FIRE RESISTING PERFORMANCE OF REACTIVE POWDER CONCRETE

Abstract

Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is a form of Ultra High Performance Concrete that exhibits exceptional compressive strength. The composition integrates high silica content for enhanced packing. Furthermore, the addition of steel fibers limits crack propagation and improves ductility and durability. It also possesses very small grain sizes of sand and eliminates coarse aggregates in its mixture. Autoclaving hastens the curing of concrete and improves its properties in a short period of time. RPC that undergo autoclave curing has proven to have enhanced mechanical properties as reported in recent literature. Concrete is regarded to have excellent fire resistance compared to other structural materials. Recent studies show that compressive strength is inversely proportional to fire endurance and water-cement ratio, thus, making RPC more prone to fire induced damages as compared to Normal Strength Concrete (NSC). This study presents the performance of RPC columns after fire. Parameters such as steel fiber volume fraction and integration of polypropylene fibers are regarded in this study. Spalling of concrete and failure mode of columns have been investigated. It was found out that the increase of volume fraction of steel fibers and incorporation of polypropylene fibers enhances the performance of RPC in terms of spalling and fire resistance. However, without additional fire proofing, RPC was found to be vulnerable against fire.