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Internal curing with superabsorbent polymers (SAP) is a method for promoting hydration of cement and limiting self-desiccation, shrinkage and cracking in highperformance, and ultra high-performance concrete with low water-to-binder ratio. SAP are introduced in the dry state during mixing and form water-filled inclusions by absorbing pore solution. The absorbed solution is later released to the cement paste during hydration of the cement. In this paper, cement pastes with low water-tobinder ratios incorporating superplasticizer and different dosages of SAP and corresponding additional water were prepared. Reference cement pastes without SAP but with the same amount of water and superplasticizer were also mixed. Isothermal calorimetry was used to measure hydration heat flow. Water entrainment by means of SAP increased the degree of hydration at later hydration times in a manner similar to increasing the water-to-binder ratio. Addition of SAP also delayed the main calorimetric hydration peak compared to the reference pastes, however, in a less prominent manner than the increase in water-tocement ratio.

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The article discusses possibilities for use fine ground glass obtained from fluorescent lamp utilisation as micro filler in High Performance Concrete (HPC). Investigated mix compositions are based on silica fume (SF) and SF combination with glass powder. Testing results indicates that replacing silica fume by additionally ground fluorescent glass (up to 50%) slightly increasing consumption of water and delaying setting time of cement paste. All HPC mixes with glass powder showing decreased early-age strength and considerable strength gain after long-term hardening. It is concluded, that the best way of glass application in HPC is use fine ground glass powder together with silica fume as complex admixture.

The combination of low clinker high-performance concrete (LCHPC) and ultra-high modulus (UHM) carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) tendons was recently proposed for prestressed structural elements. The 70% reduction in cement content resulting in limited creep and shrinkage of the LCHPC in comparison to a conventional high-performance concrete (HPC) and the very high UHM-CFRP tendon stiffness (> 509 GPa) were expected to impact the mechanical behaviour of such structures. This study focuses on the behaviour of 3 m-long beam specimens during prestressing, concrete hardening and in 4 point-bending experiments. Fibre optic sensors were implemented inside the CFRP tendons to measure strain during those stages and a digital image correlation system was employed to monitor the 4-point-bending tests. After 28 days, the LCHPC recipe, despite a 70% cement reduction and much smaller environmental footprint, did not show measurable differences in the prestress loss behaviour in comparison to a conventional HPC. The UHM-CFRP prestressing tendons, because of their stiffness, showed both higher prestress losses of around 40% and on average a nearly doubled prestress transfer length. However, they increased the beam`s maximum load-bearing capacity by 21% and showed 47% less deflection at failure in comparison to beams prestressed with the standard modulus (UTS)-CFRP tendons.

Microsilica is widely recognized as a “benchmark” for pozzolanic products. Although microsilica is an industrial byproduct, it has recently become very expensive. Four different pozzolanic additives were compared by the authors of this study. Two of the additives were commercially available products – microsilica by Elkem and Centrilit NC by MC Bauchemie. The other two additives were produced under laboratory conditions. Both of them were clay-based materials. Compressive strength was determined after 7, 28 and 155 days. The objective of this research was to determine alternatives to microsilica and evaluate pozzolanic additives performance in normal and high-strength concrete.

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