Mechanical and durability properties of self-compacting concrete with blended binders

Over the past three decades, self-compacting concrete (SCC), which is characterized by its superior rheological properties, has been gradually used in construction industry. It is now recognized that the application of SCC using supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) is highly attractive and promising technology reducing the environmental impact of the construction industry and reducing the higher materials costs. This paper presents an experimental study that investigated the mechanical and durability properties of SCCs manufactured with blended binders including fly ash, slag, and micro-silica. A total of 8 batches of SCCs were manufactured. As series of tests were conducted to establish the rheological properties, compressive strength, and durability properties including the water absorption, water permeability, rapid chloride permeability and initial surface absorption of the SCCs. The influences of the SCC strength grade, blended types and content on the properties of the SCCs are investigated. Unified reactive indices are proposed based on the mix proportion and the chemical composition of the corresponding binders are used to assess the compressive strength and strength development of the SCCs. The results also indicate the differences in the underlying mechanisms to drive the durability properties of the SCC at the different strength grades.