EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON RPC MECHANICAL PROPERTY AND COST-PERFORMANCE RATIO OF CONTENT OF STEEL FIBER

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is a kind of cement-based composite with super-high compressive strength, high toughness, good durability and stability. It has been used in some concrete structures; however its high cost limits more extensive applications. Taking prices of RPC raw materials as the cost index, a calculation method for RPC cost performance ratio is proposed. The analysis shows that the steel fiber is the most expensive raw material among all of the RPC components. Therefore, an experimental study on influence of steel fiber ratio by volume to RPC mechanical properties was carried out, including axial compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength. Test results show that the RPC axial compressive strength increases with the increase of steel fiber volume ratio when it is in the range of 0.5% to 2%, while it decreases when it is larger than 2%. The RPC splitting tensile strength and flexural strength mostly increase with increasing steel fiber volume ratio. Finally, the relationship between cost-performance ratio and content of steel fiber is analyzed to become a reference for engineering applications and further studies.