The term “Ultra-High Performance Concrete” (UHPC) refers to a brand-new kind of concrete that is unparalleled in its tensile and compressive strengths. Not only is it perfect for the conventional uses of standard concrete, but it also makes it possible to develop innovative implementations of concrete in fields including modern design, which often employs elements that are thinner or that have a complicated form.
Market Research Future predicts that the global market for ultra-high performance concrete will expand at a CAGR of 7% from 2017 to 2023. This makes sense, considering UHPC’s wide range of applications, as well as the support it has received from state and national governments for usage in several construction projects.
Continue reading to find out more about the development of UHPC, as well as its components and many uses.
What’s so special about the UHPC?
UHPC shares between seventy-five and eighty percent of its constituents with standard concrete, which include cement, water, gravel, and sand. The remaining 20–25% of components are what give UHPC its special flavour.
Integrated fibres are included in the concrete mix during the production of UHPC. The fibres may be made from a variety of materials, including polyester, fibreglass bars, steel, basalt, or stainless steel. Each of these combined fibres creates an end result that is successively stronger, with stainless steel giving the highest improvements in the toughness of the interwoven fibres.
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Advantages of UHPC
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Extended service life
It is projected that UHPC will continue to operate for more than seventy-five years. In most cases, regular concrete has to be changed sometime between 15 and 25 years after it has been installed.
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Lighter weight
Wall panels made of concrete that use UHPC may be configured to be 25-33% thinner. Because of this, less material is used to construct the panels, and the amount of footing that is necessary to support buildings is also decreased.
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Strength
The compressive strength of standard concrete is 4000 psi. The compressive strength of cured UHPC is 30,000 psi. It is possible to reach 50,000 psi using certain mixing methods. It can withstand a tension of 1,700 psi.
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Lower carbon footprint
The lower weight and smaller footprint of structures made using UHPC mean less material is needed to construct them. For example, Accelerated Bridge Construction is only one example of how projects built using UHPC may benefit the environment by decreasing both traffic and the number of time workers spend on-site building the bridge.
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Moisture resistant
The density of UHPC is greater than that of standard concrete. Because of this, it is very unlikely that regular water will be able to permeate the surface of the UHPC.
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Flexibility
UHPC has more adaptability than traditional concrete does. Because of this, it is well suited for the construction of buildings that call for more intricate architectural design while providing the desired level of strength and longevity.
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Ductility
In contrast to conventional concrete, ultra-high performance concrete may be reduced in thickness when subjected to tensile stress.
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Fireproof
It has been shown that some combinations of UHPC can withstand fire. The mixes used to demonstrate this feature included somewhat more than 3% steel fibres plus 0.60% polypropylene.
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Impact resistance
UHPC has the ability to soak up three times the amount of energy that standard concrete can. When subjected to impact loading, ultra-high performance concrete was shown to be two times as robust as conventional concrete and to distribute approximately four times more energy.
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Chemical resistance
When subjected to harsh chemicals like de-icing solutions and sulphates, UHPC does not degrade in any way.
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Adhesiveness
In contrast to conventional concrete, ultra-high performance concrete lends itself very well to the installation of adhesive bonding. It is possible to utilise it to create adhesive linkages with other resources, like rigid board padding, cladding, cured conventional concrete, and a lot of other kinds of construction materials.
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Reduced maintenance
The many advantages of UHPC immediately translate to fewer needs for maintenance. Structures survive longer and need less care.
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Cost savings
In comparison to conventional concrete, ultra-high performance concrete may have a higher initial cost; nevertheless, the overall cost of using this innovative concrete technique is much lower. The amount of material that must be used for building projects, as well as the need for footing and support, are both lowered.
Applications of UHPC
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Accelerated Bridge Construction
To save money and reduce risks, Accelerated Bridge Construction employs prefabricated bridge sections in bridge replacement and repair. UHPC works well with the field-cast connections required by the ABC technique.
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Bridge girders
In bridges with short and medium spans, the bridge girders are the primary part of the structure that is utilised to support the bridge decks and the traffic loads. Because of its strength and longevity, UHPC is the material of choice here.
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Bridge decks
The adoption of prefabricated bridge decks manufactured from UHPC makes it possible for essential bridge sections to be changed in a timely manner. Both the inconvenience to traffic and the amount of work done on-site may be kept to a minimum with this solution.
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Seismic columns
UHPC is an excellent material for the construction of seismic components for bridges due to its high strength and long lifespan. This is a novel approach to the construction of bridge columns that are resistant to earthquakes.
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Tunnels
Because of its ability to resist fire and its high strength, UHPC has been suggested for use in the construction of tunnels. These are two characteristics that are particularly essential for this kind of building.
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Wind turbine towers
Wind energy is becoming an increasingly important source of electricity. The use of UHPC components enables the construction of wind turbine towers with greater height. This results in an increase in the amount of renewable energy that is generated by the towers.
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Highway infrastructure
The UHPC is the solution to the problems associated with the degradation, maintenance, and replacement of road infrastructure. Because of its long life and cheaper cost during its lifespan, it is the perfect method for repairing and replacing older roads and bridges in order to make them endure for longer.
Environmental impact of UHPC
Manufacturing cement is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In comparison to using four inches of prefabricated conventional concrete, just 5/8 inches of UHPC is needed for a building’s foundation, core, and shell, which provides a promising opportunity to significantly lessen the environmental effect of cement manufacturing in construction.
UHPC vs conventional concrete: How is it different?
Despite being intended to outperform “sidewalk” concrete, the standard concrete now used in bridge structures are susceptible to cracking and deterioration, mostly as a result of weathering of the embedded reinforcing bars. The longevity of UHPC is significantly increased. Due to the material’s increased strength, the building’s layout may be improved. UHPC buildings may be less difficult to erect and provide alternatives to the customary use of vast quantities of field-cast concrete.
FAQs
What is concrete?
Concrete is a mixture that is created by combining coarse aggregate, also known as rocks, with fine aggregate, sometimes known as sand, and Portland cement. When combined, the cement and the water are subjected to a reaction that results in the production of the adhesive that is responsible for holding the aggregates intact. The first stage of concrete is a semi-liquid state that may be shaped or put. As time passes, it transforms into a solid substance that is analogous to rock.
Why does UHPC perform so well?
The use of a significant quantity of energy-intensive materials, such as Portland cement or nanoscale steel fibres, is the primary mechanism by which ultra-high-performance composites attain their outstanding mechanical qualities. Because of its very high tensile strength, it is feasible to minimise the cross-sectional space of structures, and therefore, their overall weight.
How robust is UHPC?
The compressive strength of UHPC ranges anywhere from 18,000 to 35,000 psi. Tensile strength, often known as tension, is another kind of strength measurement. When you give anything a tug, you may get an idea of how powerful it is. In comparison, the tensile strength of conventional concrete ranges from 400 to 700 psi, whereas that of ultra-high performance concrete is around 1400 psi.
