Systematic Procedure for Self Compacting Concrete Mix Design – Part 1

Self compacting concrete (SCC) is a new, innovative construction material that can be placed into forms without the need for mechanical vibration. SCC can be made from any of the constituents that are generally used for structural concrete. But the mixture proportions are critical for producing quality SCC and require an optimized combination of constituent materials. Lack of good understanding of the material properties and the mixture proportioning affected the development of SCC significantly. In order to achieve successful SCC, a systematic procedure for SCC mix design with necessary optimization of constituent materials has been discussed here. In the SCC mix design procedure, the relative proportions of key components are considered by volume as per EFNARC guidelines. Another key step in the SCC mix design, optimization of coarse aggregate blending suitable for a particular coarse aggregate content to obtain successful SCC has been discussed. A parameter called coarse aggregate points (CAP) has been used to assess the trend of SCC fresh properties.

---