A preliminary study of reactive powder concrete as a new repair material

This study aims to use reactive powder concrete (RPC) as a new repair material and evaluate its bond durability to existing concrete. One accelerated aging environment, namely a freeze–thaw cycle acceleration deterioration test, was selected for the evaluation of bond durability of the repair materials. Before and after aging, the samples were evaluated by the compressive strength, bond strength (slant shear test), steel pull out strength, and relative dynamic modulus NDT tests. The test results show that the RPC displays excellent repair and retrofit potentials on compressive and flexure strengthening and possesses high bond strength, dynamic modulus and bond durability as compared with other concretes. The adhesion between the RPC and the steel is also much greater than that for the other concretes. It would be interesting to verify the consequences of this improved adhesion and repair in reinforced concrete structures.