Bond Characteristics of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

Ultra high performance concrete (UHPC), is characterized by its high compressive strength and advanced tensile behavior that is much superior to those of conventional concrete. In order to apply this new material in practice, the bond characteristics of UHPC were evaluated in this study. Pull-out tests between UHPC and deformed steel rebar were carried out according to the modified RILEM test method, and were verified by finite element analysis. From the test results showed that UHPC presents 5 to 10 times higher bond strength compared to normal strength concrete, this study suggested remarkably reduced development length and concrete cover comparing to existing specifications. The test results of 700 MPa high strength steel rebar demonstrated the applicability of high strength steel to UHPC. In addition, the transfer length measurements of seven-wire strand in UHPC specimens indicated that the transfer length limit set by the current design code is very conservative for UHPC.