Strength properties and durability aspects of high strength concrete using Korean metakaolin

Abstract Metakaolin is a cementitious material used as admixture to produce high strength concrete. In Korea, the utilization of this material remained mainly limited to fireproof walls but began recently to find applications as a replacement for silica fume in the manufacture of high performance concrete. In order to evaluate and compare the mechanical properties and durability of concrete using metakaolin, the following tests were conducted on concrete specimens using various replacements of silica fume and metakaolin; mechanical tests such as compressive, tensile and flexural strength tests, durability tests like rapid chloride permeability test, immersion test in acid solution, repeated freezing and thawing test and accelerated carbonation test. Strength tests revealed that the most appropriate strength was obtained for a substitution rate of metakaolin to binder ranging between 10% and 15%. It was observed that the resistance to chloride ion penetration reduced significantly as the proportion of silica fume and metakaolin binders increased. The filler effect resulting from the fine powder of both binders was seen to ameliorate substantially the resistance to chemical attacks in comparison with ordinary concrete. Durability tests also verified that concrete using metakaolin bore most of the mechanical and durability characteristics exhibited by concrete using silica fume. The tests implemented in this study confirmed that metakaolin constitutes a promising material as a substitute for the cost prohibitive silica fume.