Preparation and Color Performance of White Ultra-High-Performance Concrete with Large Fraction of Quaternary Binders

Abstract

White ultra-high-performance concrete (WUHPC) performed outstanding mechanical, durability, and aesthetical properties, which was preferred in infrastructure to avoid the secondary painting, decrease the maintenance, and prolong the service life. Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) were often used in WUHPC to reduce the environment impacts and material costs. In this study, limestone powder (LP), metakaolin (MK), and silica fume (SF) were used as SCMs to largely substitute white Portland cement (WPC) to prepare WUHPC, the effects of substituted ratio on flowability, strength, and whiteness were studied, and the hydration products were also analyzed by quantitative-XRD method and SEM. The whiteness was calculated in chromatic space CIELAB by measuring tristimulus values of L, a*, and b*, and the controlled factor on whiteness was also investigated. As the results, the WUHPC with compressive strength exceeded 150 MPa and whiteness over 90 was prepared with WPC substitution of 35~65%. The SF improved the flowability and strength about 10% due to its filling and ball effect, while the irregular particle sharp and non-uniform size distribution of MK caused the reversed development. The increased dosage of raw materials with higher L value, such as LP and MK, made the WUHPC whiter. The hydration products with varied SCMs ratio were in the same category by different content. It was supposed that CaCO3 and C-S-H gel in hydration products caused higher whiteness, while C3S, CaMg(CO3)2, and SiO2 were against the whiteness. The results proved that with a large fraction of SCMs, the WUHPC with high strength and good appearance were prepared, and the whiteness of WUHPC were both controlled by the raw materials and the content of hydration products.