Seven-year Study of the Effect of Silica Fume in Concrete.

In this article an experimental and numerical study of the long-term interaction between silica fume and Portland cement in concrete subjected to air, water or sealed curing is outlined. For this purpose about 250 kg of eight qualities of each concrete were studied at 4 different ages each over a period of 7 years. Parallel studies of strength, hydration and internal relative humidity were performed. Half of the concretes contained silica fume. New and original results and analyses of the interaction between Portland cement and silica fume related to compressive strength, split tensile strength, hydration and internal relative humidity are presented. The study was performed between 1989 and 1996. The specimens are available for future measurements.