The mechanical properties of concrete based mainly on flexural and compressive bearing capacity. Generally, researchers have an interest in the evaluation of compression property through the importance of the flexural performance of the material in the constructions, namely the significance of each mechanical property based upon the position of the structural element. The present experimentally work is directed toward improving the flexural strengths performance of ordinary hardened cement paste (HCP) at ambient and after elevated temperatures exposure. The used parameters were different pozzolanic materials with different replacements ratios to cement mass and different levels of temperature. Results proved the significant contribution of pozzolanic material to enhance the flexural properties of HCP after being exposed to elevated temperatures. The low content of CaO, the high grinding fineness, and the physical morphology of the used pozzolanic materials, made their adoption effective to HCP after exposure to elevated temperatures. Using 3%, 12%, and 15% of silica fume (SF), metakaolin (MK), and fly ash (FA), respectively, showed the highest heat endurance among the other replacements. However, the optimum replacement of MK has shown a better heat endurance than the optimum replacements of SF and FA. On the other hand, the spalling has occurred at high replacements of SF. Finally, the results are supported by means of thermo-gravimetric, SEM, and computed tomography investigations.

This paper presents a wide experimental study, in which it evaluates the performance of high-strength paste exposed to elevated temperatures up to 900 °C. Several factors have been investigated at the age of 90 days, i.e. metakaolin (MK) dosages, water to binder ratio (w/b) as well as elevated temperatures. Results proved that MK improves the relative residual compressive strength and relative residual bending strength showing a gain up to 52% and of 71% at 500 °C, respectively, compared to the pure cement paste in case of 0.3 w/b. The maximum use of MK is not more than 12%, and the optimum dosages were 9, 12, and 12% of MK replacements for 0.3, 0.35, and 0.4 w/b, respectively. The optimum dosage could change with changing w/b ratio and this up to the density of the microstructure which is controlled by the amount of w/b ratio and the packing effect of MK amount. In addition to the mechanical properties, the adoption of MK decreases the cracking of the specimens at elevated temperatures. SEM investigations show the positive physical morphology contribution of MK, specific surface area as well as its chemical composition for decreasing the Ca(OH) 2 effect. Different phases that formed during temperatures elevation are illustrated by TG analysis. Results showed the reason behind using MK on the cracking enhancement and mechanical properties improvement after high temperatures exposure. Meanwhile, the obtained optimum MK dosages at ambient temperature are not similar to that obtained at elevated temperatures.

The effects of elevated temperatures on the properties of high-strength cement paste (HSCP) based on metakaolin (MK), silica fume (SF), and fly ash (FA) were studied in the current experimental research. The resistance of HSCP against elevated temperatures was evaluated as well. The new method is expressed by the total area under each curve of strength, known as “temperature resistance”, is adopted. Results of the HSCP mixtures containing MK, SF, and FA with replacements ratios of 9%, 6% and 15% have shown excellent temperature resistance at all levels of maximum temperatures, respectively. Properties added to HSCP by these supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) such as decreasing the amount of CaO and increasing the amounts of SiO2 and Al2O3 have minimized the harmful effects of the use of pure ordinary Portland cement (OPC) at elevated temperatures. The results have shown also that the grinding fineness of OPC influences the amount of optimum replacement of the used SCM on HSCP at elevated temperatures. Hence, the amount of optimum replacement of MK blended with CEM I 42.5 N was 9% whereas, the amount of optimum replacement of MK blended with CEM I 52.5 N shifted to 3%. Finally, the fineness of cement of 4500 cm2 g−1 has shown a better-elevated temperature resistance compared to the cement with a fineness of 4000 cm2 g−1 in case of using pure OPC.

No abstract

No abstract