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CHAPTER 17

High-Performance Concrete
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High-performance concrete (HPC) exceeds the properties
and constructability of normal concrete. Normal and special materials are used to make these specially designed
concretes that must meet a combination of performance
requirements. Special mixing, placing, and curing practices may be needed to produceand handle high-performance concrete. Extensive performance tests are usually
required to demonstrate compliance with specific project
needs (ASCE 1993, Russell 1999, and Bickley and Mitchell
2001). High-performance concrete has been primarily used
in tunnels, bridges, and tall buildings for its strength, durability, and high modulus of elasticity (Fig. 17-1). It has also
been used inshotcrete repair, poles, parking garages, and
agricultural applications.
High-performance concrete characteristics are developed for particular applications and environments; some
of the properties that may be required include:

High modulus of elasticity
High abrasion resistance
High durability and long life in severe environments
Low permeability and diffusion
Resistance to chemical attackHigh resistance to frost and deicer scaling damage
Toughness and impact resistance
Volume stability
Ease of placement
Compaction without segregation
Inhibition of bacterial and mold growth

High-performance concretes are made with carefully
selected high-quality ingredients and optimized mixture
designs; these are batched, mixed, placed, compacted and
cured to the highest industrystandards. Typically, such
concretes will have a low water-cementing materials ratio
of 0.20 to 0.45. Plasticizers are usually used to make
these concretes fluid and
workable.
H igh-performance
concrete almost always
has a higher strength
than normal concrete.
However, strength is not
always the primary required property. For example, a normal strength
concrete with very high
durability andvery low
permeability is considered to have highperformance properties.
Bickley and Fung (2001)
demonstrated that 40
MPa (6,000 psi) highperformance concrete for
bridges could be economically made while

• High strength
• High early strength

Fig. 17-1. High-performance concrete is often
used in bridges (left) and tall buildings (right).
(70017, 70023)
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Design and Control ofConcrete Mixtures

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EB001

Table 17-1. Materials Used in High-Performance Concrete
Material
Portland cement
Blended cement
Fly ash
Slag
Silica fume
Calcined clay
Metakaolin
Calcined shale
Superplasticizers
High-range water reducers
Hydration control admixtures
Retarders
Accelerators
Corrosion inhibitors
Water reducers
Shrinkage reducers
ASR inhibitors
Polymer/latex modifiersOptimally graded aggregate

Primary contribution/Desired property
Cementing material/durability
Cementing material/durability/high strength
Cementing material/durability/high strength
Cementing material/durability/high strength
Cementing material/durability/high strength
Cementing material/durability/high strength
Cementing material/durability/high strength
Cementingmaterial/durability/high strength
Flowability
Reduce water to cement ratio
Control setting
Control setting
Accelerate setting
Control steel corrosion
Reduce cement and water content
Reduce shrinkage
Control alkali-silica reactivity
Durability
Improve workability and reduce paste demand

meeting durability factors for air-void system and resistance to chloride penetration.
Table 17-1 lists materialsoften used in
high-performance concrete and why they
are selected. Table 17-2 lists properties that
can be selected for high-performance concrete. Not all properties can be achieved at
the same time. High-performance concrete
specifications ideally should be performance oriented. Unfortunately, many specifications are a combination of performance
requirements (such as permeability or...