Evaluation of the Rheological and Durability Performance of Sustainable Self-Compacting Concrete

Abstract

Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) is a special concrete that can flow easily across congested reinforcements. Also, it is easy to work with and does not segregate. The present investigation aims at the design and development of sustainable SCC with the employment of industrial by-products such as Fly Ash (FA), Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS), and Expanded Perlite Aggregate (EPA). Four SCC mixes were developed to attain a target strength of 30 MPa. Workability tests (slump flow, J-ring, and V-funnel tests) were performed following the EFNARC guidelines to ensure fresh SCC properties. Detailed experiments were conducted to evaluate the durability characteristics of the developed SCC, such as water absorption, sorptivity, acid attacks (sulphuric, nitric, sulphate, and chloride), the Rapid Chloride Penetration Test (RCPT), and finally, the elevated temperature test. Weight loss, strength loss, and physical observations of the acid and temperature effects of SCC mixes were evaluated. Also, the study focuses on the cost and sustainable index of SCC mixes and compares them with OPC mixes. From the experimental data analysis, it was observed that the developed SCC showed excellent physical and mechanical properties with a considerable reduction in cement content. SCC specimens with FA and EPA exhibit excellent acid and temperature resistance. Following the sustainable analysis, it was noted that SCC mixes reduce about 15–17.2% of carbon emissions compared to the OPC mix.

Assessment of chlorine resistance in concrete in the tidal range and splash zone of a torrid marine region

“…Al-Hashem et al (Al-Hashem et al, 2022) investigated the effect of metakaolin (M.K. ), Habib et al (Habib et al, 2022) studied the effect of bentonite, Mathews et al (Mathews et al, 2023) used industrial by-products, Yuan et al (Yuan et al, 2021) applied electric arc furnace oxidizing slag (EAS), Yoon et al (Yoon and Lee, 2020) tested fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), and natural zeolite as water repellency, Lee et al ; mixed locally produced ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), Stratoura et al (Stratoura et al, 2023) mixed perlite and rice husk ash as fine aggregates, and Prithiviraj et al (Prithiviraj et al, 2022) used alccofine as an additive material to evaluate the durability of concrete.…”

Rheology, Mechanical Properties and Shrinkage of Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Cement Kiln and By-Pass Filter Dust

“…An important subject of scientific research is the type of filler, with parameters such as size, shape and chemical composition emerging as the most critical. A rising number of research teams are trying to use industrial by-products as fillers, aiming to promote sustainability and greener constructions by utilizing materials that would potentially be air or soil pollutants [7,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. When it comes to cement plants, especially, thousands of tons of waste material are amassed annually, making the need for their purposeful utilization imperative.…”