Comparison of Compressive and Tensile Strengths of Dry-Cast Concrete with Ordinary Portland and Portland Pozzolana Cements

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. Along with the increasing economic needs in thedevelopment of construction, precast technology has become a primary solution that leads to the industrialization. The useof precast concrete system offers several advantages, such as rapid erection, higher product quality, lower project cost,better sustainability, and improved occupational health and safety. In general, there are two casting methods used inconcrete placement, namely wet- and dry-castings. The dry-cast concrete has also been used for its advantages particularlyin precast concrete industries, e.g. its rapid hardening time for fast mold removal (it significantly increases the plantproductivity). The use of Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) as a replacement to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) hasbecome increasingly popular for the past decade. Hence, its application in dry-cast method needs to be further investigatedfor its mechanical properties such as its compressive and splitting tensile strengths. An experimental work was carried outto examine the properties of dry-cast concrete using both types of cements (PPC and OPC). The development of itscompressive strength was also monitored at 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 56 days of age. The splitting test was conducted to describethe tensile strength of dry-cast concrete. The observation of crack and failure behaviour of all concrete specimens werealso carried out.

Keywords:

Compressive Strength , Dry-Cast Concrete , OPC , PPC , Precast Concrete , Splitting Test , Tensile Strength , Wet-Cast Concrete