Ultra-high durable concrete: A way towards safe and durable structures

Abstract

Durability of construction and building materials is a pivotal issue for any civil engineering project in the context of sustainable development. In this regard, developing any material with improved durability characteristics would be of great significance particularly for infrastructures encountered aggressive environments. Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is one of this promising materials, as a high-tech self-compacting composite material, which shows advanced characteristics such as self-compactness, compressive strength higher than 150 MPa, and exceptional durability performances compared to other kinds of concrete. This material offers variety of sustainable applications. It enables designers to have slim sections with higher strength, ductility and durability for applications such as shell structures, interior and exterior architectural and structural elements in any shape and texture even in high-rise structures and aggressive environments. In this paper, the durability of a specific composition of UHPC was studied. The dense matrix of the designed UHPC exhibited ultra-high durability performance through long-term and intense carbonation and chloride-ion migration tests. As results demonstrated, even after 191 days, no carbonation depth was observed. No chloride depth was also detected after 14 days of being in the chloride solution with maximum voltage of 60 V.