An Experimental Investigation on The Influence of Nano Silica on The Strength and Durability Characteristics of Self Compacting Concrete

Abstract

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is also considered as a concrete which can be placed and compacted under its own weight with little or no vibration without segregation or bleeding. The use of SCC with its improving productions techniques is increasing everyday in concrete production. It is used to facilitate and ensure proper filling and good structural performance of heavily reinforced structural members. Recently, nano particles have been gaining increasing attention and have been applied in many fields to fabricate new materials with novel functions due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Degradation of concrete members exposed to aggressive sulphuric acid environments is a key durability issue that affects the life cycle performance and maintenance costs of vital civil infrastructure. Sulphuric acid in groundwater, chemical waste or generated from the oxidation of sulphur bearing compounds in backfill can attack substructure concrete members. Moreover, concrete structures in industrial zones are susceptible to deterioration due to acid rain of which sulphuric acid is a chief component. In this work 40Mpa self-compacting concrete is developed using modified Nan-Su method of mix design. Slump flow, J-Ring, V-funnel tests are conducted to justify the fresh properties of SCC and are checked against EFNARC (2005) specifications. Specimens of dimensions 150x150x150mm were cast without nano silica and with two nano silica are added in different percentages(1%, 1.5% and 2% by weight of cement) to SCC. To justify the compressive strength for 7 and 28days, specimens are tested under axial compression. Durability properties were also studied by immersing the specimensin5% HCl and5% H2SO4. The particle packing in concrete can be improved by using Nano-silica which leads to densifying of the micro and nanostructure resulting in improved mechanical properties. Nano-silica addition to cement based materials can also control the degradation of the fundamental C-S-H (calcium-silicate-hydrate) reaction of concrete caused by calcium leaching in water as well as block water penetration and therefore lead to improvements in durability.