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Optimized fire resistance of alkali-activated high-performance concrete by steel fiber

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Abstract

The behavior of alkali-activated ultra-high-performance concrete (A-UHPC) at elevated temperatures is unknown. This study addresses this gap by investigating the behavior of A-UHPC under varying temperatures with steel fiber additions (1%, 2%, and 3%), and considering target temperatures (20 °C, 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C) as design variables. As the results, A-UHPC with steel fibers showed improved fire resistance, suffering less compressive strength loss at 800 °C than fiber-free A-UHPC. High temperatures initially optimized A-UHPC’s microstructure at 200 °C but later caused damage through microstructure propagation. Steel fibers enhanced A-UHPC’s ductility, resulting in ductile failure even at 800 °C. A-UHPC exhibited a unique mechanical degradation pattern under elevated temperatures, distinct from ordinary cement-based concrete. Empirical models accurately predicted its behavior, offering valuable insights for engineers dealing with heavy loads and high temperatures.

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Acknowledgements

The project was supported by Open Fund of Hunan Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Construction of Fabricated Retaining Structures (22K02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Xiang Tan University College of Civil Engineering, Hunan Province, Yang Gu Tang Street, Xiang Tan, 411105, China

    Dong Wang, Baifu Luo, Junjie Deng, Qinqin Feng, Wei Zhang & Chengwei Deng

  2. Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, 97187, Luleå, Sweden

    Dong Wang, Rhoda Afriyie Mensah & Oisik Das

  3. Institute of Disaster Management, Ludovika University of Public Service, Ludovika Tér 2, Budapest, 1083, Hungary

    Agoston Restas, Sandor Racz & Judit Rauscher

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  1. Dong Wang
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  2. Baifu Luo
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Correspondence to Baifu Luo.

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Wang, D., Luo, B., Deng, J. et al. Optimized fire resistance of alkali-activated high-performance concrete by steel fiber. J Therm Anal Calorim (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-024-13238-w

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