Use Of Materials To Lower The Cost Of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

Ultra-high-performance concrete(UHPC)is a new type of cement-based material.UHCP can be treated as a combination of three types of concrete such as high-performance concrete,self-compacting concrete and fibre-reinforced concrete.Therefore,it has excellent different properties such as high workability,superior mechanical properties and durability.Low water-to-binder ratio,high dosage of superplasticizer,pozzolanic activities of binder,fibers content and high packing density are the reasons behind these exceptional properties of UHPC.It has been proved to be a promising material for building,structural rehabilitation and retrofitting,and bridge engineering.However,despite its many benefits,its wide applicability is hindered due to some factors such as special curing and mixing,non-uniform distribution of raw materials and high cost associated with its constituents.The high cost of UHPC is mainly associated with the high cost of its constituents such as cement,silica fume(SF),quartz powder(QP),quartz sand,superplasticizer(SP),and fibers.In this thesis work,the use of different materials such as fly ash(FA),ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBS),glass powder(GP),rice husk ash(RHA),limestone powder(LP),natural fine and coarse aggregate to reduce the content of cement,SF,QP,quartz sand,and SP and the corresponding decrease in the cost of UHPC have been assessed.The total cost(USD/m~3)and strength-normalized cost(USD/MPa/m~3)were calculated when these materials were used in UHPC as partial/full replacement of cement/SF/QP/quartz sand.In addition,the effects of FA,GGBS,GP,RHA,LP,and fine and coarse aggregate on workability,mechanical properties(compressive strength,splitting tensile strength,flexural strength and elastic modulus),drying and autogenous shrinkage,and durability characteristics were evaluated.In the end,a future research need was summarized.