A Review on Raw Materials and Curing Methods Applied in Production of Ultra High Performance Concrete

Abstract

Ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) refers to cement based materials exhibiting high compressive strength, tensile strength and excellent durability. This paper reviews the raw materials and curing methods currently applied in UHPC manufacturing process. Raw materials, preparation techniques and curing methods have significant influence on properties of UHPC. The use of very high cement content, high strength cement and silica fume may improve the strength and compactness but increase the production cost. The use of high temperature curing leads to denser microstructure and better performance than room temperature curing and water curing do, but obviously limits its application of UHPC. Thus, preparation of UHPC using widely and locally available raw materials such as ordinary Portland cement CEM Type 1 42.5N and common technology such as room temperature curing are trends in production of UHPC.