Water permeability of Self Compacting Concrete

Abstract

Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) is considered as one of the most revolutionary innovations in the worldwide construction industry. Along with the studies that have been conducted concerning the fresh rheological properties of SCC (filling ability, passing ability, segregation resistance) and their benefits, there is a substantial need for exploring the behavior of SCC during curing time and in the early hardened state, and for examining how the durability of the material is affected compared to Normal Concrete (NC). The proposed paper examines water permeability of SCC as an important step towards the definition of concrete durability. Three SCC mixtures and two NC mixtures have been produced and concrete specimens have been cured in two different ways (air curing, underwater curing). Water permeability has been evaluated by conducting permeability tests at various ages (7, 14, 28 and 56 days), evaluating the water flux into the concrete surface. Flux decay as a function of time has been compared between different SCC mixtures in terms of the curve type and slope, as well as of the values at the beginning of the measurement and of final (asymptotic) values. The effects of different curing conditions and testing ages have been evaluated. Flux in SCC specimens of different mixtures has been compared to NC types.