Abstract
This experimental study investigates the effect of steatite and fly ash on the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC). Accordingly, ordinary Portland cement (53 grade) was replaced with various fractions of fly ash (10% and 20%) and with various percentages (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) of steatite by weight of cement as a filling material. European guidelines for self-compacting concrete guidelines were adopted for producing SCC. The fresh concrete properties were studied using the slump flow test, T500 test, L-box test, and V-funnel test, whereas the hardened properties of SCC were studied by the cube compression test, splitting tensile strength test, and flexural strength test on various days (7 days, 14 days, 28 days, and 90 days). In addition to that, microstructural studies were carried out to justify the hardened concrete results. The result shows that the steatite content reduces the flow properties of concrete, whereas the fly ash content increases the flow properties. In terms of strength, addition of fly ash enhanced the later age strength, whereas up to 15% of replacement with steatite improved the compressive, tensile, and flexural strength, beyond which there is a fall in the strength parameters which is however higher than the control specimen.
Highlights
self-compacting concrete (SCC) was a special concrete developed at Japan in 1980s [1]. is concrete has good passing ability, filling ability, and good segregation resistance which makes this type of concrete be used in heavily reinforced areas such as beam column joints, and deep formwork like columns, shear wall, and foundation
Except the mix SCC25FA10 and SCC0 FA20 remaining, all other mixes come under SF2 class; it is utilized for normal applications like walls and columns, whereas the mix SCC0FA20 was categorized as SF3 and this is used in vertically congested places and structures with more complex shapes. is mix will have better surface finish compared to all others
Maximum slump values were registered at SCC0FA20 which is categorized as SF3 whereas all the remaining mixes were classified as SF2 except SCC25FA10 which exhibits the lowest slump value and was categorized as SF1 as per the European guidelines for self-compacting concrete
Summary
Research in SCC with FA, GGBS, silica fume, marble powder, and limestone filler are plenty whereas SCC with other mineral admixtures (steatite and FA) do not have adequate attention. Addition of fly ash enhances the workability and fluidity owing to its spherical particle shape. It increases the long-term strength by its pozzolanic reaction. An attempt is made to overcome the reduction in flow when adding steatite by adding FA and produce a high strength and flowable SCC. For this purpose, SCC is developed with binary and ternary systems of Portland cement, fly ash (FA) along with ultrafine natural Steatite powder (UFNSP). Microstructural studies were carried out by SEM analysis to support the justification of hardened concrete results
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