ON REACTIVE POWDER CONCRETE USED IN THE SIDEWALK SYSTEM OF THE QINGHAI-TIBET RAILWAY BRIDGE

The Qinghai-Tibet railway lies in the west area of China at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters. The 576-km railway is being built on frozen earth. The bad climate and sandstorms of the tundra require the concrete of the bridge to have superior mechanical properties and high durability. By adding portland cement, silica fume, superfine fly ash, and superplasticizers, reactive powder concrete (RPC) is used in the sidewalk systems of bridges with compressive strength of 160 MPa. The research shows that RPC has high strength, excellent frost durability, and impermeability. Therefore, RPC is the best choice for the Qinghai-Tibet railway.