Keywords
Silica fume
Volumetric concrete mix design
Compression strength
Erosion abrasion resistance of concrete
full range water reducer admixture
How to Cite
Abstract
Development and production of High Performance Concrete -HPC- have shown slow progress in Ecuador. This study is focused on the definition of a volumetric design of a concrete mixt fulfilling the following performance objectives: to have very high compression strength (over 90 MPa) without losing adequate workability and to get high abrasion erosion resistance of concrete. All those objectives are required for the construction of the spillways in some hydropower projects in Ecuador. At the same time, a guideline to develop the design of a HPC concrete mix using materials available locally is presented. Economic considerations, materials availability in the local market and a cost/resistance ratio of the final product are discussed. For this purpose, several concrete mixtures were produced using ASTM C1240 silica fume and a full range water reducer admixture complying ASTM C494 (polycarboxilate based). The final result was a high workability concrete mixture with 98 MPa compression resistance at 7 days and a maximum compression resistance of 138 MPa at 28 days, being the mixture with the highest strength ever produced in Ecuador, and presenting less than 0.8% abrasion erosion losses, according to ASTC C1138 test procedure.
References
ACI 211.4R-08. 2008. "Guide for Selecting Proportions for High-Strength Concrete Using Portland Cement and Other Cementitious Materials". American Concrete Institute: 29.
Willie, K.; Naamany, A.; Parra-Montesinos, G. 2011. "Ultra-High Performance Concrete with Compressive Strength Exceeding 150 MPa (22ksi): A Simpler Way". ACI Materials Journal, 108 (M06): 46-54.
ACI 234R-06. 2006. "Guide for the Use of Silica Fume in Concrete". American Concrete Institute: 63.
Holland, T. 2005. "Silica Fume User"™s Manual". Silica Fume Association, Lovettsville, VA, Rep. FHWA-IF-05-016: 1-77.
Philips, W. et al. 2005. "Capítulo 2: La mezcla del concreto". Guía del Contratista Para la Construcción en Concreto de Calidad, 3ra ed. USA, ACI &ASCC, 2: 14-27.
ACI318M-11. 2011. "Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete". American Concrete Institute: 503.
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