Durability Study of M₇₀ Grade Structural Concrete

Abstract

The scientists are mainly concentrating to develop the specialized concretes, to enhance the service life of the buildings and to provide satisfactory performance under aggressive environments. With the powerful dispersion capability and flexibility in molecular design, PC admixtures enable the production of concrete at low water–cement ratio with high workability. The durability problems of reinforced cement–concrete structures and the increasing use of concrete in exposure like sea water and acidic environment are creating new demands on the concrete material. This research work intended to develop M₇₀ grade structural concrete using chemical admixture only. M₇₀ grade structural concrete was casted, cured and tested by performing experiments like compression test (150-mm-diameter and 300-mm-height cylinders and on 150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm size cubes), ultrasonic pulse velocity test and flexural strength test (150 mm × 150 mm × 700 mm size beams), split tensile test (150 mm diameter × 300 mm height cylinders), sorptivity test (100-mm-diameter, 50-mm-thickness specimen), sea water and acid attack test (150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm size cubes) and accelerated corrosion test (100-mm-diameter and 200-mm-height cylinders). Results showed that M₇₀ grade structural concrete possesses better durability properties and can be better improved by suitable addition of mineral admixture/admixtures.