Comparative study of compressive creep behavior of concrete with metakaolin or silica fume

Abstract

The use of High Performance Concrete (HPC) in specific applications, such as tall buildings or prestressed concrete, causes a creep of the concrete. The durability of the building could be reduced because of a too important deformation of the concrete. Most HPC are cast with silica fume, therefore data on creep properties exist. According to literature, the use of silica fume allows a decrease in the creep amplitude. Metakaolin is another cementitious addition which can be used in the case of HPC. However, to the authors’ knowledge the work on creep of concrete based on metakaolin is nearly nonexistent. The aim of this work was to improve the knowledge on creep of concrete based on metakaolin, especially when compared with concrete based on silica fume. This work allowed measuring the delayed deformation of concrete containing and comparing it with control concrete based on silica fume properties. In order to study the evolution of the materials induced by the creep, compressive strength and Young modulus tests were conducted. Finally, in order to improve the understanding of the creep deformation phenomena, a comparative study of drying kinetic.