Influence of silica fume content on the quality of bond conditions in high-performance concrete specimens

The paper presents the analysis of the impact of silica fume content in high-performance concrete (HPC) on bond conditions along the height of tested elements. The tests were performed on the specimens made of six different HPC mixes with varying content of silica fume (0, 5 and 10% by mass of cement) and superplasticizer. The used specimens allowed for determining the changes of bond at individual levels of elements with a total height of 480 and 960 mm. The rebars in the elements were placed perpendicularly to the direction of concreting. The reference element, characterised by the parallel orientation to the direction of concreting, was also prepared. The tests indicated that the quality of bond conditions in HPC deteriorates as the distance from the formwork bottom increases. The experiment results indicate that concrete modification with silica fume can both increase and decrease the quality of bond conditions. The influence of silica fume depends on the thickness of the concrete cover, which determines the mechanism of bond failure.