Feasibility of using marine sediments in SCC pastes as supplementary cementitious materials

Abstract

In the context of the depletion of natural geomaterials, the increasing amount of dredged sediments calls for seeking new possibilities for treating and recycling these materials as cementitious supplementary materials. The aim of this paper is to design ecological SCC pastes, which require less cement, incorporating treated marine sediments. Despite many approaches investigating the ultimate formula of self-compacting concrete (SCC), the process remains complex because it is based on many variables and components. According to the mix design method, twenty pastes were prepared with cement, superplasticizer, water, and treated marine sediments from the Dunkirk harbour (France). The pastes’ fresh properties were determined by using the mini-slump cone (workability), and the Marsh cone (fluidity). Rheological properties were determined with a robust rheometer based on the Bingham model. Cohesiveness and compressive strength were tested as well. All responses were connected using ternary diagrams, which led to the definition of an optimal formula. Experimental checking was performed to validate the obtained results.