Exploitable results High Temperature Concrete: Understanding and industrial applications of high performance concretes in high temperatures environment The development of high performance concrete (HPC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) open new possibilities for the design of concrete structures, both for high rise buildings and more slender sections in concrete structures such as bridges. Knowledge of the behaviour of these concretes at high temperatures is, however, limited. The HITECO programme was, therefore, initiated to improve understanding of the behaviour of HPCs and UHPCs in situations involving high temperatures - such as fire and nuclear reactors. To address this issue, materials research is being undertaken at both the micro-structural and phenomenological levels (Tables 2-4) of a wide range of materials with compressive strengths ranging from 60 MPa to 300 MPa. The properties investigated extend beyond the mechanical properties and include also thermal and hygral properties. The materials characterisation constitutes the first stage of the test programme leading towards the study of the behaviour of structures (made with HPC/UHPC materials) by means of large-scale testing of elements and prototype structures exposed to ISO and HC fires as well as to the slower heating conditions relevant to nuclear reactors. A major factor, particularly with dense high performance concrete, is the increased tendency to experience explosive spalling. Investigations are, therefore, being carried out in this subject. A key contribution from the HITECO programme in this important area of study is the development of the HITECOSP (High Temperature Concrete Spalling) software capable of predicting - in a fully integrated fashion - the thermal, hygral and structural response of concrete structures exposed to heating. The materials test data produced in the different laboratories are, therefore, geared towards their input into the software, while the large scale testing of prototype structures provide the opportunity to validate the program. Searching for OpenAIRE data... There was an error trying to search data from OpenAIRE No results available
