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What is High Performance Concrete?

High Performance Concrete (HPC) is a specialized series of concretes designed to provide several benefits in the construction of concrete structures:

Performance Benefits	Cost & Other Benefits
ease of placement and consolidation without affecting strength long-term mechanical properties early high strength toughness volume stability longer life in severe environments	less material fewer beams reduced maintenance extended life cycle aesthetics

Several strength and durability criteria were used in the evaluation of HPC designs:

Strength Criteria	Durability Criteria
Compressive Strength	Freeze-Thaw
Modulus of Elasticity	Scaling
Shrinkage	Abrasion
Creep	Chloride Permeability

HPC is one of the four categories within the SHRP Implementation Program's Concrete and Structures section. Under SHRP, four types of High Performance Concrete were developed:

HPC Type	Minimum Strength Criteria	Water-Cementitious Ratio	Minimum Durability Factor
Very Early Strength (VES)	2 000 psi / 6 hours	< 0.4	80%
High Early Strength (HES)	5 000 psi / 24 hours	< 0.35	80%
Very High Strength (VHS)	10 000 psi / 28 days	< 0.35	80%
Fiber Reinforced	HES + (steel or poly)	< 0.35	80%

Additional information on the definition of HPC:

• "HPC Defined for Highway Structures," Charles Goodspeed, Suneel Vanikar, and Ray Cook; Concrete International, February 1996, The American Concrete Institute.
• "Workshop Showcases High-Performance Concrete Bridges," FOCUS Newsletter, May 1996.