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Effect of nanosilica on durability and mechanical properties of high-strength

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DOI: 10.1680/jmacr.14.00338

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 Magazine of Concrete Research
Effect of nanosilica on durability and
mechanical properties of high-strength
concrete
Ganesh, Ramachandra Murthy, Sundar
Kumar, Mohammed Saffiq Reheman and Iyer
Magazine of Concrete Research
http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/jmacr.14.00338
Paper 1400338
Received 17/10/2014; revised 16/09/2015; accepted 21/09/2015
ICE Publishing: All rights reserved

Effect of nanosilica on
durability and mechanical
properties of high-strength
concrete
Prakasam Ganesh M. Mohammed Saffiq Reheman
Research Fellow, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, Project Assistant, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai,
India India
Avadhanam Ramachandra Murthy Nagesh R. Iyer
Scientist, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, India Director, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, India
Subramanian Sundar Kumar
Scientist, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, India

The effect of amorphous nanosilica particles on the mechanical properties and durability of two high-strength
concrete (HSC) mixes was investigated. Nanosilica in powder form was used as a partial replacement of cement at
dosages of 1 wt% and 2 wt%, and significant improvements in performance were observed for 2 wt% replacement
of cement by nanosilica. Micromechanical studies were performed on the nano-modified HSCs to determine the
impact of nanosilica on pozzolanic reactivity. Durability assessments such as the rapid chloride penetration test,
water sorptivity test and water absorption test revealed significant resistance to chloride penetration, sorptivity and
water absorption. These improvements can be mainly attributed to the larger specific surface area of nanosilica,
which effectively stimulates both pozzolanic reactivity and the filler effect over the cementitious matrix.

Notation a nanoscale that has applications in the real world. Some

a exposed area of specimen (mm2)
d density of water (g/mm3)
I absorption
I0, I30, current (A) at 0, 30, 60 … 330, 360 min
I60 … I330, I360
mt change in specimen mass (g) at time t
Q charge passed (C)
Introduction
The historical development of concrete materials can be
divided into several stages, the first being the development of
traditional normal-strength concrete. Then, with increasing
developments in civil engineering such as high-rise buildings
and long-span bridges, concrete with higher compressive
strength was required. When the compressive strength of con-
crete is greater than 50 MPa, it is defined as high-strength con-
crete (HSC). However, in some cases, compressive strength
is not as important or necessary as other properties such
as low penetrability, durability and workability. Extensive
research studies are being carried out in attempts to enhance
the performance of construction materials and develop
durable and sustainable concretes for the construction indus-
try by implementing nanotechnology (Shekari and Razzaghi,
2011). Nanotechnology literally means any technology on
50 years ago, Feynman (1960) studied the possibility of
direct manipulation of individual atoms as a more powerful
form of synthetic chemistry. Nanotechnology encompasses
the production and application of physical, chemical and bio-
logical systems at scales ranging from individual atoms or
molecules to submicron dimensions, as well as the integrat-
ion of the resulting nanostructures into larger systems.
Nanotechnology is an emerging avenue in materials science
that could have a great environmental impact (Pacheco-Torgal
and Jalali, 2011; Sanchez and Sobolev, 2010). Researchers
are thus aiming to implement nanotechnology to improve the
properties and functions of materials in the construction
industry.
In recent years, nanotechnology has attracted considerable
scientific interest due to the new potential uses of particles
at the nanometre scale. There are a number of definitions
of nanotechnology, given by many researchers. For the con-
struction sector, nanotechnology is defined as controlling
properties at the nanometre scale to make revolutionary
changes in bulk material properties by using scientific prin-
ciples. Nanotechnology thus aims at manipulation of a struc-
ture at the nanometre scale in order to develop new materials
that possess superior mechanical performance and durability
aspects along with a range of novel properties such as low

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 Magazine of Concrete Research
electrical resistivity, self-sensing capabilities, self-cleaning, self-
healing, high ductility and self-control of cracks (Givi et al.,
2010; Kawashima et al., 2013; Li et al., 2004; Rhee and Roh,
2013; Said et al., 2012; Singh et al., 2013).
As a result of the rapid development of nanotechnology, nano-
particles have been used in concrete engineering. Several kinds
of nanoparticles are often used in concrete, such as nano-
particles of silicon dioxide (SiO2), calcium carbonate (CaCO3),
aluminium oxide (Al2O3), titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc per-
oxide (ZnO2) and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), and there are
many research reports on the implementation of nanoparticles
in cement-based building materials. Among these nano-
particles, nanosilica seems to be the most popular, since it has
pozzolanic activity in addition to a filler effect in a concrete
matrix (Givi et al., 2011; Ltifi et al., 2011; Nazari and Riahi,
2011; Yan et al., 2013).
There is, however, limited reported research on the incorpor-
ation of nanosilica in HSC. This paper reports on the effects of
nano-sized amorphous silica on the mechanical properties, dur-
ability and phase determination of two types of HSC mixtures.
Materials and experimental programme
Materials and properties
The cementitious materials used for this study were Ordinary
Portland cement (OPC), silica fume and nanosilica. The OPC,
conforming to IS 12269 (BIS, 2013), was used as-received,
and its chemical and physical properties are shown in Table 1.
Maximum silicon dioxide (SiO2) content is the property most
frequently specified for silica fume and, accordingly, the silica
fume was used in powder form with 95% silicon dioxide and a
particle size range of 0·2–25 μm. Silicon dioxide nanoparticles
with an average particle size of 15 nm (Sigma Aldrich Imports
and Export Trade Co. Ltd) were used as-received, the proper-
ties of which are shown in Table 2. The HSC mixes produced
also included quartz sand and quartz powder.
Value
Silicon dioxide (SiO2): % 21·76
Aluminium oxide (Al2O3): % 5·80
Iron oxide (Fe2O3): % 3·30
Calcium oxide (CaO): % 64·10
Magnesium oxide (MgO): % 1·75
Potassium oxide (K2O): % 0·75
Sulfur trioxide (SO3): % 1·80
Sodium oxide (Na2O): % 0·20
Chloride (Cl−): % 0·03
Specific gravity 3·15
Specific surface area: m2/g 0·320
Table 1. Chemical and physical properties of OPC
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Effect of nanosilica on durability and
mechanical properties of high-strength
concrete
Ganesh, Ramachandra Murthy, Sundar
Kumar, Mohammed Saffiq Reheman and Iyer
Diameter: Specific surface Density: Purity: %
nm area: m2/g g/cm3
15 ± 5 600 2·2–2·6 99·5
Table 2. Nanosilica properties
The addition of silica fume and nanosilica produces a greater
demand for flowability or workability due to their larger specific
surface area. A polycarboxylate ether based superplasticiser
manufactured by BASF (Master Glenium Sky 8233) was thus
used to decrease the water demand while improving the work-
ability of all the concrete mixes. The superplasticiser dosage was
adjusted for each mix to ensure that no segregation would occur.
Mix proportion
In the absence of well-established comprehensive methods for
the design of HSC, trials were conducted to obtain a mix with
the desired strength of about 50 MPa. Information regarding
HSC mix design to obtain the required target strength is scarce
in the literature (Richard and Cheyrezy, 1994, 1995), and
several trials had to be carried out before arriving at the final
mix design. The final mix proportions for the HSC mixes con-
taining 0%, 1% and 2% nanosilica in place of cement are given
in Table 3.
Specimen preparation
The amorphous nanosilica was thoroughly dispersed in the sur-
factant-like superplasticiser along with water using a sonicator
(Figure 1). Sonication of the nanoparticles took about 20 min,
and was thus carried out before starting the dry mixing of the
other ingredients. The binders (cement and silica fume) and
quartz sand were dry mixed for 2 min in a Hobart mixer, and
then the dispersed nanosilica was added to the dry mix. The
remaining water, which was premixed with the superplasticiser,
was then added and mixing was continued for 5 min. The
freshly prepared concrete was poured into moulds, after which
an external table vibrator was used to facilitate compaction
and decrease the amount of air bubbles in the mix. The speci-
mens were demoulded after 24 h and were then cured under
water at a temperature of 20 ± 3°C. It was observed that when
the nanosilica was added after sonication into the mixture in
a fresh state, it had a direct impact on the water requirement
in the mixture due to the high surface area of the nanosilica,
thus leading to a requirement for a larger amount of water or
chemical admixtures to maintain the workability of the mixture.
Test procedure
The following tests were conducted to determine the mechan-
ical properties of the HSCs containing nanoparticles, with
respect to control mixes.
(a) The compressive strength of 20 cubic specimens of size
70·7 mm for each mixture after 3, 7, 28 and 56 d of
 Magazine of Concrete Research Effect of nanosilica on durability and
mechanical properties of high-strength
concrete
Ganesh, Ramachandra Murthy, Sundar
Kumar, Mohammed Saffiq Reheman and Iyer

Mix Cement: Silica fume: Quartz sand: Quartz powder: Water: Nanosilica: SP: %a
kg/m3 kg/m3 kg/m3 kg/m3 kg/m3 kg/m3

H-0 730 183 1095 — 292 — 0·4

H-1 722·7 183 1095 — 292 7·3 0·4
H-2 715·4 183 1095 — 292 14·6 0·4
U-0 730 193 803 292 292 — 0·6
U-1 722·7 183 803 292 292 7·3 0·6
U-2 715·4 183 803 292 292 14·6 0·6

a
Superplasticiser (% weight of binder content in mix)

Table 3. HSC mix proportions

Mix Compressive strength: MPa

3d 7d 28 d 56 d

H-0 31·1 37·2 50·1 54·5

H-1 33·1 41·1 54·0 55·5
H-2 39·1 45·0 59·0 59·2
U-0 40·0 42·8 55·5 56·1
U-1 42·0 47·9 64·3 65·0
U-2 49·3 51·9 67·0 65·7

Table 4. Compressive strength of HSCs and nano-modified HSCs

After 28 d, the cylinders were cut into 50 mm thick slices using

(a) (b)
Figure 1. Sonicator (a) and sonication (b) of nanosilica
curing was determined as per ASTM C 109 (ASTM,
2001a).
(b) Splitting tensile tests were carried out on 12 cylindrical
specimens of size 50 mm
100 mm after 3, 7, 28 and
56 d of curing as per ASTM C 496 (ASTM, 2001b).
(c) The bending flexural strength of three prisms of size
250 mm
50 mm
50 mm for each mix after 28 d of
curing was determined by two-point loading as per
ASTM C 78 (ASTM, 2001c).
The impact of nanosilica particles on the pozzolanic reaction
was determined by means of x-ray diffraction (XRD) to prove
the presence of calcium hydroxide (portlandite) phase and
quartz phase in the nano-modified HSCs.
To study durability, the better performing (in terms of mech-
anical properties) nano-modified HSC mix was used. Cylinders
of size 100 mm
200 mm were used to study the durability
of the concrete by means of the rapid chloride penetration
test (RCPT), water sorptivity test and water absorption test.
a concrete cutting machine. The RCPT was carried out as per
ASTM C 1202 (ASTM, 2001d). A water-saturated, 50 mm
thick, 100 mm diameter concrete specimen was subjected to
60 V DC voltage for 6 h. One reservoir of the test apparatus
contained 3·0% sodium chloride (NaCl) solution and the other
reservoir contained 0·3 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution.
The total charge passed was determined, and this was used to
rate the ingress of chloride ions into the concrete with reference
to the range of values given in ASTM C 1202. Water sorptivity
testing was performed in accordance with ASTM C 1585
(ASTM, 2001e) on a standard test specimen (a 100 mm dia-
meter disc of 50 mm thickness) to measure the rate of pen-
etration of water into pores in the concrete by capillary suction.
The water absorption test was carried out on a standard test
specimen at age 28 d according to ASTM C 642 (ASTM,
2001f) to measure the percentage of water absorption and voids
of filler materials in the concrete.
Results and discussion
Compressive strength
The average compressive strength of cubes of the HSC mix-
tures after 3, 7, 28 and 56 d is shown in Table 4, which shows
that the compressive strength developed in the concretes con-
taining nanoparticles was higher than that of the control

3
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 Magazine of Concrete Research Effect of nanosilica on durability and
mechanical properties of high-strength
concrete
Ganesh, Ramachandra Murthy, Sundar
Kumar, Mohammed Saffiq Reheman and Iyer

70 H-0 80
U-0
60 70
Compressive strength: MPa

H-1

Compressive strength: MPa

U-1
50 H-2 60
U-2
40 50

30 40

20 30

20
10
10
0
3d 7d 28 d 56 d 0
3d 7d 28 d 56 d
Figure 2. Variation of compressive strength of HSC mix H
Figure 3. Variation of compressive strength of HSC mix U

specimens in all cases. The table also shows that compressive

strength increased with an increase in replacement of cement
by nanosilica for both types of HSC. The strength increment Mix Split tensile strength: MPa
may be due to the pozzolanic reaction and filler effect of nano-
silica. The 28 d compressive strength of mix H-1 (1 wt% nano- 3d 7d 28 d 56 d
silica particles) was enhanced by as much as 8% in comparison H-0 3·60 3·91 6·47 7·06
with the control mix H-0. The compressive strength increased H-1 4·55 4·49 7·08 7·22
from 8% to 18% for an increase in nanosilica content from H-2 5·17 5·03 7·92 7·56
1 wt% to 2 wt% (Figure 2). Similar to HSC mix H, there was U-0 3·83 3·95 6·53 7·12
also an improvement in mix U due to the influence of nano- U-1 4·31 4·63 7·18 7·00
particles. The 28 d compressive strength of U-1 was enhanced U-2 4·06 4·92 8·13 8·09
by as much as 16% in comparison with the control mix U-0,
and the increase in compressive strength grew from 16% to Table 5. Split tensile strength of HSCs and nano-modified HSCs
21% when the nanosilica content was increased from 1 wt%
(U-1) to 2 wt% (U-2) (Figure 3). Table 4 also shows that, for
both HSC mixes, the 56 d compressive strength was not sig-
mix H-2. Similar to HSC mix H, there was also an improve-
nificantly better than the 28 d compressive strength. This may
ment in HSC mix U due to the influence of nanoparticles: the
be attributed to poor dispersion of the nanosilica particles
28 d split tensile strength of U-1 was some 10% higher than
and the larger consumption of calcium hydroxide due to the
the control mix (U-0), and this improvement increased to 25%
additional pozzolanic reaction by the nanosilica at early age,
for a nanosilica content of 2 wt% (U-2). Similar to the com-
which leads to a lack of calcium hydroxide at later stages of
pressive strength results in Table 4, in both HSC mixes the
the pozzolanic reaction of unreacted silica fume (Kawashima
split tensile strength did not improve significantly at 56 d in
et al., 2013).
comparison with the 28 d split tensile strength. As before, the
reason for the reduced strength improvement at later ages may
Split tensile strength be due to lack of proper dispersion of the nanosilica particles
The average split tensile strengths of cylindrical specimens of and the lack of formation of calcium hydroxide at later ages
the two HSC mixtures after 3, 7, 28 and 56 d are shown for the pozzolanic reaction of unreacted silica fume.
in Table 5, and the results for mix H and mix U are presented
graphically in Figure 4 and Figure 5, respectively. Again, Flexural strength
better split tensile strengths were obtained in the concretes The average flexural strengths of the prism specimens of
blended with nanoparticles in comparison to the control con- the HSC mixtures after 28 d are listed in Table 6 and shown
cretes. Table 5 shows that split tensile strength increased graphically in Figure 6. It is clear that the flexural strength
with an increase in nanosilica replacement level. The strength developed in all the concretes containing nanoparticles
increases may be attributed to the pozzolanic reaction and was higher than that of the control specimens, which may be
filler effect of nanosilica. The 28 d split tensile strength of H-1 due to the pozzolanic reaction and filler effect of nanosilica.
(1 wt% nanosilica particles) was enhanced by as much as 17% As with compressive strength and split tensile strength, Table 6
in comparison to the control mix H-0, and this improvement shows that flexural strength values also increased with an
increased to 24% when the content of nanosilica was 2 wt% in increase in replacement of cement by nanosilica. The 28 d

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Effect of nanosilica on durability and
mechanical properties of high-strength
concrete
Ganesh, Ramachandra Murthy, Sundar
Kumar, Mohammed Saffiq Reheman and Iyer

9 Mix 28 d flexural strength: MPa Enhancement: %

8 H-0
H-0 8·37 0·00
Split tensile strength: MPa

7 H-1
H-1 8·93 6·64
6 H-2 H-2 9·28 10·84
5 U-0 9·69 0·00
4 U-1 10·74 10·90
3 U-2 11·22 15·87
2
Table 6. Flexural strength of HSCs and nano-modified HSCs
1
0
3d 7d 28 d 56 d

Figure 4. Variation of split tensile strength of HSC mix H 12

10
Flexural strength: MPa

8
9
8 U-0 6
Split tensile strength: MPa

7 U-1
4
6 U-2
2
5
4 0
H-0 H-1 H-2 U-0 U-1 U-2
3
2 Figure 6. Variation of flexural strength of HSCs
1
0
3d 7d 28 d 56 d of 2θ = 22°. The results indicate that nanosilica can consume
more calcium hydroxide crystal at the interface. Furthermore,
Figure 5. Variation of split tensile strength of HSC mix U at 2θ = 26°, the intensity of quartz was increased by increasing
the amount of nanosilica in both the HSC mixture for 7 and
28 d.
flexural strength of the H-1 concrete (1 wt% nanosilica par-
ticles) was enhanced by about 7% in comparison to that of the
control mix H-0, and the improvement in flexural strength Rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT)
increased from 7% to 11% with an increase in nanosilica con- In the RCPT, the charge passed over a period of about 6 h
tent from 1 wt% to 2 wt%. Similarly, the 28 d flexural strength was recorded as a measure of the electrical conductance of the
of the mix U concretes increased with the addition of nano- concrete. The current was recorded at 30 min intervals and,
silica: with 1 wt% nanosilica particles, the flexural strength of following the trapezoidal rule, Equation 1 was used to calcu-
U-1 concrete was enhanced by as much as 11% in comparison late the total charge passing the test specimen.
to that of control mix U-0, and this increased to 16% when the
content of nanosilica was increased to 2 wt% in mix U-2. 1: Q ¼ 900ðI0 þ 2I30 þ 2I60 þ L þ I330 þ I360 Þ

Microstructural analysis
Diffraction patterns of the HSC mixtures with replacement
of 0%, 1% and 2% of cement with nanosilica at 7 d and 28 d
were obtained and are shown in Figure 7. The influence of
nanosilica or silica fume on calcium hydroxide (portlandite)
orientation at the paste aggregate interface was determined by
means of these XRD patterns. The differences in consumption
of calcium hydroxide (crystal) between H-0, H-1 and H-2 and
between U-0, U-1 and U-2 at 7 d and 28 d can be approxi-
mately demonstrated by the intensity changes of the main
diffraction peaks of calcium hydroxide crystal at a Bragg angle
where Q is the charge passed (in C) and I0, I30, I60 … I330, I360
is the current (in A) at 0, 30, 60 … 330, 360 min.
With reference to chloride ion penetrability based on
charge passed as per ASTM C 1202 (ASTM, 2001d), Table 7
shows the chloride ion penetrability of the HSC U-0 and the
nano-modified HSC U-2. Table 7 shows that chloride ion
permeability was very low for U-0 and negligible for U-2
according to ASTM C 1202. Hence the resistance to chloride
penetration can be improved with the addition of nanosilica.
This may be due to the filler effect of nanosilica: the nanosilica

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Effect of nanosilica on durability and
mechanical properties of high-strength
concrete
Ganesh, Ramachandra Murthy, Sundar
Kumar, Mohammed Saffiq Reheman and Iyer

Q Q
C2S
C3S C3S
P
P E C2S C3S E C3S
H-2 H-2
C2S
Q

Relative intensity
Relative intensity

Q
C2S C3S P C2S C S C3S
P C3S E
E H-1 3
H-1

Q
Q
P C3S P
E C2S C3S
C2S C3S H-0 E C3S
H-0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85
2θ: degrees 2θ: degrees
(a) (b)

Q C3S Q
P E C2S C3S
U-2
C2S C3S
P E C3S
Q U-2
Relative intensity
Relative intensity

Q
P
E C2S C3S C S
3
U-1
Q E
P C2S C3S C3S
U-1

P C2S C3S C S
E 3 C3S
U-0 Q C2S
P C3S
E
U-0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85
2θ: degrees 2θ: degrees
(c) (d)

Figure 7. XRD patterns: (a) mix H at 7 d; (b) mix H at 28 d;

(c) mix U at 7 d; (d) mix U at 28 d. Q, quartz; P, portlandite;
E, ettringite; C3S, tricalcium silicate; C2S, dicalcium silicate

fills voids present in the concrete and thus reduces chloride

permeation. Charge Penetrability class
passed: C (ASTM C 1202)
Sorptivity
Sorptivity measures the rate of penetration of water into the U-0 sample 1 101·7
pores of concrete by capillary suction. The quantity of water U-0 sample 2 119·7
penetrating over a time period from 30 min to 60 min was U-0 sample 3 108·0
determined from the weight difference of the specimens. The Average 109·8 Very low
absorption was calculated as the change in mass divided by U-2 sample 1 86·4
the product of the cross-sectional area of the test specimen U-2 sample 2 86·4
and the density of water, in accordance with ASTM C 1585 U-2 sample 3 86·4
(ASTM, 2001e) as Average 86·4 Negligible

2: I ¼ mt =ad Table 7. RCPT results

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 Magazine of Concrete Research Effect of nanosilica on durability and
mechanical properties of high-strength
concrete
Ganesh, Ramachandra Murthy, Sundar
Kumar, Mohammed Saffiq Reheman and Iyer

1·4 containing nanosilica is more densely packed (i.e. voids are

reduced). The enhancement of resistance to water absorption
1·2
and reduction of voids in the nano-modified HSC could be
1·0 due to the filler effect of nanosilica.

0·8 Summary and conclusions

I: mm

0·6
The following observations are made from the extensive exper-
imental investigations carried out on high-strength concrete
0·4 (HSC) and nano-modified HSC.

0·2 U-0
U-2 & Comparing the mechanical properties of HSC mixtures
0 with 0%, 1% and 2% replacement of cement by nanosilica,
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 it was found that the properties increased with an increase
Time: S½ in nanosilica content for the same water to cement ratio.
The improvements may be due to the pozzolanic reaction
Figure 8. Sorptivity test results
and filler effect of nanosilica.
& Compared with a control mix without the addition of
nanosilica, for HSC mix H with 2% replacement of cement
Absorption: % Voids: % by nanosilica, the compressive strength increased by 18%,
U-0 sample 1 2·85 5·71 the split tensile strength increased by 22% and the flexural
U-0 sample 2 2·88 5·87 strength increased by 11%.
& Similar results were found for the mechanical properties of
U-0 sample 3 2·84 5·75
another HSC mix (mix U) with 2% replacement of cement
Average 2·86 5·78
by nanosilica: the compressive strength increased by 21%,
U-2 sample 1 2·48 4·98
the split tensile strength increased by 25% and the flexural
U-2 sample 2 2·44 4·88
strength increased by 16% with respect to the control mix.
U-2 sample 3 2·45 4·80
& The mechanical properties and durability of nano-modified
Average 2·46 4·89
HSC increase with the amount of nanosilica incorporated,
subject to the availability of free calcium hydroxide.
Table 8. Water absorption test
& It was found that, for both the nano-modified HSC mixes,
there was no significant improvement in strength at 56 d in
comparison with the 28 d strengths. This may be due to
where I is the absorption, mt is the change in specimen mass the dispersion of nanosilica particles and the larger
(in g) at time t, a is the exposed area of the specimen (mm2) consumption of calcium hydroxide due to the additional
and d is the density of water (g/mm3). pozzolanic reaction of the nanosilica at an early age.
& An investigation of micromechanical properties revealed
When the cumulative volume of water absorption per unit that nanosilica consumes calcium hydroxide crystals at the
surface area of exposure is plotted against the square root of interface more effectively with an increase in nanosilica
time of exposure, the resulting graph can be approximated by a content. It was also found that the intensity of quartz was
straight line passing through the origin. The sorptivity test increased by increasing the amount of nanosilica added for
results shown in Figure 8 reveal that the HSC U-0 absorbed both the HSC mixtures studied.
more water than the nano-modified HSC U-2. The presence of & With the observed considerable strength improvements for
nanosilica thus retards sorptivity, which may be due to the the case of nano-modified HSC mix U, durability studies
filler effect of nanosilica. were carried out on mix U and compared with the control
HSC with no added nanosilica. The nano-modified
Water absorption HSC mix showed better resistance in terms of chloride
A water absorption test was carried out at age 28 d according penetration, water sorptivity and water absorption in
to the ASTM C 642 standard procedure (ASTM, 2001f). comparison with the control HSC mix.
The average water absorption and percentage of voids of
filler materials are presented in Table 8. It can be seen that Acknowledgements
the water absorption for HSC (U-0) was 16% higher than that The authors thank the staff of the Computational Structural
of the nano-modified HSC mixture (U-2), providing evidence Mechanics Group and Advanced Materials Laboratory of
that water absorption is reduced considerably in the nano- CSIR-SERC for their cooperation and suggestions during the
modified concrete. Furthermore, the percentage of voids in investigations. This paper is published with the kind permission
U-2 was 18% less than in U-0, indicating that the concrete of the Director of CSIR-SERC.

7
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 Magazine of Concrete Research
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