Dr. M.

Yousaf,
C.E.D, U.E.T, Lahore
 Introduction: Relevant literature sources
International standards : ASTM, EN, JSCE &

Journals of ACI, Rilem, Springer link & Elsevier etc

Relevant Internationally recognized literature of various

organizations like:

• EFNARC The European Federation of Specialists in Construction

Chemicals and Concrete Systems
• BIBM The European Precast Concrete Organization.
• ERMCO The European Ready-mix Concrete Organization.
SCC-Definitions:

“ Highly flowable, non-segregating concrete that can spread in to place, fill

the formwork, and encapsulate the reinforcement with out any mechanical
consolidation” (ACI International Committee 237, Self-Consolidating
Concrete, July 2003)

“Concrete that can flow around reinforcement and consolidate within

formwork under its own weight without additional effort, while retaining its
homogeneity” ( ASTM Sub-Committee C 09-47, Self-Consolidating
Concrete, December 2003)
 What is different?

“A concrete can only be classified as SCC if the requirements for

all three characteristics are fulfilled in fresh state”

1. Flow-ability
2. Passing ability through the reinforcement &
3. Stability (No bleeding or segregation)

i-e SCC is highly fluid but consistent like honey

 What is different?
FLUIDITY AND CONSISTANCY
• Fluidity through admixtures, not water content (using HRWR like Glinium)
• Consistency from mortar viscosity (using VMA, Poly-carboxelate Ether like
Viscocrete)
Yield stress : Rheology of several types of concrete (Johns Newman 03)

Force required to start concrete

to flow/Applied stress we need
to exceed in order to make a
strucured fluid flow
Plastic Viscosity:
Concrete resistance to flow under external
Force/Liquid resistance to change
in shape or movement of
neighbouring portions related to one another
 Rheology of Concrete

Rheology: Branch of Physics dealing with deformation and flow of

matter
 Chemical Admixtures (ASTM C 494)
Generations / Families of Admixtures in Market:
1) Ligno-sulfonate based - series
2) Sulfonated Malamine or Nephthalene formaldehyde
3) Polyether-polycarboxylates , more effective than others two

3rd generation admixtures are used for SCC production

a) High Range Water Reducers (HRWR) are:

Reobuild and Glenium by BASF construction chemicals
ADVA-Flow310 by Grace construction
b) Viscosity Modifying Admixtures (VMA) are:
Rheomac, by BASF construction chemicals
V-MAR , by Grace Construction & Viscocrete by Sika chemicals
 Molecular structures for HRWRs

Molecular structures of (a) Ligno sulfate b) SMF & SNF and (c) PCE-
where R1 stands for H or CH3, R2 for polyethylene oxide and X is a polar or
ionic group
SP effect on Rheology of Concrete
Mechanism of Action in general

Mechanism 1 Mechanism 2

Mechanism3 Mechanism 4
Mechanism of Action (PCEs)
Mechanism of Action (CEs)
VEA/ VMA are the derivatives of :
VMA/VEA mechanism of action
Mix design guideline in general
 Mix Design methods& guidelines
No universal method has been so far developed due to diversity in constituent materials according to geographical location. All
these are just Guidelines
1.Japaneses method: (Okamura and Ozawa(1996-97); 1st generation of mix design:
i) Coarse aggregate content is fixed at 50% of the solid volume
ii) Fine aggregate content is fixed at 40% of the mortar volume
iii) Water to powder ratio in volume is assumed as 0.9 to 1.0, depending on the properties of the powder
iv) S.P dosage and the final water to powder ratio are determined to ensure self-compacting ability

2.CBI (Swedish cement & concrete research institute 96) based on the passing criteria
3. Bui and Montgomery (1999) suggest a method based on the blocking criteria and minimum paste needed.
4.LCPC (Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussèes Method 99)based on Packing density of constituent materials

5.Su et al. (2001) which is a mix-design method aimed for lower cement contents
6. Su and Miao (2003) Based on PF(Packing factor stands for the ratio of mass of aggregate of tightly packed state in
SCC to that of loosely packed state) A higher PF value generates a greater amount of coarse and fine aggregate, i.e. reduced content
of binding paste, which will reduce the flowability and the compressive strength.
7. Toralles-Carbonari et al. (1996) present a three step mix-design based on paste optimization
8. Gettu et al. (2002): a four step mix-design model for high-strength SCC. Their basic assumption is to consider concrete
as a two phase material, paste and aggregate.
9. Domone (2006a).
 Mix Design methods& guidelines for SCC
10. EFNARC (2005) guidelines:
Low water to powder ratio increases the viscosity of the cement paste, which is important to ensure that the coarse aggregate does not
segregate.
Limited coarse aggregate content is often mentioned as an essential parameter to manage the criteria on passing ability.
Increased paste content is an effect of limited coarse aggregate content. The increased paste content shall ensure that no blocking
occurs.
Use of S.P to ensure sufficient workability. The effect of a superplastiziser varies between different brands and also due to how they
are combined with cement and mineral additives.
11. ACI 237R-07 guidelines :
Step 1: Determine slump flow performance requirements ,
• Step 2: Select coarse aggregate and proportion (ACI 211.1 & 301);
• Step 3: Estimate the required cementitious content and water;
• Step 4: Calculate paste and mortar volume;
• Step 5: Select admixture;
• Step 6: Batch trial mixture;
• Step 7: Test the mix for slump flow , passing ability as well as stability such as J-ring ,column segregation, or L-box etc and
• Step 8: Adjust mixture proportions based on the test results and then re-batch with further testing until the required properties are
achieved.
 Significance: scc

All workmanship issues involve human errors!

SCC either eliminates or reduces most of them
 Significance of SCC

Limited
aggregate
Low water- content Use of super-
powder ratio plasticizer

Self
Compactability
 Significance: Economic
Cost performance comparison: (Higashi-Oozu
Viaduct, Pre-cast factory, Japan)
Ingredient Conventional SCC
concrete
Material 100 104.1
Labor 100 67.2
Total 100 92.5
(Ouchi.et.al, 2003)
• Labor saving , just one operator can handle a big project saving up to 40% of
work time (BASF chemicals, Boulevard tower Dubai 09)

For us, material cost seems high, but introduction of SCC would appear a
wise decision (Okumura et.al 03)
 Significance
Risks accompanying compaction are reduced like:
Excessive vibration (bleeding or segregation) or
Insufficient vibration (entrapped air, honey-combing).

So, bond and hence durability of the structure is improved.

Better Bond :
Improves the Load bearing capacity of the structure & Reduces
the development length required for steel and hence saving a lot in
big project.
 Practical Application of SCC
Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Kobe Japan is the first large scale
construction using SCC.
Akashi-Kaikyo bridge: longest suspension bridge in the world (1991 m long
suspension)

SCC
770,000 m3 SCC

SCC
 Practical Application of SCC
A slab of Commercial centre, Ferrara, Italy (no labor, self-compaction)
Practical Application of SCC
(Robert Moses Dam, New York Power Authority)
 Practical Application of SCC
(Cinque TerreVancouver, Canada)
• 5 story luxury residential project
• The labor to place and finish each was reduced over 90% from
35-man-hours to 3-man-hours.
Practical Application of SCC
Chinatown Millennium Gate
(Traditional Chinese gate to welcome visitors)
Practical Application of SCC
Pre cast Elements
Practical Application of SCC
Practical Application of SCC:
(Smooth surface finish)
 Workability characteristics, test methods and
acceptance criteria
SCC Property Test Methods Applicable
Standards
ASTM C-1611-05
1- Flow Ability Slump Flow &
EN12350-2/I -05
V-Funnel EN-12350-2/II-05
Blocking -Ring ASTM C-1621-06
2- Passing Ability
L-Box EN-12350-2/III-05

3- Static Stability Column Segregation ASTM C-1610-06a

(ACI-Committee 237,07 & EFNARC-05)

 Fresh SCC-Tests
Slump Flow test &
T500 measurement arrangement

(ASTM C1611/C1611-05
& EN-12350-2)
 Workability characteristics, test methods and
acceptance criteria
1) Slump Flow test arrangement

(ASTM C1611/C1611-05 & EN-12350-2)

Complete the test in about 2-3 minutes Measurements of two diameters should not differ by more than 50mm,
otherwise mix need to be revised.
 Slump Flow Test method and acceptance criteria /Target values
Member Level Slump Flow Value
Characteristics <22in 22 to 26in >26in
(<550mm) (550-650mm) (>650mm)

Reinforcement Low
level Med
High
Element Shape Low
Intricacy Med
High
Element Depth Low
Med
High
Surface finish Low VSI=0
VSI=1
importance Med
High
Element length Low
Med
High
Wall thickness Low
Med
High
Coarse Low
aggregate Med
content High
Placement Low
energy Med
VSI=2 VSI=3
High
VSI (Visual stability Index) Value Criteria (ASTM-1611)
0= Highly Stable No Evidence of Segregation or Bleeding
1= Stable No Evidence of Segregation but slight bleeding observed as a sheen on the conc. Mass
2= Unstable A slight mortar halo (<10mm)and/or aggregate pile in the concrete mass
3= Highly Unstable Clearly segregating by evidence of a large mortar halo(>10mm) and/ or a large aggregate pile in the center
of concrete mass
 Workability characteristics, test methods and acceptance
2) J- Ring test Arrangement criteria
(ASTM C I621/C1621M-06)
(Bar spacing of 3-times max. aggregate size is taken to be appropriate)

Difference Between Slump Flow and Blocking Ring Flow Blocking Assessment
0 to 1 in (0 to 25mm) No Visible blocking
>1 to 2 in (>25mm to 50mm) Minimal to Noticeable blocking
>2 in (> 50mm) Noticeable to extreme blocking
 Workability characteristics, test methods and acceptance
criteria
(ASTM C-1610/ 1610M-06a)

Segregation Resistance test

PVC pipe sections,8 inches in dia and 6.5,13 &

6.5inches in height each with seals and clamps

Property Criteria in
%
Segregation resistance (EFNARC-05) < 15
Segregation resistance Class (ACI-237-07) < 10
Workability characteristics, test methods and
acceptance criteria

V-Funnel Test Arrangement (EN-12350-10)

Property Criteria (EFNARC-05)
V-Funnel Class VF1 < = 10 Seconds
V-Funnel Class VF2 > = 7s , 27 s
V-Funnel Specified as Target Value +, - 3s
Workability characteristics, test methods and acceptance
criteria

L-Box test Arrangement (EN-12350-10)

Property Criteria (EFNARC-05)

L-Box Class PA1 > = 0.75 with two rebars
L-Box Class PA2 > = 0.75 with two rebars
L-Box Specified as Target Value Not more than 0.05below the Target value
Thanks