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The objective of this study is to evaluate the workability and various mechanical properties of heavyweight magnetite concrete and examine the reliability of the design equations specified in code provisions. The main parameters investigated were the water-to-cement ratio and substitution level of normal-weight coarse aggregate (granite) for magnetite. The oven-dried unit weight of concrete tested ranged between 2446 and 3426 kg/m 3. The measured mechanical properties included compressive strength development, stress-strain curve, splitting tensile strength, moduli of elasticity and rupture, and bond stress-slip relationship of concrete. Test results revealed that the initial slump of heavyweight magnetite concrete increased as the substitution level of normal-weight coarse aggregate increases. The substitution level of normal-weight coarse aggregate had little influence on the compressive strength and tensile resistance capacity of heavyweight concrete, while it significantly affected the modulus of elasticity and stress-strain curves of such concrete. The design equations of ACI 349-06 and CEB-FIP provisions mostly conservatively predicted the mechanical properties of heavyweight magnetite concrete, but the empirical equations for modulus of elasticity and splitting tensile strength need to be modified considering the unit weight of concrete.

This study examined the relative strength-maturity relationship of high-strength concrete (HSC) specifically developed for nuclear facility structures while considering the economic efficiency and durability of the concrete. Two types of mixture proportions with water-to-binder ratios of 0.4 and 0.28 were tested under different temperature histories including (1) isothermal curing conditions of 5°C, 20°C, and 40°C and (2) terraced temperature histories of 20°C for an initial age of individual 1, 3, or 7 days and a constant temperature of 5°C for the subsequent ages. On the basis of the test results, the traditional maturity function of an equivalent age was modified to consider the offset maturity and the insignificance of subsequent curing temperature after an age of 3 days on later strength of concrete. To determine the key parameters in the maturity function, the setting behavior, apparent activation energy, and rate constant of the prepared mixtures were also measured. This study reveals that the compressive strength development of HSC cured at the reference temperature for an early age of 3 days is insignificantly affected by the subsequent curing temperature histories. The proposed maturity approach with the modified equivalent age accurately predicts the strength development of HSC.

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