FRACTURE OF HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE : Implications for Structural Applications

Structural properties of reinforced concrete, such as bond and shear strength, that depend on the tensile properties of concrete are much lower for high-strength concrete than would be expected based on relationships developed for normal-strength concretes. To determine the reason for this behavior, studies at the University of Kansas have addressed the effects of aggregate type, water-cementitious material ratio, and age on the mechanical and fracture properties of normal and high-strength concretes. The relationships between compressive strength, flexural strength, and fracture properties were studied. At the time of test, concrete ranged in age from 5 to 180 days. Water-cementitious material ratios ranged from 0.24 to 0.50, producing compressive strengths between 20 MPa(2, 920 psi) and 99 MPa(14, 320psi). Mixes contained either basalt or crushed limestone aggregate, with maximum sizes of 12mm(1/2in). or 19mm(3/4in). The tests demonstrate that the higher quality basalt coarse aggregate provides higher strengths in compression than limestone only for the high-strength concrete, but measurably higher strengths in flexure, and significantly higher fracture energies than the limestone coarse aggregate at all water-cementitious material ratios and ages. Compressive strength, water-cementitious material ratio, and age have no apparent relationship with fracture energy, which is principally governed by coarse aggregate properties. The peak bending stress in the fracture test is linearly related to flexural strength. Overall, as concrete strength increases, the amount of energy stored in the material at the peak tensile load increases, but the ability of the material to dissipate energy remains nearly constant. This suggests that, as higher strength cementitious materials are placed in service, the probability of nonductile failures will measurably increase. Both research and educational effort will be needed to develop strategies to limit the probability of brittle failures and inform the design community of the nature of the problems associated with high-strength concrete.