Reactive Powder Concrete: Durability and Applications

Abstract

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is an ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) developed years ago by Bouygues, with the aim to build strong, durable, and sustainable structures. Some differences can be underlined between the RPC and high-performance concrete (HPC); that is to say, RPC exhibits higher compressive and flexural strength, higher toughness, lower porosity, and lower permeability compared to HPC. Microstructural observations confirm that silica fume enhances the fiber–matrix interfacial characteristics, particularly in fiber pullout energy. This paper reviews the reported literature on RPC, and it offers a comparison between RPC and HPC. Therefore, some RPC potential applications may be inferred. For instance, some examples of footbridges and structural repair applications are given. Experimental measurements on air permeability, porosity, water absorption, carbonation rate, corrosion rate, and resistivity are evidence of the better performance of RPC over HPC. When these ultra-high-performance concretes are reinforced with discontinuous, short fibers, they exhibit better tensile strain-hardening performance.