Optimizing Aggregate Selection and Mineral Additive to Enhance the Elasto-Mechanical Aspects of High-Performance Concrete

This study focuses on deciphering the key factors influencing the production of high-performance concrete, with an emphasis on achieving elevated the mechanical properties of normal concrete (NC) and mineral admixture concrete (MAC). Through an extensive series of experiments, the investigation seeks to unravel the nuanced interplay of aggregate size, aggregate volume, and paste content in the quest for optimizing Young's modulus. The study utilized charnockite and hematite aggregate with varying maximum sizes, by incorporating fly ash (FA) and silica fume (SF) as mineral additives. The results revealed that the NC exhibits an increase in strength with the higher grade of M50 grade containing 20 mm aggregates (M 50/20). The MAC showed enhancements due to the use of mineral additives in heavy density concrete of 30 grade containing 20 mm aggregate (H 30/20). MAC H 30/20 showed significant strength improvements, with increases of 15.74% in split tensile strength, 26.05% in flexural strength, and 16.48% in compressive strength compared to NC M 50/20. Similarly, the Young's modulus was 40.16 GPa for the NC M 50/20 and 42.42 GPa for the MAC N 60/20. In summary, the study highlights the positive effects of hematite aggregates on concrete stiffness and the synergistic contributions of mineral additives.