One of the primary concerns about the design aspects is that how to deal with the shear reinforcement in the ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) beam. This study aims to investigate the shear behavior of UHPFRC rectangular cross sectional beams with fiber volume fraction of 1.5 % considering a spacing of shear reinforcement. Shear tests for simply supported UHPFRC beams were performed. Test results showed that the steel fibers substantially improved of the shear resistance of the UHPFRC beams. Also, shear reinforcement had a synergetic effect on enhancement of ductility. Even though the spacing of shear reinforcement exceeds the spacing limit recommended by current design codes (ACI 318-14), shear strength of UHPFRC beam was noticeably greater than current design codes. Therefore, the spacing limit of 0.75d can be allowed for UHPFRC beams.

For optimum production of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), the material and microstructural properties of UHPC cured under various heat treatment (HT) conditions are studied. The effects of HT temperature and duration on the hydration reaction, microstructure, and mechanical properties of UHPC are investigated. Increasing HT temperature accelerates both cement hydration and pozzolanic reaction, but the latter is more significantly affected. This accelerated pozzolanic reaction in UHPC clearly enhances compressive strength. However, strength after the HT becomes stable as most of the hydration finishes during the HT period. Particularly, it was concluded that the mechanical benefit of the increased temperature and duration on the 28 day-strength is not noticeable when the HT temperature is above 60 °C (with a 48 h duration) or the HT duration is longer than 12 h (with 90 °C temperature). On the other hand, even with a minimal HT condition such as 1 day at 60 °C or 12 h at 90 °C, outstanding compressive strength of 179 MPa and flexural tensile strength of 49 MPa are achieved at 28 days. Microstructural investigation conducted herein suggests that portlandite content can be a good indicator for the mechanical performance of UHPC regardless of its HT curing conditions. These findings can contribute to reducing manufacturing energy consumption, cost, and environmental impact in the production of UHPC and be helpful for practitioners to better understand the effect of HT on UHPC and optimize its production.

Sandwich panels comprising prefabricated ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) composites can be used as eco-friendly and multi-functional structural elements. To improve the structural and thermal...

This paper presents the structural performance of jacketed concrete columns subjected to cyclic lateral loading using ultrahigh-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) with various advantages as construction materials of high strength and durability with self-compacting. The UHPFRC jacketing with/without textile reinforcement for concrete columns for the seismic retrofitting demonstrates its strengthening efficiency and reduction of jacket thickness through the experimental program in this study. Especially, textile-reinforced UHPFRC (TR-UHPFRC) jacketing has enhanced ductility compared with that of UHPFRC jacketing by changing critical failure crack patterns in jackets. The satisfactory interface shear strength between UHPFRC jackets and substrate concrete of columns was confirmed by a series of slant shear test programs provided that required roughness on substrate with moisture were prepared according to current design guidelines. This study also investigates the effects of discontinuity of tension forces in jackets at the floor level of columns on shear load paths, which are intended to alleviate jacketing construction for columns in existing buildings as a member intervention technique. Shears and axial forces induced in jacketed columns under lateral loading are mainly resisted by compression forces in diagonal struts through the jacket with substrate concrete columns and are explained by arch actions for enhancement of shear strength after jacketing.

The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) mixed with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (UHPC/CNT composites) having a thickness of 200 mm in the frequency range of 10 kHz to 18 GHz was investigated according to IEEE-STD-299 for the first time. In addition, the effect of the size of the incident area on the SE was analyzed by comparing the SE results for two different incident areas: a small incident area of 300 W 300 mm2 and a large incident area of 1200 W 1200 mm2. A significant improvement in the SE of the UHPC/CNT composite was achieved by increasing the CNT content up to the percolation threshold. Experimental observations indicated that the small incident area caused a distortion of the SE in the magnetic field owing to the aperture effect, whereas it had little effect on the SE for a plane wave. Thus, to eliminate the effect of the aperture on the measurement of the SE for UHPC/CNT composites in a magnetic field, an incident area larger than 1200 × 1200 mm2 is recommended. According to a statistical analysis of the experimental results, a practical model was proposed to estimate the SE of cementitious material for different frequency ranges.

The objective of this study is to develop and characterize kaolinite clay-based structural mortar. The pozzolanic reaction induced from two mineral additives, i.e., calcium hydroxide and silica fume (SF), and the physical filling effect from SF, were found to be effective on the enhancement of structural properties. Based on several preliminary experiments, 7:3 ratio of kaolinite clay/calcium hydroxide was selected as a basic binder. Then, the amount of SF was chosen as 0%, 7.5%, and 15% of the total binder to consider both the chemical and physical effects. The results showed that compressive strengths of samples with 7.5% and 15% SF are significantly increased by approximately 200% and 350%, respectively, at 28 days compared to the sample without SF. However, based on the results of the sample with 15% SF, it is found that excessive addition of SF causes long-term strength loss, possibly owing to micro cracks. With the careful consideration on this long-term behavior, this suggested new mix design can be further extended to develop sustainable structural materials using natural minerals or waste materials with nonbinding properties.