CHARACTERIZATION OF REACTIVE POWDER CONCRETE FOR ITS MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

There has been a continuous demand for development of materials with higher performance for various civil engineering applications that will be long lasting and have very low maintenance requirements. Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is one such material which is categorized as high performance concrete with compressive strength in the range of 100-200 MPa. Developed from a special combination of constituent materials such as Portland cement (c), silica fume (sf), quartz sand (qs), high-range water-reducer, water and steel fibers (optional), RPC is devoid of coarse aggregates, resulting in strong mortar with a requirement of very low water cement ratio. This paper presents the results of an experimental programme wherein mix proportions for RPC were developed. The effects of variation of silica fume/cement ratio (sf/c) on the mechanical properties in terms of compressive strength, flexural strength, shear strength and bond strength with normal concrete and steel is studied. The results highlighted the enhanced performance in the mechanical properties of RPC in direct application of its use in structural members requiring high standards of strength coupled with superior performance and durability.