Quality evaluation tests for tensile strength of reactive powder concrete

This study presents a comparison between different testing procedures to determine the tensile strength of reactive powder concrete (RPC). The tensile strength test methods include a direct tensile test and two indirect tensile tests, the splitting test and the double punch test (DPT). In this study, the RPC was designed to obtain a nominal compressive strength of 100 MPa at the age of 28 days. Macro steel fibers were used to reinforce the RPC by volumetric percentages of 0, 1, 2, and 3%. Mechanical properties of RPC were obtained at 28 days such as compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths; compressive stress-strain relationship; and tensile stress-strain behavior. By comparing the experimental results of the two indirect tensile tests with the uniaxial direct tensile test (DTT), it was shown that the DPT presents more accurate results of the RPC tensile strength than the splitting test. The experimental results were verified with the existing model to predict the tensile strength of the RPC. In addition, considering the low cost and the ease of conducting the DPT, this test can be used as an alternative to the DTT to obtain the tensile strength of the RPC.