Fracture toughness investigations on UHPC by spalling tests

Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is defined as a new generation of concrete which shows improved performance and higher strength than traditional concrete. This allows to realize slender and much more durable structures and in this way significantly reduces the required resources. Despite its huge potential in construction, technical information about this new type of material is still limited. This contribution presents investigations on the dynamic mechanical behavior and properties of UHPC specimens by spalling experiments. Two different recipes were used to compare the properties. Due to the special specimen geometry (slender cylindrical) a flowable consistency was required to enable a sufficient degassing of the mixtures. For the test, a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) has been modified and used. A high speed photograph system was focused on the fragmentation process during the test. On the basis of these experiments the dynamic E-moduli as well as the dynamic tensile strength of the UHPC specimens were determined. By observation of the specific crack patterns on each tested specimen and corresponding times, the dynamic fracture energy is calculated. Numerical simulations also were performed and compared to the experimental result. It is concluded that the dynamic tensile strength of the UHPC increases at higher strain rates. The results of the current study provide technical information about fracture and dynamic behavior of UHPC and the obtained values could be used for future computational models. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)