examine the possibility of using the 3D printing technique for the reinforcement of Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC). In this regard, the mechanical properties and fracture mechanism of UHPC containing 3D-printed shell reinforcements made from Polylactic Acid (PLA) materials have been investigated. At first, the 3D-printed shell reinforcements were plotted with the aid of 3D Max and Rhino 6 software. Then, they were fabricated through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) method and positioned into the cubic, cylindrical and prismatic molds. At the next step, the prepared UHPC mixture was poured into the molds and the samples were cured for 28 days. Finally, the compressive, tensile and flexural strength tests were carried out on the samples. The results indicated that the compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths of reinforced samples were less than the unreinforced ones, respectively. Although the inclusion of 3D-printed reinforcement decreased the mechanical properties of the UHPC samples, it was able to change the fracture mechanism of concrete from brittle to ductile.

Effects of different nanomaterials on the early performance of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC): C–S–H seeds and nano-silica

The early hydration of UHPC can be retarded by the low water/binder ratio, the high polycarboxylate superplasticizers dosage, and the large supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) content. In this study, the effects of the prepared nanoscale C–S–H seeds and nano-silica (NS) on the early performance of UHPC were compared. The mechanism of nanomaterials influencing the early hydration of UHPC was further characterized by calorimetry, thermal analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The results showed that the 1-day compressive strength of UHPC samples with 0.3 wt% C–S–H seeds and NS increased by 457% and 25% respectively compared to the control sample. Compared to NS, C–S–H seeds were more effective in accelerating the early (before 3 d) hydration to produce hydrates and refine the pore structure of UHPC. The NMR results further implied that compared with the NS, the C–S–H seeds was 12% and 343% more efficient in accelerating the early hydration of cement and SCMs, respectively. However, the performance enhancement of nanomaterials was effective at 1 d and had little effect thereafter.

Physical, Mechanical, and Microstructure Characteristics of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Containing Lightweight Aggregates.

This study explores and enhances the resistance of an ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) to explosive spalling under elevated temperatures. This study investigates the impact of lightweight aggregates (LWAs) on the mechanical and microstructural properties of the UHPC. Various UHPC specimens were created by replacing silica sand with LWAs in percentages ranging from 0% to 30%. The evaluation of these specimens involved assessing their compressive and flexural strengths, density, mass loss, shrinkage, porosity, and microstructural characteristics using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This study provides valuable insights by analyzing the influence of lightweight aggregates on the strength, durability, and microstructure of UHPC. The results reveal that incorporating LWAs in the UHPC improved its flowability while decreasing its density, as the percentage of LWAs increased from 5% to 30%. Including 30% LWA resulted in a mass loss of 4.8% at 300 °C, which reduced the compressive and flexural strengths across all curing durations. However, the UHPC samples subjected to higher temperatures displayed higher strength than those exposed to ambient conditions. The microstructure analysis demonstrated that the UHPC specimens with 30% LWA exhibited increased density due to continuous hydration from the water in the lightweight aggregate. The pore size distribution graph indicated that incorporating more of the LWA increased porosity, although the returns diminished beyond a certain point. Overall, these findings offer valuable insights into the influence of lightweight aggregates on the physical and strength characteristics of UHPC. This research holds significant implications for developing high-performance, lightweight concrete materials.

Influence of red mud on the engineering and microstructural properties of sustainable ultra-high performance concrete

This paper introduces a new application of industrial solid waste red mud to use as a cementitious material in the development of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) performances. In addition, utilization of red mud can reduce the environmental impact of red mud landfill. For gaining this aims, UHPC specimens were prepared with different contents of red mud and analyzed the effects of different RM contents on the fluidity, setting time, mechanical properties, durability, drying shrinkage and microstructure of the red mud-based UHPC. The results indicated that fluidity was reduced to 310 mm at 20% red mud level, but it still belongs to enormous fluidity, which is convenient for construction. In addition, it is worth noting that using red mud instead of cement can significantly shorten the setting time, providing a new method for applying the UHPC rapid-repairing process. Red mud-based UHPC mortar prepared with appropriate red mud instead of cement exhibits higher mechanical properties, better durability and reduced drying shrinkage of UHPC during curing. After curing for 28d, the highest compressive strength of UHPC samples containing 20% red mud was 129.5 MPa, the compressive strength of the UHPC samples' sulfate resistance was 136.6 MPa, and the drying shrinkage value was around 414 µm. Moreover, observed information from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) noted that red mud can fill the micro-cracks between particles of cementitious materials, make the structure more compact and form new hydrates. Finally, the two characteristics of low cost and energy consumption further promote the sustainable application of red mud-based UHPC. Therefore, replacing OPC with 20% RM is meaningful to produce a sustainable UHPC mixture and field applications.

Cyclic tensile behavior of ultra-high performance concrete with hybrid steel-polypropylene fiber: Experimental study and analytical model

The present study deals with the effect of steel-polypropylene hybrid fiber on the tensile stress–strain behavior of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading. Eight batches of UHPC samples with hybrid fibers were tested, with the failure process monitored by acoustic emission (AE) technique synchronously. The failure mechanism of UHPC and reinforcing mechanism of hybrid fibers were analyzed based on the combination of AE source location and scanning election microscope (SEM) observation results. The results indicated that the inclusion of hybrid steel-polypropylene fibers in UHPC matrix contributes to the enhancement of tensile mechanical performance with respect to the tensile strength, peak strain and especially the tensile toughness. Moreover, the relationship between plastic strain accumulation and envelope unloading strain during cyclic tension presents a linear pattern and appears insensitive to the variation of fiber parameters. However, the hybrid fibers significantly contribute to alleviation of the elastic stiffness degradation of UHPC during the cyclic tension. Based on the stiffness degradation process, a damage evolution law characterized by an exponential equation associated with fiber reinforcement indexes is proposed. Notably, the failure of UHPC specimen stems from concurrent macro-crack propagation and multiple cracking behavior throughout the whole loading process, which is improved due to the multi-scale reinforcement effect of hybrid fibers. Finally, in consideration of the effect of hybrid fibers, an analytical constitutive model is developed to generalize the tensile behavior of UHPC, and the comparisons yield a close estimation with test results in current research and literature.

Basic and drying creep of ultra-high performance concrete

ABSTRACT Experimental observations of the creep behaviour of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) are limited, with existing studies all performed on material designs including fibres. This limits the understanding of the underlying behaviour of the cementitious material, including the relative contributions of basic and drying creep. An experimental study of the basic and drying creep was performed on UHPC samples subjected to two different loads for the duration of a year, with two different sample sizes considered. It is demonstrated that there is little difference in magnitude between basic and drying creep, indicating that basic creep is the governing mechanism. The existing creep model in the fib model code 2010 is examined and recalibrated for UHPC.

Phase volumes of ultra high performance concrete containing nanoscale pozzolan

Grid nanoindentation and quantitative X-ray diffraction are employed to provide quantitative information on phase constituents of nanoscale pozzolan-containing ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). Three UHPC samples containing nanoscale pozzolan and cured with and without microwave energy are investigated. The volume fraction of each phase constituent is independently evaluated using both techniques: nanoindentation (NI) and quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD). For the NI, the volumes have been evaluated by taking into account the thresholds characterising the phase constituents. The NI could assess phase mixtures or composites rather than single phases. The microwave-cured samples (CMW and CPMW) contain in total more hydration products that the sample that was not cured with microwave energy (C000). In all three samples, a nanocomposite (C–S–H/CHnm) consisting of high-density (HD) calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) and nanoscale portlandite (CH) is included, and its amount is more than double for the pressure-compacted and microwave-cured sample (CPMW). The heat curing by microwave energy together with the very low amount of water and restriction of the available space for hydration products, favour the formation of the nanocomposite (C–S–H/CHnm) in the CPMW sample.

Effect of concrete composition on drying shrinkage behavior of ultra-high performance concrete

The concrete compositions have great effects on the drying shrinkage behavior of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). Five factors including water-to-binder ratio (w/b) and contents of steel fiber, superplasticizer, silica fume and fly ash were considered to evaluate their influences on the drying shrinkage behaviors of UHPC in this investigation. Based on the drying shrinkage test results, the effect degrees of these factors were analyzed by the gray relation entropy analysis. Then the microstructure and pore distributions of UHPC samples were measured by scanning electron microscope and mercury intrusion porosimetry for mechanism analyses. The results reveal that a lower w/b or higher content of fly ash is conducive to achieving a reduction in drying shrinkage of UHPC, while the additions of superplasticizer and silica fume have an adverse effect on drying shrinkage, resulting in increased drying shrinkage, and the effect of steel fiber on drying shrinkage is not monotonic, its optimum dosage is 50 kg/m3 in this work and a lower or higher amount will cause an increased DSS of UHPC compared with the one with an optimum dosage. The five factors can affect the drying shrinkage behavior of UHPC by principally changing the microtopography and internal pore structure of the concrete matrix, according to the gray relation entropy analysis, the effect degrees of studied factors on drying shrinkage of UHPC are as follows: w/b > superplasticizer > silica fume > fly ash > steel fiber.

Utilization of sewage sludge ash in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC): Microstructure and life-cycle assessment

In this research, an economical and eco-friendly ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) with compressive strength of more than 120 MPa was prepared with the dosage of sewage sludge ash (SSA) at 8 wt%. The results indicate that the addition of SSA has an adverse influence on the workability of UHPC samples due to its special morphology. Furthermore, the microstructure and phase assemblage of SSA-based UHPC were determined and the results show that SSA inhibits the early hydration of cement clinker, while promotes the precipitation of additional hydration products at later curing ages due to its pozzolanic reaction. The pore structure analysis of SSA-based UHPC determined by mercury intrusion porosimetry indicates that the addition of SSA increases the cumulative pore volume, while decreases the large pore volume of UHPC. Economic and environmental analysis indicates that using SSA-based UHPC greatly reduces the unit cost and the impacts on the environment.

Sulfate resistance of ultrahigh-performance concrete with recycled fine aggregate

The effect of sulfate attack (SA) on the strength of ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) made with different replacements (0%, 50% and 100% by weight) of natural fine aggregate with recycled fine aggregate (RFA) was investigated. The UHPC samples were soaked in 10% sodium sulfate solution for 0–180 days (SA duration). The sulfate ion concentration, flexural strength and compressive strength of the UHPCs were investigated. The microstructure of the UHPCs before and after SA was analysed using a multi-technique approach (analysis of interfacial transition zones (ITZs), X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry). The results showed that, with an increase in SA duration, the compressive strength of the UHPC made with RFA increased. The generated gypsum and ettringite refined the microstructure by converting harmful pores (>20 nm) into harmless pores (<20 nm) in the UHPC matrix. For the same SA duration, the sulfate ion concentration of UHPC increased with an increase in RFA content due to more ITZs, pores and microcracks introduced by the RFA. Strength development models for UHPC with different RFA contents under SA were developed.

RETRACTED: Effect of rice straw ash and palm leaf ash on the properties of ultrahigh-performance concrete

The global expansion of agricultural production has increased the amount of agricultural waste (AW). Accordingly, AW should be disposed of properly to preserve the environment. This study focuses on using rice straw ash (RSA) and palm leaf ash (PLA) as partial replacement for cement in the production of ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC). In particular, this research investigates the effect of using RSA and PLA as pozzolanic materials on the microstructure and the fresh, mechanical and physical properties of UHPC. Eleven UHPC mixtures are prepared as control mixtures without RSA and PLA. Five mixtures are used with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% RSA, whilst five residual mixtures contain 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% PLA. Results indicate the efficiency of RSA or PLA as a partial substitute (i.e. 20% of cement weight), with mechanical properties and durability better than those of the reference mixture. The microstructure analysis shows that 20% RSA or PLA yields denser concrete than the control mixture. The UHPC samples with 20% RSA and 20% PLA achieve the best results of 188.5 MPa and 185 MPa by increasing compressive strength by about 13.2% and 11.1%, respectively, compared with the control mixture at a test age of 28 days. Important mechanical properties, such as splitting tensile strength, flexural strength and modulus of elasticity, exhibit a trend similar to that of the compressive strength results for all the UHPC mixtures. The average values of splitting tensile strength and flexural strength at 28 days are about 11% and 14% of the compressive strength of the same UHPC mixtures, respectively. The significance of the current study is the relatively high cement replacement percentages of up to 50% by weight and the use of AW as replacement materials.

Hydration kinetics and microstructure development of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) subjected to microwave pre-curing

This research aims to clarify the intrinsic effect of microwave pre-curing on the hydration kinetics and microstructure development of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). Six hours after casting, the UHPC samples are subjected to microwave pre-curing for 60–240 s. Then, the macro and micro characteristics of the cured UHPC are evaluated. The observed experimental results show that the microwave treatment can create a dense shell around the cured UHPC's periphery, which can resist the lateral deformation of the specimen and guarantee the excellent mechanical properties of the treated sample. Moreover, when steel fibres are included into UHPC, the reflection and shielding effect of the 3D fibres network can significantly block the promotion effect of microwave on the strength development of UHPFRC. Additionally, due to the high energy of microwave, high polymerization hydration products and advanced pore structure (micro and meso scales) can be observed in the pre-cured UHPC.

Effect of microbially induced calcite precipitation treatment on the bonding properties of steel fiber in ultra-high performance concrete

Bonding performance between steel fiber and cement matrix is critical for the stress transformation and crack control, which significantly affects the mechanical properties of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). To enhance the fiber/matrix bond, this study proposed a microbiological technique to pretreat the steel fiber surface via microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) treatment. MICP generates calcium carbonate (CaCO3) crystals bonded on the surface of steel fiber, leading to an increase in roughness and hydrophilicity. The results obtained from single steel fiber pullout tests indicate that the bond strength and pullout energy of steel fiber are both increased by MICP treatment. The good bonding consequently resulted in more residual hydration products attached to the fiber surface after the pullout test. The tests on the UHPC samples with untreated and treated fiber confirmed the benefits of MICP treatment in improving the mechanical properties of UHPC. It is demonstrated that MICP treatment on steel fiber can increase the compressive and flexural strength of UHPC by ∼16% and ∼50%, respectively.

A new development of eco-friendly Ultra-High performance concrete (UHPC): Towards efficient steel slag application and multi-objective optimization

This paper addresses an innovative method for the development of eco-friendly ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), towards efficient steel slag application and synergetic optimization of multi-objective. Specifically, a D-optimal design (DOD) based regression model for property prediction with high goodness of fit (R2 > 0.9) is established. Then, a new UHPC is designed by a numerical optimization method based on the established DOD model. Furthermore, to verify the merit of the designed UHPC, some important properties of the UHPC samples are evaluated. The obtained results reveal that the addition of steel slag powder (SSP) contributes to the improvement of UHPC workability, and the highest slump flow is 268 mm. In addition, the increase of SSP content is detrimental to the early compressive strength, but does not affect the later strength of UHPC (130 ± 2 MPa). Besides, the chloride penetration resistance of UHPC will decrease with the incorporation of SSP, but its anti-chloride permeability is still lower than ordinary concrete. Conclusively, it is demonstrated that the use of this statistical design method could not only benefit environmental protection but also produce a new green UHPC with excellent properties.