Mechanical properties of steam cured high-strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete with high-volume blast furnace slag

Abstract

In this study, the effects of water-to-binder (W/B) ratio and replacement ratio of blast furnace slag (BFS) on the compressive strength of concrete were first investigated to determine an optimized mixture. Then, using the optimized high-strength concrete (HSC) mixture, hooked steel fibers with various aspect ratios and volume fractions were used as additives and the resulting mechanical properties under compression and flexure were evaluated. Test results indicated that replacement ratios of BFS from 50 to 60% were optimal in maximizing the compressive strength of steam-cured HSCs with various W/B ratios. The use of hooked steel fibers with the aspect ratio of 80 led to better mechanical performance under both compression and flexure than those with the aspect ratio of 65. By increasing the fiber aspect ratio from 65 to 80, the hooked steel fiber volume content could be reduced by 0.25% without any significant deterioration of energy absorption capacity. Lastly, complete material models of steel-fiber-reinforced HSCs were proposed for structural design from Lee's model and the RILEM TC 162-TDF recommendations.