Experimental investigation of silica fume content influence on performance of reactive powder concrete

Reactive powder concrete is a new type of high-strength concrete, which due to extra fine materials and pozzolans in addition to high hydraulicly active materials is refered to as Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC). The objective of this paper is to make feasibility study on construction and production of RPC using locally available materials in Assalooyeh region. In this research study, some of the properties of RPC are investigated. Six mixes, using 0%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30% and 40% silica fume, based on required cement content,water to cement ratio and optimized super-plasticizer are designed. Experimental program included reology of fresh mixes, compressive and flexural strengths, three types of curing condition and micro-structure of the concretes. Test results and analysis indicate that mixes with 15% silica fume provide the highest compressive and flexural strengths for the three types of curing regimes.