Effects of silica fume on the abrasion resistance of low-heat Portland cement concrete

With the wide application of low-heat Portland (LHP) cement in flood discharge systems, the requirements for the abrasion resistance of LHP cement concrete have gradually increased. In this work, the effects of silica fume type (Si-I, Si-II) and silica fume content (0%, 3%, and 5%) on the abrasion resistance and other mechanical properties of LHP cement concrete were studied using rotating jet method, and the correlation between the abrasion resistance and other mechanical properties was quantified. The results showed that the silica fume content significantly affected the abrasion resistance of LHP cement concrete. The abrasion resistance of LHP cement concrete increased by 10.0% and 15.8% when the added silica fume content was 3% and 5%, respectively. The type of silica fume also has a certain influence on the abrasion resistance, and the difference in the abrasion resistance of concrete with the same content but different silica fume types was 0.5-7.8%. Further, 5% silica fume addition increased the early-age strength (compressive strength and splitting tensile strength) and elastic modulus by 2.2-16.2% and improved the 90-d axial tensile properties (axial tensile strength and ultimate tensile strain) by 4.3-16.4%. Compared with the compressive strength and the splitting tensile strength, the elastic modulus of LHP cement concrete strongly correlated with its abrasion resistance and thus can be used as a primary parameter to evaluate the abrasion resistance of LHP cement concrete.