Concrete is the homogeneous mixture of cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and water.

Now a days cementitious materials like fly ash, silica fume, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), metakaoline, rice husk ash etc. and chemical admixtures are also used in concrete to make it environmental friendly. These cementitious materials and chemical admixtures enhance properties of concrete such as strength, workability, durability etc. Concrete mix proportioning is aimed at achieving the above mentioned properties with least cement content. In the process of mixing, transporting and placing of concrete air is likely to get entrapped into the concrete. Compaction of concrete is the process in which the entrapped air from concrete is removed. Therefore, properties of concrete also depend upon the degree and nature of compaction. Insufficient compaction increases the permeability of concrete. The permeable concrete allows the entry of aggressive chemicals which attack the concrete and the reinforcement, reducing the durability. If the entrapped air is not completely removed, the concrete looses the strength considerably. Normally, 5% voids reduce the strength of concrete by about 30% and 10% voids reduce the strength by over 50%. Hence 100% compaction should be aimed for durable concrete. In order to achieve full compaction and maximum density, with reasonable compacting efforts, it is necessary to use a mix with adequate workability. 1.2 Self Compacting Concrete 1.2.1 Introduction In heavily reinforced concrete sections it is difficult to place the concrete uniformly at all the corners and to compact it fully. Poor compaction leads to honeycombing, which may cause durability problems. Attempts are being made to place the concrete without applying external compacting effort. For example, placing the concrete under water using Tremie. Mass concrete and shaft concrete can be successfully placed without compaction. But in such situations the concrete is of lower strength and it is difficult to maintain consistent quality. Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) is focussed on achieving concrete with desired properties without applying external compacting efforts. Such a concrete is homogeneous, consistent and capable to flow and occupy all the corners of structural

element under its own weight. It will get compacted under its own weight. This concrete is also called as self levelling concrete. SCC has been described as the most revolutionary development in concrete technology. SCC was originally developed in Japan and now became popular all over the world. SCC is produced using ordinary portland cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, water and some chemical admixtures. The durable concrete structures required adequate compaction by skilled workers. The gradual reduction in skilled workers in Japans construction industry led to reduction in quality construction work. The solution for durable concrete structures was the employment of self compacting concrete irrespective of quality of construction work. The necessity of this type of concrete was proposed by Prof. Okamura in 1986. The prototype of SCC was first completed in 1988 using actual materials available in the market. This prototype concrete satisfied the requirements. The European countries later recognized the significance and potentials of SCC. In 1989, The European Federation of Natural Trade Associations Representing Producers and Applicators of Specialist Building Products [EFNARC] was established. The developments in this regard are reviewed and presented in Chapter 2. The use of self compacting concrete started rapidly. EFNARC making use of broad practical experience of all members of the federation has drawn up the specifications and guidelines to provide a framework for design and use of high quality self compacting concrete, in 2001. The test methods explained here and the guidelines for SCC are given by EFNARC. 1.2.2 Materials Required for Self Compacting Concrete Following materials are required for producing self compacting concrete. a) Cement: Ordinary portland cement, 43 or 53 grade can be used. This OPC should conform to the relevant Indian Standards. Selection of the type of cement will depend on the overall requirements for the concrete, such as strength, durability etc. In cement C3A content should not be more than 10%. The typical content of cement is 350- 450 kg/m3. More than 500 kg/m3 cement can be dangerous and increases the shrinkage. Less than 350 kg/m3may be suitable when fine fillers are included. b) Aggregates

i) Coarse aggregate: The maximum size of aggregate is generally limited to 20 mm. Aggregate of size 10 mm to 12 mm is desirable for the structures having congested reinforcement. In some cases aggregate higher than 20 mm may also be used. The aggregate should be well graded. The cubical or rounded aggregate particles are preferred because these particles enhances the workability. ii) Fine aggregate: Fine aggregate can be natural sand or manufactured sand i.e. crushed sand. The grading must be uniform throughout the work. The moisture content and water absorption should be monitored because these properties influences the properties of SCC. The natural sand particles are normally smooth and rounded which helps in improving the workability. But the crushed sand particles are not smooth, are rough textured and maximum particles are angular, flaky or elongated. Due to this the workability gets decreased. Hence the combination of natural and crushed sand can be used. When it is not possible to use such blending then efforts should be taken to smoothen the manufactured sand particles. For crushed sand, normally the sand is coarse and the fineness modulus is more. In such cases the sand should be sieved on 2.36 mm IS sieve and 2.36 mm to 4.75 mm fraction should be added to get the desired grading. If required other fractions may be added for required grading. c) Mixing water: Normally the water which is fit for normal controlled concrete is also suitable for SCC. The tap water is suitable for SCC. d) Mineral admixtures i) Fly ash: Fly ash is added to improve the workability as well as the strength. The addition of fly ash should be adequate. The fly ash may be processed fly ash or unprocessed. If the processed fly ash is used the properties will remain same. But if unprocessed fly ash is used, the properties may change from batch to batch and plant to plant. Hence it is convenient to use the processed fly ash. ii) Ground granulated blast furnace slag: GGBFS which is both cementitious and pozzolanic material may be added to improve rheological properties. iii) Silica fume: Silica fume may be added to improve the mechanical properties of SCC. For high strength concrete, silica fume may be used along with fly ash.

iv) Stone powder: Finely crushed granite, dolomite or lime stone may be added to increase the powder content. The fraction should be less than 125 micron. v) Fibres: Fibres may be added to enhance the properties of fresh SCC or hardened SCC. Fibres may be steel fibres, glass fibres, vegetable fibres, bamboo fibres or any other type which will not adversely affect the properties. vi) Admixtures: The most important admixtures are the superplasticizers i.e. high range water reducers used with a water reduction greater than 20%. The use of VMA gives more possibilities of controlling segregation when the powder content is less. VMA helps to provide good homogeneity and reduces the tendency of segregation. 1.2.3 Types of SCC Mixes There are three types of SCC mixes based on the ingredient materials. a] Powder type: In this type of SCC, to achieve the self compacting properties, the powder content is increased. Particles smaller than 125 micron are considered as powder. Powder includes cement, fly ash, silica fume or even crushed fraction of aggregate. b] VMA type: In this type, SCC is made by using viscosity modifying agent. c] Combined type: In this type, SCC is made by increasing powder content as well as using VMA. The type of SCC mix to be selected depends upon the structural conditions, available material condition and restrictions in concrete production plant etc. 1.2.4. Test Methods for SCC Due to high content of powder, SCC may show more plastic shrinkage or creep than ordinary concrete mixes. These aspects should be considered during designing SCC. Special care should also be taken to begin curing the concrete as early as possible. The workability of SCC is higher than very high degree of workability mentioned in IS 456-2000. A concrete mix can only be classified as self compacting if it has the following characteristics: Filling ability, .Passing ability and .Segregation resistance.

The main characteristic of SCC are the properties in the fresh state. The mix design is aimed on the ability to flow under its own weight without vibration, the ability to flow through heavily congested reinforcement under its own weight and the ability to retain homogeneity without segregation. Many test methods have been developed to determine the properties of SCC. Yet not a single method or combination of methods has got universal approval. All these methods are unique. Even not a single method is available which will characterize all the three workability aspects. Hence each mix design should be tested by more than one test method for the different workability aspects. Alternative test methods for the different workability aspects are given in Table 1.1 and Table 1.2. For the initial mix design of SCC all the three workability properties should be assessed to ensure that all aspects are fulfilled. A full scale test should be used to verify the self compacting characteristics of the design method adopted for a particular application. Table 1.1: List of Test Methods for Workability Properties of SCC Sr. No. 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Method 2 Slump flow by Abrams cone T 500 slump flow J ring V funnel V funnel at T5 minutes L box U box Fill box GTM screen stability test Orimet Property 3 Filling ability Filling ability Passing ability Filling ability Segregation resistance Passing ability Passing ability Passing ability Segregation resistance Filling ability

For site quality control, two test methods are sufficient to monitor the quality of production. Typical combinations are slump flow and V funnel or slump flow and J

ring. If the properties of materials are consistent, a single test method may be sufficient if the engineer is trained and experienced. Table 1.2: Workability Properties of SCC and Alternative Test Methods Sr. No Property Test Methods[Lab] Tests Recommended for Field Quality Control 4 1. Slump flow 2. T 500 slump flow 3.V funnel 4. Orimet 1. J ring Different openings in L box, U box and J ring 1. GTM test
5

Modification of Test according to Max Aggregate Size 5 None Max 20 mm

1 1

2 Filling ability

3 1.Slump flow 2.T 500 slump flow 3.V funnel 4. Orimet

Passing ability

1.L box 2. U box 3. Fill box

Segregation resistance

1. GTM test 2. V funnel at T minutes

None

2. V funnel at T 5 minutes

1.2.5 Requirements for Self Compacting Concrete SCC can be designed to fulfill the requirements of density, strength development, final strength and durability. Due to the high powder content, SCC may show more plastic shrinkage or creep than ordinary concrete mixes. Hence these aspects should be taken into account during designing and specifying SCC. If possible, curing should be started as early as possible. The workability of SCC is higher than the highest class of ordinary or compacted concrete. The workability of SCC is characterized by following properties: a] Filling ability b] Passing ability

c] Segregation resistance The concrete is classified as self compacting concrete if all the above three characteristics are fulfilled. 1.2.6 Advantages of Self Compacting Concrete SCC has the following advantages over compacted concrete:
a) The construction is fast. b) The required manpower gets reduced. c) Surface finishes are better than that of normal concrete. d) Placing of concrete is easy. e) Durability of concrete gets improved. f) As the compaction is not required, vibrations are absent and noise levels will

get reduced.
g) Working environment is safe compared to normal concrete.

1.2.7 Disadvantages of Self Compacting Concrete Self compacting concrete is actually advantageous. Even though it has following disadvantages:
a) Filler materials are required. These may be pozzolanic or non pozzolanic.

b) High powder content is required.

c) Chemical admixtures like plasticizer, superplasticizers or hyperplasticizers are

quite essential. Viscosity modifying agents are also required. As two types of chemicals are used simultaneously, their use should be limited. The optimum quantities of these chemicals should be determined. Otherwise the high dosages of these plasticizers may affect other properties of concrete. d) These chemicals should be compatible for the type of cement used. e) Sometimes the setting time increases. Hence the formwork can not be removed immediately and before removing the formwork the sufficient gain in strength of concrete should be ensured.

f) This concrete should be cured for more time than that required for normal concrete. 1.2. 8. Methods Available for Mix Design of SCC Like controlled concrete, for SCC also it is quite necessary to determine the proportions of all the ingredients so that the resulting SCC will have desired properties in fresh state as well as in the hardened state. These proportions will be decided by designing the mix properly. For mix design few methods are available at present. But for all these it is mentioned that the fine aggregate may be river sand or the artificial sand. But for trials it seems that the river sand is used in all the cases. Separate mix design procedure is not available for SCC with crushed sand. The list of available methods for mix design of SCC is given below. a] Nan Su method b] Modified method for mix design suggested by Karjinni and Anadinni c] Mix design procedure given by EFNARC 1.2.9 Production of SCC The production of SCC should be carried out in the plants where the equipments, operation and materials are controlled. The staff involved in production should be trained and should have sufficient experience. Aggregates should be stored properly and should be covered to minimize the fluctuations of surface moisture content. The admixtures should be stored as per the guidelines of manufacturer. Forced action mixers, free fall mixers and other types can be used. The mixing time is generally more than the conventional concrete and should be determined from trials. The time of addition of SP and VMA is important. The manufacturers guidelines should be followed for proper mixing. The w/p ratio can be modified depending on admixtures. SCC is more sensitive than normal concrete to the variations in material properties. Therefore, grading, moisture content, flakiness index, elongation index for coarse aggregate should be checked frequently. The grading, moisture content and silt content should be checked for fine aggregate. As far as possible, the source should be kept same throughout the project work so that there is uniformity in the properties.

As the quality of fresh concrete may fluctuate at the beginning of production, the workability tests should be conducted for each batch till consistent results are obtained. Aggregate moisture content should be maintained and depending on that the adjustments in mix proportions should be done. Depending on the volume of SCC required, the production capacity, time required for transportation and placing capability should be balanced. The production rate should be kept uniform as the fluctuations in the production affects the quality of SCC. The mix should be properly designed so that the workability requirements are satisfied. If placing of concrete is faster then the delivery and placing should be completed within workability retention time of concrete. 1.2.10 Placing of SCC Before placing SCC, the reinforcement and formwork should be arranged as planned. The formwork should be in good condition. For forms in excess of 3 m in depth, the full hydrostatic head should be considered. If required the design of formwork and design of mix should be modified. Following points should be considered while placing SCC to avoid segregation. a) Vertical free fall distance should be limited to 5 m. b) Maximum permissible distance of horizontal flow from point of discharge should be 10 m. Surfaces of SCC should be roughly levelled to the specified dimensions and the finishing should then be applied at an appropriate time before the concrete stiffens. If it is difficult to finish the horizontal areas of concrete by repeated steel trowelling, alternative tools may be used or different procedure may be adopted. SCC tends to dry faster than conventional concrete because there is little or no bleed water on the surface. Hence, initial curing may be started as early as possible after placing in order to minimize the risk of shrinkage cracking. 1.2.11 Quality control There should be production control on SCC. The supervision by experienced engineer is required for production control.

The acceptance criteria should be decided before starting the project. In the event of non compliance the measures to be taken should be decided. A visual check should be given before delivery. The concrete should be tested by trained and experienced engineer on site for workability requirements. The testing area should be protected from weather, the properly maintained and calibrated equipments should be used for testing and stable and level ground should be used for testing. 1.3 Crushed Sand 1.3.1 Necessity of using Crushed Sand In our country, natural sand is being used as fine aggregate. The volume of concrete manufactured in India has not been much, when compared to some advanced countries. Number of new and large projects are coming up which require large quantities of natural sand. At present there is acute shortage of natural sand and it is costly also. Concrete industry must go for crushed sand or what is called as manufactured sand. 1.3.2 Advantages of Crushed Sand
a) It is available at all places, in all seasons and in required quantities. b) It is economical compared to natural sand. c) As the particles are angular, there is good interlocking of particles and the

resulting strength of concrete is more.

d) As it is manufactured product, if the quality control is good, the sand of

uniform and desired grading can be produced. 1.3.3 Disadvantages of Crushed Sand
a] Ordinarily crushed sand particles are angular, flaky, badly graded and rough

textured. Hence it results in production of harsh concrete for the given parameters.
b] The crushed sand concrete is less workable. Hence use of plasticizers or

superplasticizers is essential to increase the workability.

c] The water demand for the concrete with crushed sand is more.

d] As the specific surface area is more, it demands more cement.

e] Generally dust is present which is not desirable.

1.3.4 Grading Limits for Crushed Sand There is no ideal grading curve which is universally accepted. The concrete for desired performance can be obtained with various grading of aggregates. But IS 383-1970 has recommended certain limits within which the grading must lie to produce satisfactory concrete. It is difficult to control the grading of fine aggregates. For bigger jobs it can be effected by combining two or more different kinds of fine aggregates from different sources. Desired grading can even be achieved by combining different fractions of same fine aggregate. The FA is generally divided into different zones according to the percentage passing on the 600 micron sieve. IS 383 classifies the river sand into four zones namely I, II, III, and IV, so that the range of percentage passing the 600 micron sieve in each zone does not overlap. A fine aggregate is considered as belonging to the zone in which its percentage passing the 600 micron sieve falls and it is allowed to fall outside the limits fixed for other sieves by not more than a total of 5%. For crushed sand, the permissible limit on 150 micron IS sieve is increased to 20%. However, it does not affect the 5% allowance permitted above as applied to other sieve sizes. Generally, the crushed sand conforms to the grading zone I and II of fine aggregates as given in the Table 1.3. 1.4 Necessity For self compacting concrete, the same materials which are used for concrete are used i.e. cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and water. In addition to these to increase the workability, homogeneity and durability some filler materials are used. These filler materials may be inert or pozzolanic. SCC usually requires a relatively larger quantity of powder in it in the range of 450 to 600 kg/m3. In some situations even more powder is used. The powder is made up of two components - i] cement and ii] filler. The filler material may be either pozzolanic or non pozzolanic. Pozzolanic materials include fly ash, metakaolin, powdered blast furnace slag or silica fume. Non pozzolanic materials may be limestone powder, crushed rocks or fine quartz or stone dust. Table 1.3: Grading Limits for Crushed Sand

Sr.No.

I S Sieve Size

Percentage Passing Zone I Zone II 4 100 90 100 75 100 55 90 35 59 08 30 00 20 Max 15

1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

2 10 mm 4.75 mm 2.36 mm 1.18 mm 0.600 mm 0.300 mm 0.150 mm 0.075 mm

3 100 90 100 60 95 30 70 15 34 05 20 00 20 Max 15

The mix design procedure for SCC is different from the normal concrete. Nan Su and modified Nan Su methods are available for mix design. But it is reported by researchers that the Nan Su method is suitable for the concrete grades above M50, because the cement content obtained by this method is not sufficient for the strength for the concretes up to M50 grades. Hence modified Nan Su method for mix design up to M50 grades was suggested. But in all these methods either complete natural sand or partial natural and crushed sand is considered as fine aggregate. Yet the mix design procedure for SCC with crushed sand is not reported. For major works concrete used is up to M50 grade. Nowadays even problem of natural sand is critical. Hence it is quite essential to use the crushed sand for concrete. Much more literature is also available for normal concrete with crushed sand. But sufficient literature is not available on SCC with crushed sand. The properties of natural sand and crushed sand are quite different. Hence it was decided to establish the mix design procedure for SCC with crushed sand using the guidelines of IS 10262-1982. 1.5 Theme Nowadays self compacting concrete should be used for major projects as well as minor works as it is advantageous than normal or conventional concrete. Like

normal concrete for SCC, river sand or crushed sand can be used as the fine aggregate. As already mentioned there is acute shortage of river sand and this problem will be more critical in future. Hence, engineers must start using crushed sand on large scale. Crushed sand is economical than river sand. Only the disadvantage of crushed sand is that the particles are not smooth and rounded just like river sand. The particles of the crushed sand are angular, flaky and elongated also. Even the crushing of stones is not uniform on all the crushers. Therefore there is much more variation in fineness modulus and other properties and some fractions are absent also. As, it is quite necessary to use the crushed sand for SCC, it is also essential to establish the design procedure for SCC with crushed sand. The procedures which are available for mix design of SCC, uses the river sand as fine aggregate. It is also mentioned that artificial sand can be used instead of river sand. But as the properties of artificial sand are not similar to river sand, it is essential to develop such design procedure. Hence, here, an attempt has been made to develop a simple mix design procedure for SCC with crushed sand only. For establishing the mix design procedure, the experimental work was undertaken in two parts, preliminary investigations and main investigations. In preliminary investigations, the water required for one cubic meter of concrete and the percentage of fly ash to be added are decided. In main investigations, the relation between compressive strength of concrete and water/powder ratio was established. Optimum percentage of fine aggregate for required minimum slump flow values are determined for various water/powder ratios. From this, the graph of optimum percentage of fine aggregate versus water/powder ratio was drawn. This data is used in mix design procedure. The Indian Standard guidelines are used for mix design procedure. 1.6 Objectives The present investigation is aimed at checking the suitability of crushed sand for producing self compacting concrete and to develop a procedure for mix proportioning of SCC with crushed sand as fine aggregate. For the above objectives following were the constraints:
1. Ordinary portland cement of 53 grade is used.

2. Crushed sand is of uniform grading having fineness modulus 3.20.

3. Maximum size of coarse aggregate used is 10 mm. 4. Potable water which is available normally in the laboratory is used. 5. Pozzocrete 60 i.e. processed fly ash is used. 6. Superplasticizer used is Glenium B 276 Suretec, manufactured by BASF. 7. Viscosity modifying agent used is Glenium stream 2, manufactured by BASF, India Ltd. Following are the objectives of this dissertation.
a) To find the optimum percentage of fly ash to replace cement b) To find the optimum fine aggregate content for various water/powder ratios c) To establish the relation between water/powder ratio and the compressive

strength d) To establish the relation between fine aggregate content and slump flow
e) To set the simple design mix procedure for SCC with crushed sand.

1.7 Organization The dissertation report is organized in the following five chapters. Chapter one includes the introduction of SCC, materials required for SCC, types of SCC mixes, list of test methods, requirements of SCC, advantages, disadvantages and list of methods available for mix design of SCC. It includes necessity and manufacturing of crushed sand, necessity of this work, theme of the work and objectives. Chapter two is on the literature survey. It includes introduction, previous research related to SCC with natural sand, conventional concrete with crushed sand and self compacting concrete with crushed sand. In this chapter, the Nan Su and modified Nan Su methods for designing SCC are explained. The mix design procedure given by EFNARC and the acceptance criteria for fresh SCC are also given. Chapter three is on system development. It includes the preliminary and main investigations, materials used for investigations and their properties, suggested mix design procedure and validation of design procedure suggested. In this chapter the

actual mix design procedure for one grade is illustrated. The quantities of materials required for various grades are given. Chapter four is on the performance analysis. It includes interpretation of test results. The graphs showing compressive strength versus water/powder ratio and optimum percentage of FA versus water/powder ratio are presented. The properties of the concrete designed, in fresh and hardened conditions are given. The densities of fresh and hardened concrete are also given. The test results of ultrasonic pulse velocity tests are also presented. Chapter five is on conclusions. In this chapter the conclusions based on the results, future scope for SCC with crushed sand and applications of SCC are presented.