Preparation of Ultra-High Performance Concrete with common technology and materials

The technology development of concrete and demand for high strength construction materials give momentum to the development of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). Current UHPC preparation methods require costly materials and relatively sophisticated technology. To overcome these weaknesses, this paper focused on the preparation of UHPC with common technology and ordinary raw materials. Influence of binder content, water/binder ratio, ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) content, and limestone powder (LP) replacement on fluidity and compressive strength of concrete were researched, respectively. The test results show that the addition of superplasticizer and fine mineral additives enabled the UHPC to be produced at an extremely low water/binder ratio of 0.14-0.18, achieving excellent workability with a maximum slump of 268 mm and compressive strengths of 175.8 MPa at 90 d and 182.9 MPa at 365 d. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.