Effect of colloidal silica on compressive strength of concrete

Abstract

Due to tremendous growth in the technology of the construction field, there is a huge development of different types of modern concretes depending upon the requirements. In general, concrete is an equivalent mixture of cement, aggregates, and water. But, modern concretes contain some additional components in terms of mineral or chemical forms.Concrete superplasticizers play a vital role in improving the quality of concrete and making construction economical. In recent years, wide usage of nanomaterials came into existence. One of the most used nanomaterials is colloidal silica (CS). The effect of the use of colloidal silica on the workability and compressive strength of M20 grade concrete was studied in the present study. Colloidal silica (CS-TX & CS-FX) of two types were replaced in different percentages by the weight of cement. Conplast SP-430 is added as a superplasticizer. The optimum dosage of colloidal silica has been studied by varying percentages by weight of cement. Both the types of silica used in the study have shown improved strengths in the compression of concrete by reducing the voids. The optimum dosage of colloidal silica is found to be 2.5% by the weight of cement.