High Performance Concrete

1. What is High Performance Concrete?

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) defines high-performance concrete
as concrete meeting special combinations of performance and uniformity
requirements that cannot always be achieved routinely when using
conventional constituents and normal mixing, placing and curing practices.
A high-performance concrete is something which demands much higher
performance from concrete as compared to performance expected
from routine concrete.
2. What are the typical performance parameters of High-Performance
Concrete?
The High Performance Concrete is normally designed for parameters (one
or more) falling under the Srength criterion or/and under the Durabilty
criterion, as tabulated below:Strength Criteria

Durability Criteria

Compressive Strength

Freeze-Thaw

Modulus of Elasticity

Scaling

Shrinkage

Abrasion

Creep

Chloride Permeability

Specification for High Performance Concrete often requires the concrete to

meet several criteria.
3. What is the degree of quality control requirement for High
Performance Concrete?
High-performance concretes are also more sensitive to changes in
constituent material properties than conventional concretes. This means
that a greater degree of quality control is required for the successful
production of high-performance concrete.
4. How is High Performance Concrete obtained in practice?
By careful selection of raw materials (including chemical/mineral
admixtures) & appropriate mix design to achieve the desired performance
objectives.
Most high-performance concretes have a high cementitious content and a
water-cementitious material ratio of 0.40 or less.
5. What are the benefits of High Performance Concrete?
High Performance Concrete (HPC) is designed to provide several benefits
in the construction of concrete structures as tabulated below:
Performance Benefits

ease of placement and

consolidation without
affecting strength
long-term mechanical
properties
early high strength
toughness
volume stability
longer life in severe
environments

Cost & Other Benefits

less material
fewer beams
reduced maintenance
extended life cycle
aesthetics

6. Is High Performance Concrete same as High Strength Concrete?

No.
A high-strength concrete is always a high-performance concrete, but a

high-performance concrete is not always a high-strength concrete.

High Strength Concrete

1. What is High Strength Concrete?
ACI defines a high-strength concrete as concrete that has a specified
compressive strength for design of 6,000 psi (41 MPa) or greater.

It should be noted that the definition of high strength concretes is continually

developing. In the 1950s 34MPs was considered high strength, and in the
1960s compressive strengths of up to 52MPa were being used
commercially. More recently, compressive strengths approaching 138 MPa
have
been
used
in
cast-in-place
buildings. Two
buildings
in Seattle,Washington, contain concrete with a compressive strength of
19,000 psi (131 MPa).
2. What is the difference between High Strength Concrete and
theNormal Concrete?
The primary difference between high-strength concrete and normal-strength
concrete relates to the compressive strength that refers to the maximum
resistance of a concrete sample to applied pressure. Although there is no
precise point of separation between high-strength concrete and normalstrength concrete, the American Concrete Institute defines high-strength
concrete as concrete with a compressive strength greater than 6000 psi (41
MPa).
3. How is High Strength Concrete obtained in practice?
Manufacture of high-strength concrete involves making optimal use of the
basic ingredients that constitute normal-strength concrete. Producers of
high-strength concrete know what factors affect compressive strength and
know how to manipulate those factors to achieve the required strength. In
addition to selecting a high-quality portland cement, producers optimize
aggregates, then optimize the combination of materials by varying the
proportions of cement, water, aggregates, and admixtures.
When selecting aggregates for high-strength concrete, producers consider
the strength of the aggregate, the optimum size of the aggregate, the bond
between the cement paste and the aggregate, and the surface
characteristics of the aggregate. Any of these properties could limit the
ultimate strength of high-strength concrete.
Admixtures: Pozzolans, such as fly ash and silica fume, are the most
commonly used mineral admixtures in high-strength concrete. These
materials impart additional strength to the concrete by reacting with portland
cement hydration products to create additional C-S-H gel, the part of the
paste responsible for concrete strength.
It would be difficult to produce high-strength concrete mixtures without using
chemical admixtures. A common practice is to use a superplasticizer in
combination with a water-reducing retarder. The superplasticizer gives the
concrete adequate workability at low water-cement ratios, leading to
concrete with greater strength. The water-reducing retarder slows the
hydration of the cement and allows workers more time to place the
concrete.
4. What is the main application area of High Strength Concrete?
High-strength concrete is specified where reduced weight is important
or where architectural considerations call for small support elements.
By carrying loads more efficiently than normal-strength concrete, highstrength concrete also reduces the total amount of material placed and
lowers the overall cost of the structure.
High-strength concrete columns can hold more weight and therefore be

made slimmer than regular strength concrete columns, which allows for
more useable space, especially in the lower floors of buildings.
High Strength Concrete are also used in other engineering strucures
likebridges.
5. Is High Strength Concrete same as High Performance Concrete?
No.
A high-strength concrete is always a high-performance concrete, but a highperformance concrete is not always a high-strength concrete.