A study of the behavior of samples of high-performance concrete shells with filled core exposed to compression

Abstract

The production of concrete has a huge impact on the environment, especially due to its emission of CO₂. Nowadays, it is required to reduce CO₂ emissions and at the same time reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources. One way to achieve these goals is through the usage of recycled aggregate. However, when these materials are used, there are significant changes in the properties of concrete, particularly a reduction of mechanical strength, modulus of elasticity, and durability. This article presents the possibility of using a thin shell made of high-performance concrete as core protection of a concrete sample with recycled aggregate to improve the abovementioned properties. Moreover, using high-performance concrete as the outer layer enables the potential of high-performance concrete to be exploited. The article describes the influence of different shell reinforcements on the failure of the samples under compressive stress. A shell layer without additional reinforcement was used for the reference samples. Other sets of samples contained dispersed reinforcement in the form of polypropylene or polyvinyl alcohol fibers. The last reinforcement was a technical textile – a laboratory-prepared composite grid made of carbon rovings. All samples were subjected to a compressive test and the failure mode of the samples was observed in particular.