Award Date

December 2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction

First Committee Member

Nader Ghafoori

Second Committee Member

Samaan Ladkany

Third Committee Member

Ying Tian

Fourth Committee Member

Pradip Bhowmik

Number of Pages

180

Abstract

In this study, the fresh, bulk, transport, volumetric stability, and durability properties of several ultra-high performance concretes (UHPCs) containing an optimized gradation of concrete and plaster fine aggregates were evaluated. The supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) class F fly ash and silica fume were used to replace a portion of the Portland cement in the studied UHPCs in replacement proportions ranging from 5 to 30% of cement weight. Plain and steel fiber-reinforced iterations of each UHPC mixture were evaluated to determine the role of steel fibers on the properties of the UHPCs. The fresh and bulk properties investigated were flow, compressive strength, elastic modulus, flexural strength, and unit weight. The transport properties were evaluated for absorption, permeable voids, rapid chloride permeability, andsurface resistivity. The investigated volume stability properties included linear shrinkage and restrained shrinkage. Lastly, the resistance to freezing and thawing with deicing salts was used to evaluate durability. The results of this research study revealed that the inclusion of SCMs improved fresh, bulk, transport, and durability properties while worsening volume stability properties. Improvements and impairments in the aforementioned properties tended to increase in magnitude with increasing proportions of silica fume more so than with increasing proportions of fly ash. Moreover, improvements and impairments experienced in the evaluated UHPCs due to proportioning of SCMs, as well as the difference in effect between the silica fume and fly ash, could be attributed to the pozzolanic reactivity and particle dimensions of the SCMs. The addition of steel fibers led to worsened fresh properties, and improved bulk, volume stability, and durability properties in the form of resistance to freezing and thawing with deicing salts. Additionally, the inclusion of steel fibers had negligible effects on the transport properties of the studied UHPCs.

Keywords

Bulk Properties; Freeze-Thaw; Plaster Sand; Ring Shrinkage; Transport Properties; UHPC

Disciplines

Civil Engineering

File Format

pdf

File Size

3520 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Available for download on Tuesday, December 15, 2026


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