High Strength Concrete: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Mahir Makhtar

HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE
By Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Mahir Makhtar
INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS
NORMAL CONCRETE MIX DESIGN
Characteristic and Mean Strength

5 1
2
4
NORMAL STRENGTH
Unrestricted design
30 2.5
28 8
1.96
1.96 30
8 16
16
/
46
0.47 0.55
0.47
46 42
0.47 0.5
10 - 30 20
160
160
0.47
340
290 340
26 2400 2400 340 160 1900
70 25 30, say 27 1900 1900 0.27 515 515 1385
70 27
0.47
1385
1:2
340 0.05 17.0
160 8.0
515 25.7
460 23
925 46.2
HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE
Why Use HSC?

High-strength concrete (HSC) is specified where reduced weight is important or where architectural considerations call for small support elements. By carrying loads more efficiently than normal-strength concrete, high-strength concrete also reduces the total amount of material placed and lowers the overall cost of the structure.
Applications
The structural use of HSC is very often accompanied by a dense reinforcement. The most common use of high-strength concrete is for construction of high-rise buildings. At 295 m, Chicago's 311 South Wacker Drive uses concrete with compressive strengths up to 83 MPa and is the tallest concrete building in the United States.
Applications
Over the past two decades, the development of high-strength concrete has enabled builders to easily meet and surpass this estimate. Two buildings in Seattle, Washington, contain concrete with a compressive strength of 131 MPa.
Applications
The tallest concrete building in the United States

Definition of HSC
1950s 34MPa compressive strength 1960s 41 and 52 MPa In the early 1970s, experts predicted that the practical limit of ready-mixed concrete would be unlikely to exceed a compressive strength greater than 76 MPa. 1970s 62MPa
High Strength Concrete

When considering high strength concrete (HSC) first define what is meant by high strength. The perception of what level of compressive strength constitutes high strength has been continually revised upwards over the past 20 years or so (FIP-CEB, 1990) and may well continue to rise in the near future. A simple definition would be concrete with a compressive strength greater than that covered by current codes and standards.

The primary difference between high-strength concrete and normal-strength concrete relates to the compressive strength that refers to the maximum resistance of a concrete sample to applied pressure. Although there is no precise point of separation between high-strength concrete and normal-strength concrete, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) defines high-strength concrete as concrete with a compressive strength greater than 6000 psi (41 MPa).

Although 41MPa was selected as the lower limit, it is not intended to imply that there is a drastic change in materials properties or in production techniques that occur at this compressive strength. Many empirical equations used to predict properties of concrete or to design structural members are based on tests using concrete with compressive strength < 41MPa needs reassessment for HSC.

In the UK this would include concrete with a characteristic compressive strength of 60 MPa or more. In Norway the design code already includes concrete with characteristic cube strengths up to 105 MPa (Helland, 1996) as does the forthcoming Eurocode (CEN, 2002), so even this simple definition is not really adequate.

In order to achieve high compressive strength, it is important to understand the factors that govern the strength of concrete, i.e.:
The properties of the cement paste The properties of the transition zone between the paste and the aggregate The properties of the aggregate The relative proportions of the constituent materials.
All these factors must be optimized in order to make significant increases in compressive strength.
Paste properties
In conventional concrete technology, the strength of the paste is a function of its water/cement ratio. This is true also for high strength concrete but it is also the effect of the porosity within the paste, the particle size distribution of the crystalline phases and the presence of inhomogeneities within the hydrated paste that must be considered in detail.
Paste properties
A reduction in water/cement ratio will produce a paste in which the cementitious particles are initially closer together in the freshly mixed concrete. This results in less capillary porosity in the hardened paste and hence a greater strength. This reduced capillary porosity also favours the formation of fine-textured hydration products that have a higher strength than the coarser equivalents.
Paste properties
The capillary porosity can also be reduced by optimizing the particle size distribution of the cementitious materials in order to increase the potential packing density. Special high strength cements are available and the inclusion of finely divided reactive materials such as silica fume will also contribute to an increase in packing density and reduced capillary porosity.
Paste properties
It should be noted that even commercially available high strength concretes have free water/cement ratios as low as 0.22.
(Burg and Ost, 1992)
This is well below the theoretical minimum for full cement hydration. However, the hydration of the cementitious particles within the paste is sufficient to glue together the unhydrated cores of the particles and to reduce the interstitial porosity between these hydrated particles.
Paste properties
The role of superplasticizers in enabling workable concretes to be produced at very low water/cement ratios (and without the need for excessively high cement contents) is critical. Furthermore the effect of superplasticizers in preventing the flocculation of Portland cement particles and distributing material such as silica fume homogeneously through the freshly mixed concrete leads to a reduction in inhomogeneities within the paste and hence improved paste strength. The strength of the paste will be limited by the flaws that form the weakest link, be it inhomogeneities or capillary pores. In order to improve the strength of the paste as a whole, all such flaws must be minimized.
Transition zone properties

When fracture surfaces of failed conventional concretes are examined, it is often observed that the failure has occurred, either with the paste itself or, more often, at the interface between the paste and the coarse aggregate particles. Whilst it is possible to increase the strength of the paste significantly as described above, if the transition zone to the aggregate is weak, the strength of the concrete will not increase commensurately.
Transition zone properties

In conventional (40 MPa) concretes, this transition zone is quite large and is characterized by a high porosity and large crystalline hydration products (eg. Portlandite Ca(OH)2). Reducing the water/paste ratio and the incorporation of silica fume into the concrete both contribute to reducing the width and improving the strength of the transition zone. The rapid conversion of Ca(OH)2 to CSH by silica fume is thought to be of particular importance. Reduced bleeding within the paste also reduces the potential for accumulation of water around aggregate particles.
CONSIDERATIONS IN DESIGNING A HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE
Considerations
The key for all mix design of HSC is a low w/c ratio. The use of HSC for structural purposes is combined with a requirement for good workability due to dense reinforcement. The total cement content in HSC often tends to be quite high. Maximum size of coarse aggregate in HSC is normally below 22mm and down to 10mm.
Considerations
HSC produced by conventional mixing technologies are usually prepared with w/c in the range of 0.22 to 0.4. The 28 days compressive strength is about 60 to 130 MPa when normal dense aggregates are used. To achieve this low w/c and maintain proper workability, it is necessary to use water reducing admixtures.
Considerations
To obtain the strength values at a higher range, addition of pozzolanic admixtures is necessary. Silica fume has been shown to be particularly useful in these applications. Has becoming the most common admixture for compressive strength exceeding 80 MPa.
Considerations
Almost every HSC is far more exposed to the risk of plastic shrinkage during the period of setting than ordinary mixtures. This is a consequence of the reduced tendency of water bleeding due to the normal high content of added fines such as cement, pfa and SF in particular.
DESIGNING A HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE
Designing a HSC
Manufacture of high-strength concrete involves making optimal use of the basic ingredients that constitute normalstrength concrete. Producers of high-strength concrete know what factors affect compressive strength and know how to manipulate those factors to achieve the required strength.
Designing a HSC
In addition to selecting a high-quality portland cement, producers optimize aggregates, then optimize the combination of materials by varying the proportions of cement, water, aggregates, and admixtures.
Aggregates
When selecting aggregates for high-strength concrete, producers consider the strength of the aggregate, the optimum size of the aggregate, the bond between the cement paste and the aggregate, and the surface characteristics of the aggregate. Any of these properties could limit the ultimate strength of high-strength concrete.
Aggregates
Fine aggregates for HSC should be selected to reduce the water demand. Rounded particles are thus preferred to crushed rock fines where possible. The silt, clay and dust content of both fine and coarse aggregates should be kept as low as possible.
Aggregates
As most HSC concrete mixes contain a large amount of fine material in the cement (> 500 kg/m3), it is accepted practice to utilize slightly coarser grading of fine aggregate than is normal for conventional structural concrete. The finest fractions of the fine aggregate are no longer essential to increase workability or prevent segregation; a coarser grading is then appropriate. The grading curve of the fine aggregate should, however, generally be smooth and free of gap grading to optimize the water demand.
Mineral Admixtures
Pozzolans, such as fly ash and silica fume, are the most commonly used mineral admixtures in high-strength concrete. These materials impart additional strength to the concrete by reacting with portland cement hydration products to create additional C-S-H gel, the part of the paste responsible for concrete strength.
Chemical Admixtures
A common practice is to use a superplasticizer in combination with a waterreducing retarder. The superplasticizer gives the concrete adequate workability at low water-cement ratios, leading to concrete with greater strength. The water-reducing retarder slows the hydration of the cement and allows workers more time to place the concrete.
Designing a HSC
High-strength concrete has a compressive strength generally greater than 40 MPa. High-strength concrete is made by lowering the water-cement (W/C) ratio to 0.35 or lower. Often silica fume is added to prevent the formation of free calcium hydroxide crystals in the cement matrix, which might reduce the strength at the cement-aggregate bond.
Designing a HSC
Low W/C ratios and the use of silica fume make concrete mixes significantly less workable, which is particularly likely to be a problem in high-strength concrete applications where dense rebar cages are likely to be used. To compensate for the reduced workability, superplasticisers are commonly added to high-strength mixtures.
Designing a HSC
Aggregate must be selected carefully for high strength mixes, as weaker aggregates may not be strong enough to resist the loads imposed on the concrete and cause failure to start in the aggregate rather than in the matrix or at a void, as normally occurs in regular concrete.
HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE MIX DESIGN

Unrestricted design
50 5
28 8
1.64
1.64 50
8 13
13
/
63
0.35 0.55
0.35
63
42
0.35
0.5
60 -180 20
195
195
0.35
557
290 557
2.6 2350 2350 557 195 1598
2350
195
70 30 35, say 32 1598 1598 0.32 511 511 1087
70 32
0.35
1087
1:2
557 0.05 27.9
195 9.8
511 25.6
362 18.1
725 36.3
Characteristic and Mean Strength
60
65 63

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HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE

By Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Mahir Makhtar

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

NORMAL CONCRETE MIX DESIGN

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

Characteristic and Mean Strength

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

26 2400 2400 340 160 1900

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

70 25 30, say 27 1900 1900 0.27 515 515 1385

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

340 0.05 17.0

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS