TRM 246

TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
Page 1 of 9
SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

CONTENTS

Introduction
The material silica fume
Impact of silica fume on concrete
Economic aspects
References
Keywords

INTRODUCTION

Silica fume is a by-product of the manufacture of silicon or ferrosilicon and is used as an admixture
in concrete to improve its properties, principally durability and compressive strength. Silica fume is
frequently referred to by other names like condensed silica fume, microsilica and volatilized silica.

This TRM gives a definition of the material silica fume with its physical and chemical properties. The
reactions of silica fume in concrete are explained and its effect on the properties of both fresh and
hardened concrete is discussed.

THE MATERIAL SILICA FUME

Definition of silica fume

Silica fume can be defined as very non-crystalline silica, produced in electric arc furnaces as by-
product of the production of elemental silicon or alloys containing silicon. It is usually a grey
coloured powder, somewhat similar to Portland cement or some fly ashes. Silica fume is a
supplementary cementitious material, which means that it will gain strength when it is mixed with
water. Figure 1 shows the material silica fume after being collected from a furnace.

Figure 1 Silica fume

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 TRM 246
TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
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SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

Production

Silicon metal and ferrosilicon alloys are produced for many industrial applications, eg aluminium and
steel production, computer chip fabrication, and production of silicones. The by-product silica fume
is important for the concrete industry. Previously, silica fume just escaped to the atmosphere but
more strict environmental regulations forced the industry to change. The silica fume is nowadays
collected in very large filters and then made available for use in concrete directly or after additional
processing.

Chemical properties

Silica fume is an amorphous material, which means that it dissolves in concrete. This must occur
before the material can react. An example of a crystalline (= non amorphous) material is sand,
which is more or less similar to silica fume but does not react in concrete. Silica fume is more than
85% silicon dioxide (SiO2), which is the reactive part in the material. The remaining part consists of
trace elements. These elements depend on the metal being produced in the smelter. They usually
do not have an impact on the performance of silica fume in concrete.

Table 1 shows the physical and chemical requirements of silica fume according to several
standards.

Table 1 Physical and chemical requirements of silica fume according to several standards.

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 TRM 246
TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
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SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

Physical properties
Silica fume particles are extremely small, with more than 95% being less than 1 m (micron).
Particle size is extremely important for both the physical and the chemical contributions of the
material in concrete. A Portland cement grain has an average size of 45 m, silica fume 0.5 m.
The density of silica fume depends largely on the production process and therefore varies widely
3
between 130-430 kg/m . For practical reasons the material is often densified.
Since the particles of silica fume are very small, it has a large specific surface (total surface area of
a given mass). Figure 2 shows the silica fume particles in comparison with cement particles.

Figure 2 Cement particles on the left and silica fume particles on the right

Reactions of silica fume in concrete

The microstructure of concrete is changed by the addition of silica fume. Two processes are playing
a part in this, a physical process and a chemical process.
Physical process
The very small particles of silica fume fill in the spaces between the cement grains. This
phenomenon is called particle packing or micro-filling. Even if there was no chemical reaction with
the silica fume, the micro-filling effect would still improve the properties of the concrete.
Chemical process
Silica fume is very reactive in concrete because of its high amorphous silicon dioxide content. As
the Portland cement in concrete begins to react chemically, it releases calcium hydroxide. The silica
fume reacts with this to form an additional binder material called calcium silicate hydrate, which is
very similar to the calcium silicate hydrate formed from the Portland cement. It is largely this
additional binder that gives silica fume concrete its improved hardened properties.

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 TRM 246
TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
Page 4 of 9
SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

Comparison with other supplementary cementitious materials

Table 2 shows a comparison of properties between silica fume and other supplementary materials in
concrete.

Property Portland cement Class F fly ash Class C fly ash Slag cement Silica fume

SiO2 content, % 21 52 35 35 85-97

Al2O3 content, % 5 23 18 12

Fe2O3 content, % 3 11 6 1

CaO content, % 62 5 21 40 <1

Fineness as surface 15 000 –

370 420 420 400
area, m 2/kg 30 0000

Specific gravity 3.15 2.38 2.65 2.94 2.22

General use in Cement Cement Cement Property

Primary binder
concrete replacement replacement replacement enhancer

Table 2 Properties for silica fume compared to other supplementary materials in concrete. Note that these are
approximate values.

IMPACT OF SILICA FUME ON CONCRETE

Silica fume is used in concrete since it significantly improves the properties of fresh and hardened
concrete. The potential of silica fume was already known in the 1940s but it had to wait till the
development of powerful dispersants called superplasticisers before it became widely used. Note
that silica fume does not replace Portland cement, but acts as an admixture to improve the
properties of concrete. Silica fume changes the properties of both fresh concrete and hardened
concrete.

Silica fume and fresh concrete

There are two distinct effects: the concrete is more cohesive and the concrete exhibits little or no
bleeding.

Increased cohesion

Fresh concrete made with silica fume is more cohesive and therefore less prone to segregation than
concrete without silica fume. The main benefit from increased cohesion can be seen in shotcrete
(‘gunite’), used for new construction, repair of existing structures, or ground support in tunnelling.
The thickness of the layers can be increased, moreover the bond between the shotcrete and the old
material is improved.

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 TRM 246
TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
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SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

Reduced bleeding

Concrete bleeds as the heavier components (cement and aggregates) settle under the influence of
gravity before the concrete stiffens. As the heavier components settle, the lighter water is forced
upward. Some of the water is trapped under aggregate or reinforcement bars and some of it
reaches the surface of the concrete. This movement of water takes place in what is called capillary
channels. Once the water evaporates, these channels serve as shortcuts for aggressive agents
such as chloride ions from de-icing salts or sea water to get back into the concrete. Therefore, the
reduction or elimination of these channels improves the durability of the concrete. Figure 3 shows
the process of bleeding.

Figure 3 Bleeding of concrete

For conventional concrete, it is critical not to conduct finishing operations before the bleeding has
stopped and all bleed water has evaporated from the surface. Thus, there is usually a waiting period
of several hours between the placing and finishing operations. With silica fume added, concrete
does not bleed and the finishing operation can be continuous from placement to texturing and
curing. Unless a special finish is required, it is not unusual for finishing of silica-fume concrete to be
completed within half an hour of the concrete arriving on the deck.

Silica fume and hardened concrete

There are two distinct effects: adding silica fume results in enhanced mechanical properties and a
reduction of permeability.

Enhanced mechanical properties

The most interesting effect of silica fume on the mechanical properties of concrete is an increase in
compressive strength. Adding more silica fume will usually increase the strength further. However,
the effects of water content, fly ash content and type of silica fume all interact to determine the
compressive strength and the rate of compressive strength development. Silica fume has most of
its impact on compressive strength by about 28 days. While the concrete will usually continue to
gain strength after 28 days, the rate of strength gain will be much slower with silica fume added.

Figure 4 shows an example of different concrete mixes and their compressive strength development.
A definition of the mixes is given in table 3. The %SF is the mass of silica fume as a percentage of
total cementitious materials. This table is just meant as an example and should not be used without
any project specific tests. The change of properties due to silica fume depends on the curing
temperature. At 20°C most of the silica fume concrete gain occurs after three days. When curing at
5°C, the concrete strength gains were more reduced for silica-fume concrete than for concrete
without silica fume. At 35°C the silica fume concrete gains strength much faster than a concrete
without silica fume.

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TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
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SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

Cement Fly ash SF

Mixes SF % W/CM
kg/m3 kg/m3 kg/m3

Mix 1 475 104 74 11 0.23

Mix 2 390 71 48 9 0.37

Mix 3 475 59 24 4 0.29

Mix 4 390 - 27 6 0.35

Mix 5 362 - 30 8 0.39

Mix 6 390 - 30 7 0.37

Table 3 Definition of concrete mixes in figure 4

Figure 4 Development of compression strength for the defined concrete mixes in table 4

Generally the following can be stated:

• Wet-curing (water, cover or membrane) is recommended for optimum strength development for
at least the first seven days.
2
• For typical 28-day concrete strengths of 30-40 N/mm , the benefit of silica fume is in properties
other than strength, namely durability, surface finish etc.
2
• For strengths typical of lean concrete mixes (5-20 N/mm at 28 days), silica fume has a
significant effect on strength improvement.
• Adding silica fume to high-strength mixes with low w/c ratios can lead to ultra-high strength
3
concretes. Cement contents above 350 kg/m are believed to be necessary for such ultra-high
strengths.
Table 4 shows a typical mix for a high strength concrete.

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TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
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SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

Mixes Cement kg/m3

OP Cement (EN196, 42.5) 435 kg/m 3

Fly ash (BS3892 Pt1) 145 kg/m 3

Silica fume ( ASTM C1240) 60 kg/m 3

10 mm aggregate 900 kg/m 3

Sand 740 kg/m 3

Water 150 kg/m 3

PC admix 7.5 l

W/B Ratio 0.24

Target mean cylinder strength (28 days) 120 MPa

Table 4 Typical mix for high strength concrete

Reduced permeability

Adding silica fume in concrete will reduce its permeability, which will extend the time it takes for an
aggressive chemical to get into the concrete.

Chloride damage is caused by chloride ions coming from de-icing salts or from sea water. An
electrolytic reaction between the steel reinforcement and the chloride ions causes corrosion of the
reinforcement. Silica fume concrete has a reduced permeability which results in a longer time for
the chloride ions to reach the reinforcement. Ghods et al developed a model that calculates the
service life of concrete structures in the Persian Gulf (salt water environment). The results shown in
table 5 show a distinct relationship between the silica fume content and the calculated service life.

Cover Silica Calculated

Cement Sand Gravel Dx1012
Mix thickness w/c fume service life
kg/m3 kg/m3 kg/m3 M 2/s
(mm) % years

1 75 513 0.38 0 695 905 7.43 4.8

2 75 487 0.38 5 695 905 3.99 10.1

3 75 475 0.38 7.5 695 905 2.92 14.7

4 75 462 0.38 10 695 905 2.14 21.7

5 75 449 0.38 12.5 695 905 1.57 32.9

Table 5 Calculated service life for concrete structures in Persian Gulf by Ghods et al.

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TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
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SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

Another type of damage is caused by sulphate that results in an expansion of the concrete and
cracking. The water-cement ratio and the chemistry of Portland cement play a part in this process,
and silica fume with its lower permeability can delay the damage.

Effect of silica fume on carbonation

Silica fume has an accelerating effect on the process of carbonation. Especially with lower contents
(<10% of mass) the increase is substantial. Therefore BS EN 197-1:2000 limits the content of silica
fume to at least 10% of cementitious mass. At this content, a high resistance to chloride ingress is
achieved with only a marginal increase of carbonation.

Effect of silica fume on internal curing

Internal curing refers to the time-dependent improvement of concrete strength due to the gradual
release of water from lightweight aggregate or superabsorbent polymers (SAP), in which it was
absorbed before mixing, to the cement particles to allow continued hydration. It also reduces
autogenous shrinkage and cracking and reduces permeability. Water has to be transported from the
aggregate or the SAP to the cement particles and this depends on the permeability of the concrete.
As has been discussed above, silica fume reduces the permeability of the concrete and therefore
has a negative effect on internal curing.

ECONOMIC ASPECTS

The purchase price of silica fume per tonne is between two and six times that of cement, depending
on the quantity and type ie whether it is a slurry, densified or micro-pelletised. Generally, a particular
portion of silica fume will cost less for the powder options than the slurry in terms of material, but
there are other cost differentials between the three types. It is essential that superplasticisers are
added if powder is used, since powders are difficult to disperse throughout the mix. If a slurry is
used, superplasticisers are optional. Moreover, powders demand better and longer mixing.

When silica fume is used to obtain high strength and high durability, the cost will depend on the
application and what other materials are used in the mix.

REFERENCES

BS EN 197-1:2000 Cement - Part 1: Composition, specifications and conformity criteria for common
cements

Carbon Enterprises Ltd, http://www.carbonenterprises.co.uk

Concrete Society, Microsilica in concrete, Technical Report No. 41, 54 pp, Report of a Concrete
Society Working Party, 1993

Dhir R K and Jones M R, Euro-Cements: Impact of ENV 197 on concrete construction, pp 227, 1994

Ghods P, Alizadeh R, Chini M, Hoseini M, Ghalibafian M and Shekarchi M, Durability-based design

in the Persian Gulf, Concrete International, December 2007

© WSP Group
 TRM 246
TECHNICAL REFERENCE Rev 1

MANUAL Date 3/08

Civil & Structural
Page 9 of 9
SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

Holland T C, Silica fume user’s manual, 184 pp, Silica Fume Association, 2005

Tarmac Limited, http://www.tarmac.co.uk

KEYWORDS

Cement; concrete; condensed silica fume; durability; high performance concrete; microsilica; silica
fume; volatilized silica.

Author: Arnoud Vink, WSP Byggprojektering, Gothenburg, Sweden (during secondment to

GTC)
Sponsor: Group Technical Centre
Revision record:
3/08 First issue (rev 1)

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