This report details the laboratory developmental work on producing performance concrete for highway applications. High performance concrete (HPC) is defined as concrete with much higher early strength and greatly enhanced durability against freezing and thawing in comparison with conventional concrete. Very early strength (VES) concrete is one of the three categories of HPC investigated in this program. The objective is to obtain information on the mechanical behavior of VES concrete. The laboratory investigation consisted of tests for both the fresh or plastic concrete and the hardened concrete. Tests for the plastic concrete included slump, air content, unit weight, and concrete temperature, and the results of these tests are presented in volume 2 of this report series 'Production of high performance concrete'. The laboratory tests for the hardened concrete include compression tests for strength and modulus of elasticity, tension tests for tensile strength, flexural strength, and tensile strain capacity; freezing-thawing tests for durability factor; shrinkage tests; rapid chloride permeability tests; tests for AC impedence; and tests for concrete-to-concrete bond. The results of the laboratory work indicated that VES concretes with enhanced frost resistance can be succesfully produced in the laboratory and utilized in the field for highway pavements.
Samenvatting