High-Workability Concrete

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Introduction

High- workability relates to both high

consistency and high cohesiveness.

Pioneering work by Japanese and German

researchers during the 1980s has led to the
development of high-workability concrete
mixtures that are commercially known as
self-compacting concrete.

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Self-compacting concrete

Flowing-concrete that can be cast into place

and can achieve de-aeration without the
application of a vibrator, with no segregation
and honey-combing

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Motivations

The constructability of heavily congested

reinforced concrete structures requires that
the fresh concrete mixture should possess
high fluidity.

With the advent of superplasticizers, it is

possible now to achieve values of the order
of 200 to 250 mm without an increase in the
water/cement ratio

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Potential problems
Flowing concrete mixtures run the risk of
bleeding, settlement, and segregation.

Weak interfacial transition zone between cement

paste and aggregate, as well as between
cement paste and reinforcing steel.

This risk becomes especially great with high

placement heights, high shear rates in
pumping, and excessive vibration during the
consolidation of concrete.

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Japanese experience
Reasons for the increasing demand of SCC in Japan:
– a) complex shape of concrete structures and
densely arranged bars make it more difficult to use
a vibrator;

– b) vibration compaction is noisy and deleterious to

the health of construction worker, as well as an
annoyance to people in the neighborhood;

– d) in remote areas it is difficult to find skilled

workers to carry out the compacting work at
construction sites
CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Materials and Mixture
Proportions
volume and maximum size of coarse aggregate
must be controlled.

Compared to conventional superplasticized

concrete, which typically contains about 45%
coarse aggregate and 25% fine aggregate (by
absolute volume), SCC concrete mixtures are
composed of approximately 25 to 30% coarse
aggregate, 30-35% fine aggregate, and about
10% extra-fine particles (exclusive of cement).

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Materials -- Aggregate
SCC the total volume of coarse and fine
aggregate remains below 60% so that 40% or
more of the volume consists of suspension
(cement + extra-fine material + water + air). The
maximum size of coarse aggregate is generally
limited to a maximum of 20 mm.

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Japanese experience
According to Nagataki and Fujiwara, in an
experimental study when the volume of
coarse aggregate was 24.5%, most concrete
was able to pass through the reinforcing
bars.

When the volume of coarse aggregate was

34.5% concrete was unable to pass through
the bars under all conditions.

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Materials

High fluidity with relatively low water content is

achieved by the use of a superplasticing
admixture.

Fly ash, ground blast-furnace slag, and

limestone powder are normally used to
provide the extra-fine particles other than
cement; using cements alone would increase
the cost and heat of hydration.

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Admixtures
Commonly used viscosity-modifying agents in concrete
include acrylic- or cellulose- based water-soluble
polymers or polysacchrides of microbial sources,
such as welan gum.

Water-soluble polymers can imbibe some of the free

water in the system, thus increasing the viscosity of
the cement paste which, in turn, enables the paste to
hold aggregate particles in a stable suspension.

Incorporation of extra-fine materials in the SCC

mixtures is not necessary if a viscosity-modifying
agent is used.
CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Viscosity-Modifying
Agents
Enhance the cohesion of the concrete.
Minimize the accumulation of bleed water.

Formulation:
• Water-soluble synthetic or natural
organic polymers with high molecular
weight
• Emulsions of several organic
materials
CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
ESEM images of welan gum
particles
(scalebar is 100mm).

(a) Dry particles at 70% (b) After 5 minutes at (c) After 12 minutes at
RH 100% RH 100% RH
Applications of Viscosity-
Modifying Agents
Underwater concrete
 Facilitates sufficient mobility of the concrete under
water with little loss of cement.
Self-compacting concrete
 Leads to high flowability with no segregation.
Grouting
 Eliminates the migration of water from the grout
due to the differential pressure.
 Helps maintain the cement particles in
suspension once injection ceases.
 Applications
The anchorage for a long bridge connecting
the island of Honshi and Awajishima,

bridge piers and high-rise buildings with

dense steel reinforcement,

stadiums with are complex in shape and

where vibratory compaction is difficult.

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Coral Reef in Florida Keys

Courtesy from Sam Yao

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Florida Keys

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 One of the Ground Sites

Courtesy from Sam Yao

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Damaged Coral Reef

Courtesy from Sam Yao

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Applications
In 1994, a ship ran aground at the
Looe Key damaging over 1000
square meters and destroying
75 percent of the coral
colonies. Underwater concrete
was placed to stabilize the
boulders and the surrounding
reefs. Due to the sensitive
environmental conditions at
the site, the underwater
concrete had to be flowable,
but yet without causing
turbidity and pollution in
water.

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Repair Design

Courtesy from Sam Yao

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Precast Repair Module

Courtesy from Sam Yao

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Repair of Corral Reef in
Florida Keys

Courtesy from Sam Yao

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Setting a Precast Module

Courtesy from Sam Yao

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Tremie

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Placement

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Concrete Delivery

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Washout test

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Details

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Placement

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Hydrostatic Balance Point

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Spacing

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Sequence

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

 Removal of Laitance

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction

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CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction
 Surface Coating and
Painting
1) Vapor-barriers
epoxy, asphalt

2) Latex (permeable)
provides good adhesion

CE 165: Concrete Materials and Concrete Construction