Self compacting concrete

Why SCC???
High strength concrete mixes + dense steel
reinforcement
Constructability of highly congested RCC
elements???

What is SCC??
High- workability relates to both high consistency and
high cohesiveness
Superplasticisers high workability = 200 to 250
mm is possible
Pioneering work by Japanese and German researchers
during the 1980s has led to the development of highworkability concrete mixtures that are commercially
known as self compacting concrete.

Definition
Flowing-concrete that can be cast into place and
can achieve de-aeration without the application
of a vibrator, with no segregation, honeycombing
and bug holes

Potential problems
Flowing concrete mixtures run the risk of bleeding,
settlement, and segregation.
Weak interfacial transition zone between cement paste
and aggregate, as well as between cement paste and
reinforcing steel.
This risk becomes especially great with high placement
heights, high shear rates in pumping, and excessive
vibration during the consolidation of concrete.

Japanese experience
Reasons for the increasing demand of SCC in Japan:
a) complex shape of concrete structures and
densely arranged bars make it more difficult to use
a vibrator;
b) vibration compaction is noisy and deleterious to
the health of construction worker, as well as an
annoyance to people in the neighborhood;
c) in remote areas it is difficult to find skilled
workers to carry out the compacting work at
construction sites

Materials & mix proportions

Volume & max size of aggregate should be controlled
approximately 25 to 30% coarse aggregate, 3035% fine aggregate, and about 10% extra-fine
particles (exclusive of cement
Low w/c ratio densification of matrix and ITZ
weak link is aggregate
Hence aggregate selection is important

Aggregate for SCC

SCC the total volume of coarse and fine
aggregate remains below 60%
40% or more of the volume consists of
suspension (cement + extra-fine material + water
+ air).

The maximum size of coarse aggregate is

generally limited to a maximum of 20 mm.

Finer part of SCC

Fly ash, ground blast-furnace slag, and
limestone powder are normally used to provide
the extra-fine particles other than cement
Why not cement???

Admixtures used for SCC

viscosity-modifying agents in concrete include
Acrylic based water-soluble polymers
cellulose- based water-soluble polymers
polysacchrides of microbial sources, such as welan
gum.

Water-soluble polymers can imbibe some of the

free water in the system increasing the viscosity
of the
cement paste enables the paste to hold
aggregate particles in a stable suspension.

Use of admixture(con.)
Incorporation of extra-fine materials in the SCC
mixtures is not necessary if a viscosity-modifying
agent is used.

VMA assignment
Different types of VMA
How it works
VMA added concrete application