Tensile Behavior of Reactive Powder Concrete

Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is a new generation of Ultra High Performance Concrete, which provides a combination of ductility, durability and high strength. RPC is a fiber reinforced, superplasticized, silica fume - cement system with improved homogeneity because ordinary coarse aggregate are replaced by very fine quartz sand (0.15-0.6mm). One of the primary benefits of RPC is that it can exhibit significant tensile strength and toughness. RPC requires mechanical models capable of taking tensile behavior into account for structural application to enable the material to be fully exploited. This study involves experimental and theoretical contribution to the understanding of the tensile and bending behavior of RPC. Some mechanical properties of RPC which are particularly required as input data for structural design were investigated. A simple and accurate equation for prediction of nominal bending moment capacity of plain and singly reinforced rectangular RPC sections is derived which shows good agreement with the flexural test results performed in the present research and some previous investigations on RPC beams.