Ultra High Performance Concrete containing colloidal pyrogenic oxides

This monograph describes the stepwise development and main properties characterization of Ultra High Performance Concrete that additionally contain colloidal pyrogenic oxides (Pox). The targeted employment of nanoscale Pox in optimised cementitious systems brings about new and improved properties. The processing and optimization at the nanometer scale (nanoscale) is, as expected, the key for all these improvements and is the basis for the outstanding properties of the developed Ultra High Performance Concrete. Small amounts of pyrogenic oxides in optimised formulations are sufficient to produce significant properties improvement. The contribution of Pox for strength and other property improvements is demonstrated with single, binary and ternary formulations in combination with other microscale pozzolans. Pox in small quantities could completely replace silica fume in a simple RPC-based high performance concrete formulation in order to produce final strengths that belong to the High Performance Concrete class. The Pox products offer the possibility to obtain advanced cementitious materials with tailored properties and new applications.