Effect of Heat-Curing Procedure on Strength and Microstructure of Reactive Powder Concrete Having High Volume of Mineral Admixtures

The effect of heat-curing procedure on strength of reactive powder concrete (RPC) having high volume of mineral admixtures, such as ultra-fine fly ash (UFFA), steel slag powder (SS) and silica fume (SF) was studied in this paper. Moreover, the effect of the cuing temperature (20°C, 60°C and 90°C) and the duration (1 day and 3 days) of heat-curing both on microstructure of RPCs’ samples were investigated by SEM-EDXA. The results indicate that the heat-curing procedure has a great influence on strength of this RPC; the compressive strength of specimens cured in a appropriate condition could achieve more than 190 MPa. Moreover, a high curing temperature or a long duration of heat-curing will cause not only a high degree of pozzolanic reaction but also a low n(Ca)/n(Si) ratio of hydration product. Thus, the microstructure of the paste becomes more compact, which would definitely improve the mechanic properties of the hardened paste.