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Graduate 5eses and Dissertations Graduate College
2014
Proportioning and performance evaluation of self-
consolidating concrete
Xuhao Wang
Iowa State University
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Recommended Citation
Wang, Xuhao, "Proportioning and performance evaluation of self-consolidating concrete" (2014). Graduate eses and Dissertations.
Paper 13781.
Proportioning and performance evaluation of self-consolidating concrete
by
Xuhao Wang
A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Major: Civil Engineering (Civil Engineering Materials)
Program of Study Committee:
Kejin Wang, Co-Major Professor
Peter C. Taylor, Co-Major Professor
Halil Ceylan
Charles T. Jahren
Chris R. Rehmann
George Morcous
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa
2014
Copyright © Xuhao Wang, 2014. All rights reserved.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... vii
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1
BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................... 1
OBJECTIVE OF DISSERTATION ......................................................................................... 3
DISSERTATION ORGANIZATION ...................................................................................... 3
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................. 7
PARTICLE PACKING IN SCC ............................................................................................... 7
Particle packing theory development ........................................................................................ 7
Particle packing based mix proportioning method ................................................................. 10
Particle packing based theoretical frames ............................................................................... 12
Excess paste theory ........................................................................................................... 12
Paste-to-voids volume ratio .............................................................................................. 14
Particle packing measurement from hardened concrete ......................................................... 15
SCC STIFFENING PROCESS MEASUREMENT APPROACHES .................................... 18
Penetration resistance test ....................................................................................................... 18
Calorimetry measurement ....................................................................................................... 18
Ultrasonic pulse velocity (P-wave) ......................................................................................... 19
Formwork pressure development ............................................................................................ 20
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 20
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. 26
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ 26
CHAPTER 3. ASSESSING PARTICLE PACKING BASED SELF-CONSOLIDATING
CONCRETE MIX DESIGN ............................................................................................. 33
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ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 33
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 34
BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................... 35
Particle packing theory development ...................................................................................... 35
Brouwers’ mix design method ................................................................................................ 37
PROPOSED MIX DESIGN METHOD.................................................................................. 39
EXPERIMENTAL WORK ..................................................................................................... 41
Materials ................................................................................................................................. 41
Mix proportions ...................................................................................................................... 41
Test equipment and procedures .............................................................................................. 42
Workability ....................................................................................................................... 42
Air content ........................................................................................................................ 42
Rheology of mortar mixtures ............................................................................................ 42
Rheology of concrete mixtures ......................................................................................... 42
Formwork pressure ........................................................................................................... 43
Setting time ....................................................................................................................... 43
Compressive strength and shrinkage ................................................................................ 44
Surface resistivity.............................................................................................................. 44
Rapid air test ..................................................................................................................... 44
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 45
Fresh properties ....................................................................................................................... 45
Workability ....................................................................................................................... 45
Rheology and formwork pressure ..................................................................................... 46
Hardened properties ................................................................................................................ 48
Surface resistivity and compressive strength .................................................................... 48
Air structure ...................................................................................................................... 49
Shrinkage .......................................................................................................................... 49
CONCLUSIONS..................................................................................................................... 50
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................... 52
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 52
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. 57
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ 58
CHAPTER 4. EFFECTS OF PASTE-TO-VOIDS VOLUME RATIO ON THE
PERFORMANCE OF SELF-CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE MIXTURES ............... 77
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 77
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 78
BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................... 79
Excess paste theory and applications on SCC ........................................................................ 79
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Paste-to-void volume ratio ...................................................................................................... 81
Relationship between parameters from excess paste theory and Vpaste/Vvoids ................... 81
MIX PROPORTION AND MATERIALS ............................................................................. 82
TEST EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES .......................................................................... 83
Workability ............................................................................................................................. 83
Air content .............................................................................................................................. 83
Mortar rheology ...................................................................................................................... 84
Surface resistivity.................................................................................................................... 84
Compressive strength and free shrinkage ............................................................................... 85
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 85
Workability ............................................................................................................................. 85
Compressive strength .............................................................................................................. 87
Free shrinkage ......................................................................................................................... 88
Surface resistivity measurements ............................................................................................ 88
Full factorial statistical analysis .............................................................................................. 89
CONCLUSIONS..................................................................................................................... 91
ACKNOWLEDGeMENTS..................................................................................................... 92
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 93
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. 95
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ 96
CHAPTER 5. IMAGE ANALYSIS APPLICATIONS ON ASSESSING STATIC
STABILITY AND FLOWABILITY OF SELF-CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE ..... 111
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... 111
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 112
BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................. 113
Excess paste theory and Paste-to-voids volume ratio concept.............................................. 113
Digital image processing....................................................................................................... 115
MIX PROPORTION AND MATERIALS ........................................................................... 118
TEST PROCEDURES .......................................................................................................... 119
Workability ........................................................................................................................... 119
Air content ............................................................................................................................ 119
Mortar rheology .................................................................................................................... 119
IMAGE ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................. 120
Stage I – Pre-processing procedures ..................................................................................... 120
Stage II – Post-processing procedures .................................................................................. 121
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................................... 122
Workability ........................................................................................................................... 122