SILICA FUME CONCRETE

SUBMITTED BY:

Queen Saroj Laxmi (1854007)

Sayantan Das (1854003)
M.Tech C.E.M (2018-19)
INTRODUCTION
• Silica fume is an artificial pozzolona
having high pozzolonic activity.
• Micro silica is a by product of the
industrial manufacture of
ferrosilicon and metallic silicon in
high-temperature electric arc
furnaces.
• Micro silica is a mineral admixture
composes of very fine solid glassy
spheres of silicon dioxide (SiO2).
• It is an excellent for use as a
portland cement supplement.
• Silica fume rises as an oxidised
vapour. It cools, condensed and is
collected in cloth bags.
• Condensed silica fume contains
more 90% of silicon dioxide in non
crystalline form.
 ALSO KNOWN AS
• Condensed
silica fume.
• Microsilica.
• Micropoz.
(trademark)
• Silica dust.
• Volatilized silica.
• Silicon metal -
typically greater
than 97%
silicon.
• Ferrosilicon
alloys -ranging
from 40 to 90%
silicon alloyed
with iron.
Mixing And Placing Considerations
• Handling the Micro Silica

 A cement tanker that could ordinarily haul 35 metric

tons of cement accommodates only 7 to 9 tons of dry
micro silica and requires 20 to 50 percent more time
for discharging.
 The water of the slurry replaces part of that ordinarily
added to the mix.
 One supplier prepares a slurry which, used at the rate
of 1 gallon per 100 pounds of cement, will provide
about 5 percent micro silica by weight of cement.
 Water requirements of the mix
• When no water reducing agent is used, the addition of
micro silica to a concrete mix calls for more water to
maintain a given slump.

• Water content can be held the same by using a water

reducer or super plasticizer along with the micro silica.

• Water reducing agents appear to have a greater effect on

micro silica concrete than on normal concrete.

• Thus water demand for given micro silica concrete can be

controlled to be either greater or smaller than for the
reference concrete.
 Placing , Finishing & Curing
• The gel that forms during the first minute of mixing micro
silica concrete takes up water and stiffens the mixture,
necessitating adjustment of the timing of charging and
placing.

• When cement content and micro silica dosage are relatively

high, the mixture is so cohesive that there is virtually no
segregation of aggregates and little bleeding.

• This may cause problems for floors or slabs cast in hot,

windy weather because there is no water film at the
surface to compensate for evaporation.
 FUNCTION OF SILICA FUME
• Silica fume works on Two levels.

1. The hydration of Portland cement produces many components, including silicate hydrates(CSH) and calcium
hydroxide(CH).
2. The silica fume is added to the CH for produce the additional CSH to obtain a very good compressive strength
can exceed 15000 psi. (1psi= 0.0069 mpa)

• The additional CSH produced by the silica fume is more resistant to attack from aggressive chemicals than the
weaker CH.

• When pozzolanic materials are incorporated to concrete, the silica present in these materials react with the
calcium hydroxide released during the hydration of cement and forms additional calcium silicate hydrate
(C – S – H ), which improve durability and the mechanical properties of concrete.

• Pozzolonic effect:

 When water is added to OPC, hydration occurs forming two products, as shown below:

OPC + H2O = CSH(Calcium silicate hydrate) + Ca(OH)2

 In the presence of micro silica, the silicon dioxide from the micro silica will react with the calcium hydroxide to
produce more aggregate binding CSH as follows:-
Ca(OH)2 + SiO2 + H2O CSH
• Micro filler effect :

 Micro silica is an extremely fine material, with an average diameters

100x finer than cement. This eliminates bleed and the weak
transition zone between aggregate and paste found in normal
concrete.
 This micro filler effect will greatly reduced permeability and
improves the paste-to-aggregate bond of silica fume concrete
compared to conventional concrete.
 The silica reacts rapidly providing high early age strengths and
durability. The efficiency of micro silica is 3-5 times that of OPC.
 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
• Chemical composition depends on
the product being made by the
furnace.
• Composition is also influenced by
the furnace design.
• It is mostly made of silica having
percentage of more than 80.
• The other chemical composition
include
Fe2O3,Al2O3,Cao,Na2O,K2o in
small percentages.
• Unlike the other By- products like
Fly Ash, Silica fume from a single
source has little or no variation in
chemical composition from one
day to another.
 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• It should be in premium white and standard grey colors.

• The specific gravity of the silica fume concrete is 2.22.

• Its specific surface area is to be 20,000 m2/ kg.

• Particle size is less than 1 micron with average diameter of 0.1 micron.

• The shape of the particle is spherical.

• It should be in Amorphous in nature.

• The particles of silica fume are spherical in shape, extremely fine with
size less than 1 micron and average diameter of about 0.1 micron;
about 100 times smaller than avg cement particles.
 AVAILABLE FORMS IN SILICA FUME CONCRETE

• Undensified forms with bulk density of 200-300 kg/𝑚3

• Densified forms with bulk density of 500-600 kg/𝑚3
• Pelletised forms with a bulk density 600 – 800 kg/m3.

• Slurry forms with density of 1400 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3

• In India the silica fume of international quality is marketed by: Elkem
metallurgy (p) Ltd., 66/67
• Mahavir Center, Sector 17, vashi, Navi Mumbai 400703.
• Recently, Steel Authority of India has provided necessary facilities to
produce annually about 3000 tons of silica fume at their Bhadravati
Complex.
• Silica fume concrete was first used in India by Nuclear Power
Corporation in their Kaiga and Kota Nuclear Power Project.
• Silica fume concrete has been used for the construction of Bandra-
Worli sea project.
EFFECT OF SILICA FUME IN CONCRETE

• High strength development.

• Water demand increased.

• No bleeding of concrete.

• Reduced permeability.

• High range water reducer required.

• Resistance due to corrosion.

• Increased plastic shrinkage.

• Silica fume is more efficient in concrete having high water-cement
ratio.

• It has been found that concrete with a water- cement ratio of

about 0.55 and higher , the silica fume has an efficiency factor of 3
to 4.

• It means that 1kg of silica fume can replace 3 to 4 kg of cement in

concrete

• The usual percentage replacement is 0-10 % .

Silica fume concrete does not bleed and is more susceptible

to plastic shrinkage cracking.
 PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE USING THE SILICA FUME

• WORKABILITY.

• BLEEDING AND SEGREGATION.

• SETTING TIME.

• PLASTIC SHRINKAGE.

• PROPERTIES OF HARDENED CONCRETE

• DRYING SHRINKAGE.

• CREEP.

• STRENGTH.
• WORKABILITY:

 Workability is reduced.

 Water demand increases in proportion to silica fume added.

 Water demand is 1% for every 1% of replacement of cement.

 Lower slump and & more cohesive mix.

• BLEEDING AND SEGREGATION:

 Bleeding is reduced as silica fume particles find their way between two cement grains.
 Segregation is reduced as the concrete mix is more cohesive due to increase in number of
solid to solid contact points.
 From the above two discussion we had cleared that the silica fume reduce the bleeding and
segregation property of the fresh concrete.

• SETTING TIME:

 The initial setting time and final setting time is not greatly influenced.

• PLASTIC SHRINKAGE:

 Fresh concrete is subjected to surface cracking is known as plastic shrinkage.

 Since the silica fume concrete show no bleeding, fresh concrete is subjected to the plastic
shrinkage.
 Precautions should be taken ass per normal concrete.
 PROPERTIES OF HARDENED CONCRETE

• DRYING SHRINKAGE:
• Drying shrinkage test by different researcher show that the long
time shrinkage of concrete is not affected significantly by the
addition of silica fume to the concrete.

• CREEP:

 The creep of the concrete containing silica fume will be lower

than the corresponding Portland cement concrete.
• STRENGTH:

 Concrete containing silica fume show outstanding

performance in development of strength.

 Strength of 60 – 120 Mpa can be easily achieved.

 Silica fume forms backbone of high performance concrete due

to early high strength properties.
 APPLICATIONS
• Girders.

• Mostly used in high rise structures to increase the life time of the structure
without any affects.

• It is most widely used in important structures which had a high strength when
compared with another.

• To control alkali-aggregate reaction.

• Corrosion Resistance
• Sulphate Resistance
• Heat Reduction
• Silica Fume Waterproof Concrete
• High Strength Concrete
• Abrasion Resistance
• Chemical Resistance
 ADVANTAGES OF SILICA FUME CONCRETE
 High early compressive strength.
 High tensile flexural strength and modulus of elasticity.
 Very low permeability to chloride and water intrusion.
 High bond strength.
 High electrical resistivity and low permeability.
 The use of micro silica in high strength concrete leads to economical and
faster construction.
 Due to use of the micro silica in a OPC concrete the life of that concrete is
increase 4-5 times than the OPC concrete.
 Life-cycle cost Advantages.
 Resource Conservation.
 Recovered/recycled material.
 Replaces Portland Cement.
1. Reduction of Co2
2. Reduction of Sox and Nox.
3. Reduced Material extraction.
 CONCLUSION

• Silica fume can be used to manufacturing of

concrete of very high strength at early age.
• Forms the backbone of modern day high
performance.