Design of high strength concrete with locally available materials

Abstract

The term high strength concrete is used for concrete of grade 50 and above in general. The development of high strength concrete has been extremely useful in the design of reinforced concrete high-rise buildings. In high-rise buildings, concrete having strength up to 135 N/mm2 have been used. This concrete has been used in Seattle’s Union Square building in order to control the lateral deflections and accelerations associated with a very slender structure. In high-rise buildings, controlling the size of columns is of paramount importance. If normal strength concrete is used, column sizes can be quite large, and hence it can severely restrict the flexibility of floor layout and also consume a great deal of rentable space. Thus, the most significant advantage of high strength concrete is in the minimisation of the size of columns, especially in the lower storeys of high-rise buildings.