Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

Recent advancements in concrete technology especially through the introduction of self-compacting concrete (SCC) have changed the way concrete construction is perceived. Within a very short period of time SCC was adopted worldwide. Self-compacting concrete is a material requiring new approaches for casting techniques, but, at the same time, offering novel and innovative opportunities for engineers and architects. In some countries this technology is well established as some are going through a great deal of uncertainties. SCC is not just an alternative to conventional concrete it opens the opportunities for fundamental changes to the whole concrete construction processes. We already see it in the concrete precast industry when new production facilities are designed for the use of SCC. SCC is here to stay and a great number of successful construction projects, business ventures, and extremely valuable research projects is a solid evidence of it. On the other hand, SCC is a more demanding and susceptible than traditional vibrated concrete. The choice of constituent materials, mix design, mixing process, formwork, casting methods presents challenges. Some effort is necessary to meet the challenges and to gain the benefits SCC technology offers.