Characteristics of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete with admixtures -A Review

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 09 Issue: 04 | Apr 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
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Characteristics of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
with admixtures -A Review
T. Keerthana1, K. Nirmalkumar2 & S.Selvakumar3
1
PG scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode, Tamil Nadu -
638060, India
2
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode, Tamil Nadu - 638060,
India
3
PG scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode, Tamil Nadu -
638060, India
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Abstract - The study reviews the characteristics of ultra-
high-performance fiber reinforced concrete with admixtures.
The historical background and workability actions of steel
fibres in plain and ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced
concrete (UHPFRC) is investigated in this research. This
research improves the strength and workability with help of
admixture and steel fiber 1%,2% and 3%. As a result, the next
sections offer extensive results from diverse studies on the
effects of mineral admixtures and fibre on the behavior of
fresh UHPC.
Key Words: Steel fiber, UHPFRC, mineral admixture,
workability.
1. INTRODUCTION
Due to unanticipated societal demands, such as high-rise
buildings, long-span bridges, and high earthquake-resistant
concrete constructions, among others, the properties of
concrete have been upgraded. Concrete must perform
admirably in terms of freshness, mechanical strength, and
durability to satisfy these desires. Ultra-high-performance
concrete (UHPC) and ultra-high-performance fiber-
reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC)/ultra-high-performance
hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-HFRC) are currently
being developed to achieve the aforementioned
specifications.[1]UHPC has a high compressive strength
(more than 150 MPa), tensile strength (greater than 10
MPa), and strong tensile strain hardening and softening
behaviour, as well as a low permeability that allows harmful
compounds like water and chlorides to pass through. In
addition, conventional concrete equipment can be used to
cast structural parts made of self-compacting UHP-FRC
[2].As a result, UHPC has improved resistance to harsh
environmental conditions,canwithstandlateral loading,and
has a long service life. In order to depict the evolution of
concrete from its beginning to the present, the authors used
an inverted triangle, as shown in Figure 1. The introduction
of concrete in a society accelerated infrastructure
development, as indicated by the lower tip of the inverted
triangle. The researchers were pushed to develop more
resilient and long-lasting concrete because ofthelimitations
of ordinary concrete. The developed concrete had a poor
microstructure and had limitations in terms of durability at
an early stage. Mineral admixtures (such as fly ash, slag,
silica fume, and metakaolin) and chemical admixtures
(plasticizers) were used in the concrete to help overcome
these limitations to some extent. Table 1 lists examples of
the addition/replacement of several types of mineral
admixtures as well as cement content to buildtheUHPC.The
use of smaller particle sizesinmineral admixtureswasfound
to promote the chemical reaction due to the increased
surface area, with a lower water-to-cement ratio promoting
the formation of calciumsilicatehydrate(C–S–H)gel,leading
to the development of high-strength concrete. Concrete, on
the other hand, gets more brittle as its strength increases.
Figure1. History of development of concrete from ordinary
concrete to UHP-HFRC[1]

Table.1.Mineral admixture used to produce UHP
REFERENCE TYPE
OFADMIXTURE
ADDITIONOF
ADMIXTURE
CEMENT
CONTENTIN
REFERENCE
(Kg/m3)
[3] Nano silica Addition by 1%, 2%,
3%, 4% and 5 wt%
of cement
439.5
[4] Silica fume Addition by 25 wt%
of cement
788
[5] Nano silica Addition by 1%, 2%,
3%, and 4 wt% of
cement
950
[6] Class F fly ash Replaced by 10%,
20%, 30% and 40%
of cement
657
[7] Class F fly ash Replaced by 20%,
40%, 60% and 70%
of cement
935
[8] Rice husk ash Replaced by 16.66%,
33.33%, 50%,
66.66%,83.33 and
100% with silica
fume
920
[9] Rice husk ash Replaced by 16.66%,
33.33%, 50%,
66.66%,83.33 and
100% with silica
fume
800
Steel fiber-reinforced concrete, slurry-infiltrated concrete
(SIFCON), dense silica particle (DSP) concrete, and macro-
defect-free (MDF) concrete/paste were all developed in the
1980s to improve concrete qualities.Steel fibreconcreteand
SIFCON were introduced in studies by Hoff [10]and
Lankard[11]. Following that, numerous studies were
conducted to increase the strength and failure behaviour of
concrete and to transition it from high-strength concrete
(HSC) to high-performance concrete (HPC) (HPC). The
introduction of dense silica particle (DSP) concrete and
macro-defect-free (MDF) concrete/paste [12,13].
Compressive strengths of DSP and MDF paste/concrete
range from 120 to 270 MPa and greater than 200 MPa,
respectively. Furthermore, in the 1990s, a technological
breakthrough was made with the creation of reactive
powder concrete (RPC), whichhasa compressivestrength of
more than 200 MPa.and perhaps up to 800 MPa, with 40
kJ/m2 fracture energy [13-15]. Ordinary Portland cement
(OPC), silica fume (SF), very fine granulometry aggregates,
sand with an average grain diameter of 250 m, crushed
quartz (average grain diameter of 10 m), and metallic fibre
make up the RPC composition [16]. RPC is typically
produced using strict curing regimes (200°C autoclave
curing or 90°C thermal curing) that result in low efficiency
and significant energy consumption [17,18]. Ultra-high-
performance concrete (UHPC) is a type of RPC that has a
dense matrix microstructure[19],[20],[21],[22] high
mechanical strength[23-25]and superior workability.UHPC
is also acknowledged as a viable material due to its
exceptional features[26-28].
2.WORKIBILITY OF CONCRETE:
The quality that defines the effort necessary to handle a
freshly mixed quantity of concrete with minimal loss of
homogeneity (uniformity) is known as workability [29]. The
early-age processes of putting, compacting, and completing
are all included in the term manipulate [30]. The workability
of concrete is influenced by the addition of finer mineral
admixtures and fibres to improve the
properties/performance of the concrete. The viscosity of
UHPC is generally higher than that of ordinaryconcrete[31].
The viscous flow of UHPC is due to the radically different
design mix composition (tight packing of fine components)
compared to standard concrete, the characteristics of the
materials, and the exceptionally low water-to-binder
ratio.Furthermore, the mechanical and durability
characteristics of UHPC are governed by its performance in
the fresh state [31]. As a result, the next sections offer
extensive results from diverse studies on the effects of
mineral admixtures and fibre on the behaviour of fresh
UHPC[32,33].
2.1 Effects of the usage of mineral admixtures:
Researchers have tried a variety of additives to improve the
performance of concrete and produceUHPC,includingnano-
silica (NS), RHA, ultra-fine palm oil fuel ash(UPOFA),SF,MK,
and fibres, among others. In the green stage of UHPC, NSand
RHA in concrete absorb a substantial amountofwaterdue to
their higher surface area. As a result, theamountoflubricant
water available is reduced. As a result, UHPC's workability
(slump flow values) has decreased significantly [26,34]
commented on the potential of red mud (RM) for UHPC in a
recent study. A modified Andreasen & Andersen (MAA)
model is used to create the UHPC mix design. At the time of
replacement, the cementcontentwasreplacedwithRMthere
are three stages (20 percent , 40 percent , and 60 percent ).
In the control UHPC mix, a maximum slump flow of 260 mm
was achieved. The integration of RM, on the other hand,
reduces workability by 49.23 percent, 57.69 percent, and
59.62 percent, respectively, at RM mix levels of 20 percent,
40 percent, and 60 percent.

Figure.2 Silica fume and Fly ash
The effects of adding UPOFA on the workability of ultra-high
strength concrete (UHSC) have also been investigated in the
hunt for a suitable mineral admixture to increase the
workability of UHPC. It has been reportedthatincorporating
UPOFA into UHPC increases itsusability.BecauseUPOFAhas
a lower specific gravity, the increased binder paste volume
obtained at a higher replacement percentage improves
concrete workability. Furthermore, because UPOFA has a
larger surface area, increasing the replacement percentage
raises the viscosity of the UHPC. [35]UPOFA covers
aggregate particles and fills gaps between aggregate
particles effect. The workability of fresh concrete is
improved when SF is used instead of cement.This could be
because SF contains fine spherical particles that function as
lubricants. When more than 20% of the cement is replaced
by SF, however, the workability drops considerably [36].
Amanjean et al.[36] investigated the effects of mineral
admixture particle morphologies (SF and MK) on the fresh
characteristics of UHPC. The authors found that the regular,
round shape of silica fume influences the slump more
favourably than the irregular kind and platelet form of MK.
In addition, the viscosity of the plastic does not dramatically
increase during the test. The elongated, angular,andplatelet
types of metakaolin might result in a greater viscosity value;
also, the presence of fibres boosts the mix's structuration
capability.[37]Kim et al.In comparison to the usual UHPC
mix, binary states of industrial by-products (GGBFS and
REOS) boost flow by 45.6 percent, according to the author.
The synergistic effect was found to be more beneficial to
improve workability.
As a result, it can be inferred that the workability of UHPC is
mostly determined by physical properties, SCM material
addition/replacement %, mono or dual-type SCM particle
use. SCMs modify the flow behaviour of UHPC by changing
the viscosity and yield stress of fresh concrete. SCMsthatare
responsible for limiting workability limit the use of UHPC to
structures that require a higher workability of the mix, such
as tunnels and super-high-rise buildings [38].
2.2 Effects of the usage of fiber:
One or more types of fibre, as well as mineral admixtures,
are added to the traditional constituents of concrete during
the UHP-FRC/UHP-HFRC manufacturing process. The
workability of UHP-FRC and UHP-HFRC is influenced by the
fibre geometry, surface area, volume percentage, and form
[39-41]. In the fresh stage of UHPC, the addition of fibres
reduces the relative droop and increases theaircontent.The
detrimental impacts of adding fibres to UHPC can be
mitigated by lowering the cement content and using proper
particle packing. The addition of steel fibres reduces the
workability of UHP-FRC by increasing the cohesive force
between the paste and the fibres [41]. A better
understanding of steel fibre cohesion and
distribution.Knowledge of the rheological characteristics of
UHPC is required in the matrix. The influence of ultra-high-
performance mortar rheology features on fibre distribution
was investigated by Wang et al. [39]. When compared to the
viscosity of the fresh mix, the yield stress is the crucial
rheological parameter for a uniform distributionoffibreand
depth.In a mix with high yield stress and plastic viscosity,
fibre dispersion becomes difficult, whereas too low yield
stress and plastic viscosity might result in significant
segregation during the casting process. As a result, the
author recommended a yield stress range of 900–1000 Pa,
700–900 Pa, and 400–800 Pa for UHPC mixtures with 1
percent, 2 percent, and 3 percent fibre volume fractions,
respectively.
The workability of UHP-HFRC can be determined using a
factor dubbed the 'fibre factor,' accordingtoKwonetal. [42].
The equation f = Vf lf/df can be used to calculate the 'fibre
factor,' where Vf is the volume of fibre, f is the fibre factor, lf
is the fibre length, and df is the fibre diameter.Straightfibres
(S) and hooked fibres (H) each get their own f value,which is
summed together. Table 6 shows the fibre factor range for
UHPC development. With an upper limit of 'fibre factor' in
the range of 2–2.5, the results indicate that asthefibrefactor
grows, the slump of UHP-FRC decreases.References [43,44]
made a similar observation. Micro-steel fibre at 2% by
volume in UHPC is the best dosage for consistent fibre
distribution, according to Meng and Khayat [45]. When the
optimal small V-funnel flow time of suspended mortar is
utilised, i.e., 46 2s, equal to the optimal plastic viscosity (53
3s), a uniform fibre dispersion is ensured. Furthermore,
Ferrara et al. [46], Kang and Kim [47]discovered that the
type of fresh UHPC insertion in the mould, rather than the
casting technique used, has a substantial impact on fibre
distribution uniformity. Fresh UHPC is placedfromone edge
of the mould and let to flow to the other end in a longitudinal
direction, demonstrating a more advantageous fibre
orientation for achieving the desired result the References
[48,49]made a similar observation.
3. CONCLUSIONS
This paper exhaustivelyreviewedtheworkabilityofUHPFRC
with steel fiber. Because of writing review, a few significant
discoverieswereacquired,andtheaccompanying endscould
be drawn from the above conversations.
The viscosity of the matrix is raised and a rapid loss of
workability is observed in UHPC due to the smaller particle
size and higher superplasticizer concentration, which limits

the use of UHPC in practical applications[50]. When fibre is
added to the matrix, this loss of workability becomes scary.
Due to the absence of high workability necessary for
structures such as tunnels and super-high-rise buildings, a
stiff mix of UHPC/UHP-FRC and UHP-HFRC restricts the
usage of this material. More advanced rheology studies
demonstrate that the viscosity yield stress, rather than the
viscosity of UHPC, is a better reflection of fresh behaviour.
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