Design of Self-Compacting Concrete with Reduced Cement Content by Aggregate Packing Method

Abstract

This article presents the procedure for designing self-compacting cement concrete characterized by minimal free space and a maximally compacted mineral skeleton. Such a designed mix allows for lower cement consumption and an increased amount of mineral additives. The paper presents a broad analysis of the influence of different aggregate proportions (36 recipes) and verification of the properties of the concrete mix using CEM I 42.5 R cements and fly ash. As a result of the appropriately compacted mineral skeleton, only 17% free space was obtained, which will allow the amount of cement to be reduced from 500 kg/m3 to 350 kg/m3 while fully maintaining the properties of the mix and hardened concrete. After 90 days of curing, SCC concrete was characterized by a compressive strength above 68 MPa and a small 2.1% decrease in compressive strength after 100 freeze–thaw cycles.