Effects of Varying Water-Cement Ratio and Polycarboxylate Ether Admixtures on the Characteristic of High Performance Concrete.
1Labiran, J.O, 1Ayandele, T.A, 2*Akinsanya, A.Y, 2Oladiran, O.J., and 3Ajayi, M.T.
1Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
2Department of Building Technology, College of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and
Technology, Ikorodu-Lagos, Nigeria.
3Department of Building, Faculty of Environmental Science, University of Lagos, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria
DOI: 10.36108/laujoces/6202.61.0250
Abstract
Globally, there has been strong interest in the quality, and performance of conventional concrete on the life cycle of infrastructures. Initiating a wider concern on concrete performance, to provide required capability as structural component, which sustains various degrees of forces, such as upthrust and downthrust forces, seismic effects and aircraft, rail, or explosive vibration. This has been necessitated by the account of incessant collapse recorded globally and particularly in developing economies, like Nigeria. A closer observation reveals that little attention is paid to the production of concrete at the job site, most importantly in the developing economy. This underscores the importance of high-performance concrete adoption using Polycarboxylate Ether (PCE) in construction of infrastructure. High-performance concrete (HPC), offers advantages such as improving initial strength, reducing cement, water quantities, and the amount of concrete needed for optimal strength. Despite its efficacy, questions have been raised about the economic, environmental, and ecological impacts of the effect of various water/cement ratio and PCE in HPC production, and sustainability. The present experimental research evaluates the incorporation of local materials, with a view to fostering the economic growth of the native developing countries by harnessing their local materials and reducing dependence on foreign concrete materials. Relatively, experimental study was conducted to compare the performance outcome of optimized mineral materials HPC with PCE admixture with conventional HPC concrete using varying w/c ratio, and data were evaluated. The workability and strength of fresh and hardened properties produced from local River Sand and Crushed Stone materials at varying w/c ratios. Observation of workability and strength development for different dosages of PCE and water in concrete indicates a steady increase in workability over the control, with high flow, and gives a good compacting factor. The experimental tests for hardened concrete were conducted at various water curing times of 3, 7, and 28 days, which yielded relatively higher compressive, split, and flexural strength of the specimen with the conventional HPC concrete. Therefore, HPC-PCE is highly recommended for structural engineering construction. The findings of this study are expected to support engineers and material designers in making evidence-based decisions when incorporating local sustainable materials into high-performance concrete applications.
Keywords: High-Performance Concrete (HPC), Polycarboxylate-Ether (PCE) admixtures, Water-cement ratio, Workability, infrastructure, Sustainable Materials..
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