Strength Properties and Sulphate Resistance of Self Compacting Concrete Incorporating Fly Ash, Metakaolin and Silica Fume

A self-compacting concrete (SCC) is the one that can be placed in the form and can go through obstructions by its own weight and without the need of vibration. Since its first development in Japan in 1988, SCC has gained wider acceptance in Japan, Europe and USA due to its inherent distinct advantages. The major advantage of this method is that SCC technology offers the opportunity to minimize or eliminate concrete placement problems in difficult conditions. It avoids the need to repeat the same kind of quality control test on concrete, which consumes both time and lab our. Construction and placing becomes faster & easier. It eliminates the need for vibration & reducing the noise pollution. It improves the filling capacity of highly congested structural members. SCC provides better quality especially in the members having reinforcement congestion or decreasing the permeability and improving durability of concrete The primary aim of this study is to explore the feasibility of SCC incorporating fly ash, met kaolin and silica fume by examining its fresh properties and hardened stage characteristics. An extensive literature survey was conducted to explore the present state of knowledge for the mix design and characteristics of SCC. This research consists of: (i) development of a suitable mix for SCC that would satisfy the requirements of the plastic state, (ii) casting of concrete samples and testing them for fresh concrete properties and hardened concrete properties (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and sulphate resistance). For this purpose the cement was replaced by weight in four different proportions i.e., 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% with fly ash, met kaolin and silica fume. The concrete specimens were tested at the age of 7 days and 28 days. All the SCC mixes showed the satisfactory workability as per EFNARC guidelines and also gave the positive results for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and sulphate resistance.