Using belitic calcium sulfoaluminate cement for precast, prestressed concrete beams

Belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement is a fast-setting, hydraulic cement that can produce concrete with high early strength and excellent durability. Its fast setting time makes it a promising material for precast, prestressed concrete applications. Although this material has been in use in China for years, there is little to no published information about its structural performance in the United States. This study is one of the first published papers on the use of BCSA cement for prestressed concrete in the United States. More information is needed on the structural performance of members cast with this material, but this work demonstrates that BCSA cement can produce prestressed concrete beams in as little as two hours in an industrial facility. The results also show that prestressed concrete beams produced with BCSA cement have very low prestress losses compared with the equations in the American Concrete Institute's (ACI's) Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-14) and Commentary (ACI 318R-14) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, and that bond lengths can be reasonably predicted using current design methods.