This document discusses reactive powder concrete (RPC), an ultra-high strength and ductile cementitious composite material. RPC consists of portland cement, silica fume, crushed quartz, fine quartz sand, steel fibers and superplasticizers. It achieves high strength through optimizing particle packing and applying pressure. RPC has compressive strengths from 200-800 MPa, making it suitable for structural applications where high strength and ductility are required, such as nuclear containment structures and footbridges. Case studies demonstrate how RPC enables the construction of slender structures.

1. Reactive Powder Concrete
SUBMITTED BY
PROF.B D.KANAWADE

2. Content
Introduction
Components of RPC
Test And Properties
Application of pressure
Benefits And Applications of RPC
Case Studies
Conclusion
Reactive Powder Concrete

3. Introduction
What is RPC ?
Portland Cement Based Material
Compressive Strength 200Mpa-800Mpa
Microstructure is optimized by precise grading
particle
Silica fume and Steel Fiber
Ultra high strength&high ductility cementitious
composite material.
Reactive Powder Concrete

4. Principle
 Elimination of coarse aggregates for enhancement of
homogeneity.
 Utilization of the pozzolanic properties of silica fume.
 Optimization of the granular mixture for the
enhancement of compacted density.
 The optimal usage of superplasticiser to reduced w/b
and improves workability.
 Application of pressure (before and during setting) to
improve compaction.
 Post-set heat treatment for the enhancement of the
microstructure.
 Addition of small-sized steel fibers to improve ductility.
Reactive Powder Concrete

5. components
Fine quartz sand aggregate
Cement
Crushed quartz
Silica fume
Steel fiber (constitutes a special inclusion.)
Reactive Powder Concrete

6. sand
Sand selection parameters are
Mineral composition
Mean particle size(max-600micron; min-150
micron)
Granular range
Practical shape
Mixture ratio by weight
Reactive Powder Concrete

7. Cement &superplasticizers
Conventional quick setting high performance cement
Most efficient superplasticizers are polyacrylate based
dispersing agents
Reactive Powder Concrete

8. Silica fume
Main functions--
Filling the voids between larger class particles
Enhancement of rheological characteristics by the
lubrication effect resulting from the perfect
sphericity of the basic particles
Production of secondary hydrates by pozzolanic
reaction with the lime resulting from primary
hydration
Reactive Powder Concrete

9. Crushed quartz
Essential ingredient for heat treated RPC
Mean particle size is 10 micron
Max. reactivity during heat treating is obtained
Reactive Powder Concrete

10. Features
Microstructure Enhancement
After setting the concrete heat treating is done.
Ductility Enhancement
Steel aggregates of shorter fiber and irregular form
having size 3mm are used.
Reactive Powder Concrete

11. It has a potential to structurally compete with the steel.
It results in significant dead load reduction.
Limitless structural members shape.
This eliminates the need for supplemental shear and
other auxiliary steel.
It provides improve seismic performance by reducing
inertia loads.
It is having low and non-interconnected porosity.

12. Construction of nuclear power station
Security containers-nuclear waste containers.
Security for banks and computer centers.
Pipes for water, sewage and other liquids under high
pressure.
For high strength liners for tunnels and mining shafts.
For Architectural and technical floor panels.

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14. The Sherbrooke Footbridge was designed to take
advantage of the outstanding mechanical properties
of RPC. In order to obtain a minimum length to-
depth ratio of 197 to 10 ft (60 to 3 m). With the very
high compressive strength of RPC, it is possible to
design a relatively lightweight prestressed structure,
have it plant fabricated and assembled on site. To
bridge users, there is also the added benefit of
enhanced comfort due to low vibration. Because the
truss is lightweight and has high overall rigidity.

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16. Portland cement, active mineral powder, including high-
quality silica fume whose ratio surface exceeds 200,000
cm3/g, low-need water superfine fly ash, superplasticizers
that have good compatibility with cement, whose rate of
reducing water is above 32 percent, and quartz sands whose
grain size are 0.16 to 0.315 mm, 0.315 to 0.63 mm, 0.63 to 1.0
mm.

17. RPC is an emerging technology that lends a new
dimension to the term “High Performance Concrete”. It
has immense potential in construction due to its superior
mechanical and durability properties compared to
conventional high performance concrete, and could even
replace steel in some applications.

18. Reactive Powder Concrete
References
•Feylessoufi, F. Cohen Tenoudji, V. Morin, P. Richard,
“Early ages shrinkage mechanisms of ultra-high-
performance cement-based materials”, Cement and
Concrete Research, (2001), Vol. 37, pp. 1573-1579.
•A.S. Dili, M. Santhanam, “Investigation on Reactive
Powder Concrete: A developing ultra high-strength
technology”, Indian Concrete Journal, (2004), pp. 33-38.
• http://www.pci.org/pdf/journal/pedestrian_bridge.pdf

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