Publication
This article focuses on the characterization of the early-age properties of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite (UHPFRC), which is becoming popular for designing lightweight and durable structures. Due to the large proportion of cement in the mix, the hardening of UHPFRC is significantly faster than conventional concrete. Therefore, the development of UHPFRC properties, such as the elastic modulus, is difficult to monitor as it happens while elements are within the formwork. For this reason, the hydration process of UHPFRC elements is not fully understood yet. A combined passive (or acoustic emission) and active ultrasonic stress wave monitoring approach has the potential to characterize structures made of cementitious materials over their entire service duration. Using a network of embedded ultrasonic transducers, monitoring can start only a few instants after casting. A UHPFRC beam with a T-shaped cross-section and a length of 4.2 m was constructed and instrumented with 24 transducers as well as 15 thermocouples. Monitoring results lead to the characterization of the development of the early-age UHPFRC properties on the structural-element scale while the specimen is within the formwork. The continuous monitoring approach enabled accurate estimations of the spatial and temporal evolution of the modulus of elasticity. Thanks to this novel combination of monitoring techniques, the early age properties of UHPFRC, which were measured at the material scale, are confirmed at the structural scale for the first time.