Advantages of High Performance Concrete

There are several advantages of high performance concrete (HPC) application in building
construction which are not achievable using conventional concrete.

The strength, durability, resistance to chemical attack, and workability of high

performance concrete are high. So, high performance concrete is superior to ordinary
concrete in all properties.

High performance concrete is defined as “A concrete which meets special performance

and uniformity requirements that cannot always be achieved routinely by using only
conventional materials and normal mixing, placing and curing practices”, as per ACI 363.

Advantages of High Performance Concrete

The advantages of using high strength high performance concretes often balance the
increase in material cost. The following are the major advantages that can be
accomplished.

1. Ease of placement and consolidation without influencing strength.

2. Reduce the size of structural members which lead to the increase of usable area.
Consequently, concrete volume is cut.
3. The size of structural members like beams and columns are reduced since smaller sections
are enough to carry high loads.
4. Reduction in the thickness of floor slabs and supporting beam sections which are a major
component of the weight and cost of the majority of structures.
5. The reduction in smaller structural members such as beams, columns, and slabs lead to the
decline in self-weight and super-imposed dead load. As a result, smaller foundation size is
needed which reduce the cost significantly.
6. Higher seismic resistance compares with conventional concrete.
7. High abrasion resistance
8. Formwork area and its cost are reduced.
9. Shoring and stripping time is decreased because of high early strength gain of high
performance concrete.
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 10. Construction of high rise buildings with the accompanying savings in real estate costs in
congested areas.
11. Longer spans and fewer beams for the same magnitude of loading. That is why the use of
high performance concrete in bridge construction is inevitable.
12. Reduced axial shortening of compression supporting members.
13. Number of supports and hence foundations are reduced due to the ability of high performance
concrete to span for longer distances.
14. Increase life span of the structure in severe environments
15. Superior long-term service performance under static, dynamic and fatigue loading.
16. Low creep and shrinkage.
17. Greater stiffness as a result of a higher modulus.
18. High resistance to freezing and thawing, chemical attack, significantly improve long-term
durability, and crack propagation.
19. Reduced maintenance and repairs.
20. Smaller depreciation as a fixed cost.

Fig. 1: Joigny Bridge Built Using High Performance Concrete

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Applications of High Performance Concrete in Civil Engineering
High-strength concrete and high-performance concrete are not synonymous
because strength and performance of concrete are different properties of concrete.
High-strength concrete is defined based on its compressive strength at a given age
whereas high-performance concrete is defined based on performance criteria namely:
high durability, high strength, and high workability.
High-performance concrete is defined as a concrete that meets special combination of
performance and uniformity requirements that cannot always be achieved routinely using
conventional constituents and normal mixing, placing, and curing practice. However,
high strength concrete is defined as concrete that has a compressive strength of 55MPa or
higher, as per ACI Code.

The use of high-performance concrete has overcome many problems observed in

conventional concrete like less durability, weaker transition zone (aggregate-cement
interface), low resistance to chemical attack and difficulty in repair and retrofitting
works. High strength concrete has been used in the construction of many structures to
decrease the size of members, reduce dead load, and decline cost and construction
materials.

Table 1 Difference between High-Performance Concrete and High Strength

Concrete
High-Performance High-Strength
Items
Concrete Concrete

Definition High-performance High strength concrete

concrete is defined as is defined as concrete
concrete meeting that has compressive
special combinations of 55 MPa or greater.
of performance and
uniformity
requirements that
cannot always be
achieved routinely

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 when using
conventional
constituents and
normal mixing, placing
and curing practices, as
per ACI Code.

Chemical resistant High-Strength

concrete, early drying Concrete (50 – 100
concrete, ultra-water MPa), ultra-High
Types    resistant concrete, heat Strength Concrete
resistant concrete, and (100 – 150 MPa),
impact and abrasion especial Concrete (>
resistant concrete. 150 MPa)

It has high strength

but does not
High strength,
Strength necessarily possess
modulus of elastic, low
criteria superior characteristic
creep and shrinkage
as high-performance
concrete

Resist scaling, freezing

Durability of high
and thawing, chloride
Durability strength is commonly
and carbonation, and
criteria improved by adding
prohibit bacterial and
pozzolanic materials
mold growth

Low ductility but can

Ductility be improved by adding It is brittle
steel fibers

Cement, fine
aggregate, coarse
aggregate, water,
Cement, fine and
mineral admixtures;
coarse aggregate; fine
fine filler and/or
aggregates with higher
pozzolanic
fineness modulus of
Compositions supplementary
around 3 is
cementation materials,
recommended, water,
chemical admixtures;
water reducing
plasticizers,
admixtures
superplasticizers,
retarders, air-
entraining agents)
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 It is sensitive to
changes in constituent
material properties,
High quality control is
Degree of hence great degree of
needed in order to
quality control quality control is
maintain the special
requirements required for the
properties desired.
successful production
of high-performance
concrete.

High-strength
concrete is achieved at
low water to cement
ratio which is
obtained by adding
water reducing
High-performance
plasticizer or high
concrete is produced
range water reducing
by careful selection of
plasticizer. It is also
raw materials such
Production of essential to select a
chemical admixtures
concrete high-quality Portland
and appropriate mix
cement, and optimize
design to achieve the
aggregates, then
desired performance
optimize the
objectives.  
combination of
materials by varying
the proportions of
cement, water,
aggregates, and
admixtures.

Placement would not

Easy to pour and can
Placement and be easy unless
be compacted without
compaction superplasticizer is
segregation.
used

Advantages For advantage of high- Reduce maintenance

performance concrete and repair, decline
please click here. size of members and
cost of formworks,
allow longer spans in
bridge and hence
decrease number of
vertical supports, and
permits construction

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 of thinner slabs.

Need extensive quality Low resistance to fire

control, costly, need i.e. damage at high
special constituents, temperature, and need
Disadvantages
and need to be great expertise in
manufactured and selection of
placed careful. constituents.

For applications of
Applications high-performance
concrete please

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 There are several applications of high-performance concrete in the field of civil
engineering due to its superior properties such as high strength and good durability.

The high-performance concrete has been used in the construction of bridges, hydropower
structures, pavements, bridges, high-density radiation shielding, mass concrete projects,
offshore platforms noise and vibration dampening, tunnels, and high-rise structures.

Contents: [hide]
 High-Performance Concrete Applications in Civil Engineering Constructions
o 1. High Rise Structures
o 2. Bridges
o 3. Highway Pavements
o 4. Hydropower Structures
o 5. Miscellaneous Applications

High-Performance Concrete Applications in Civil

Engineering Constructions
1. High Rise Structures
The use of high-performance concrete in the constructions of high-rise buildings leads to
the reduction of dead load, deflection, vibration, and maintenance concrete.

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 Fig. 1: High-performance Concrete Used in Tall
Building

2. Bridges
The use of high-performance concrete in the construction of bridge structures provides
several structural improvements. For instance, it improves the durability of the structures
and hence increases their life span.

Moreover, longer span prestressed concrete girders can be constructed when high-
performance concrete is employed. This is because such concrete results in a smaller loss
in pre-stress and consequently larger permissible stress and smaller cross-section being
achieved.

Furthermore, the construction of smaller sizes of structural elements leads to weight

reduction, and hence handling would be economical. The chloride resistance of the
structure is enhanced because of the use of pozzolanic materials such as silica fume and
fly ash.

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Fig. 2: High-performance Concrete Used in Flyover Construction

3. Highway Pavements
Application of high-performance concrete in highway pavements is greatly advantageous
due to the potential economic benefits that can be derived from the early strength gain of
high-performance concrete, reduced permeability, improved abrasion resistance to steel
studded tires, and enhanced freeze-thaw durability. The high-performance concrete can
also be used to repair damaged pavement since it can be put into service quickly.

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 Fig. 3: Highway Construction Using
High-performance Concrete

4. Hydropower Structures
High-performance concrete has been used for lining spillway, diversion tunnel, headrace
tunnel, slit flushing tunnel, tailrace tunnel to increase the performance of these structures
in handling high velocities of water and a large amount of silt. The use of High-
Performance concrete has resulted in lesser repairs, on one hand, and increased
durability, on the other hand.

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Fig. 4: Construction of Spillway Using High Performance Concrete

5. Miscellaneous Applications
Steel fibers can be added to high-performance concrete to improve mechanical properties
such as dynamic and static tensile strength, energy abrasion and toughness, and fatigue
resistance.

Fiber-reinforced concrete has been employed in several applications, for example-

pavement overlays, floor slabs, thin shells, rock slope stabilization, and many precast
products.

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