Materials and Design 46 (2013) 609616

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Materials and Design

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Technical Report

Behaviour of self compacting concrete using Portland pozzolana cement with

different levels of y ash
P. Dinakar , M. Kartik Reddy, Mudit Sharma
School of Infrastructure, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, India

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 22 August 2012
Accepted 9 November 2012
Available online 23 November 2012

a b s t r a c t
The inuence of including y ash (FA) on the properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) is investigated.
Portland pozzolana cement (PPC) was partially replaced with 1070% y ash. The water to binder ratio
was maintained constant at 0.30 for all mixes. Properties included were self-compactibility properties
(slump ow, V-funnel time and L-box blocking ratio) mechanical properties (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and elastic modulus), and durability properties (water absorption, water penetration
depth and chloride permeability). The results indicate that y ash along with PPC can be used in SCC to
produce high strength high performance concretes. Replacing 30% of PPC with FA resulted in strength of
nearly 100 MPa at 56 days. Splitting tensile strength and elastic modulus values have also followed the
same trend. High absorption values were obtained with increasing amount of FA, however, all the SCCs
exhibited initial absorption values of less than 3%. The water penetration depths in SCCs were lower at
10% and 30% replacements of y ash but remained higher at 50% and 70% replacements. There is a systematic reduction in the chloride permeability of SCCs at 30% replacement of y ash.
2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Self Compacting Concretes (SCCs) require high owability
through a superplasticiser, and to remain cohesive during handling
operations special attention is needed in terms of the sand and
paste content apart from a viscosity-modifying admixture to enhance stability [1]. It is well established earlier that the use of mineral admixtures such as y ash and blast furnace slag could
increase the slump of the concrete mixture without increasing its
cost, while reducing the dosage of superplasticiser needed to obtain similar slump ow compared to concrete made with Portland
cement only [2]. Also, the use of y ash improves rheological properties and reduces the cracking potential of concrete as it lowers
the heat of hydration of the cement [3]. It was proved from earlier
studies that up to replacement of 30% y ash results in a signicant
improvement of the rheological properties of owing concretes
[4,5]. The use of y ash reduces the demand for cement, ne llers
and sand [6], which are required in high quantities in SCC. Moreover, the incorporation of y ash also reduces the need for viscosity-enhancing chemical admixtures [7].
High-volume y ash (HVFA) concretes at about 60% cement
replacement have been reported to achieve excellent mechanical
and durability properties [8]. There are no studies reported on

Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 674 2306353.

E-mail addresses: pdinakar@iitbbs.ac.in, pdinakar@rediffmail.com (P. Dinakar),
kartik@iitbbs.ac.in (M. Kartik Reddy), mudit@iitbbs.ac.in (M. Sharma).
0261-3069/$ - see front matter 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2012.11.015

the production of SCC when PPC was used with additional replacement of y ash. Bouzoubaa and Lachemi [9] reported on the production of HVFASCC that was owable, cohesive, and developed
a 28-day compressive strength of about 35 MPa. Researchers also
attempted to produce high-volume y ash SCCs by replacing up
to 70% of Portland cement with class F y ash [1012]. Coal bottom
ash has also been successfully used as sand replacement in the
development of self compacting concrete [13]. Fly ash in high volumes in SCCs also improved the durability and corrosion properties
studied [10,11,14]. In order to extend the general concept of HVFA
concrete and its applications to a wider range of infrastructure construction, this paper outlines the results of a research project
aimed at producing and evaluating the behavoiur of SCCs incorporating high volumes of class F y ash when Portland pozzolana
cement (PPC) was used.

2. Research signicance
The approach of manufacturing of SCC was recently modied
and developed to produce SCC with high performance and highstrength characteristics [1517]. However, all previous efforts
and attempts in the eld of SCC were concerned with Ordinary
Portland cement (OPC) and mineral blends such as y ash, slag
and limestone powder, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the
utilisation of Portland pozzolana cement (PPC) with mineral blends
in the development of SCC. Generally, there is a great interest and
tendency between researchers and concrete technologists to

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P. Dinakar et al. / Materials and Design 46 (2013) 609616

develop concretes by multi-unique characteristics, which would

not be attained in traditional NWC. With the growth of building
activities in India there is severe cement crisis to meet the demands of the construction industry. To meet the demands now a
days almost all the major cement manufacturers are producing
blended cements consisting of Portland pozzolana cement (PPC)
and Portland slag cement (PSC) where PPC has a signicant presence in the Indian market as far as the production and usage is concerned. Now there is an urgent need to design concretes using
these blended cements to address the demands of the construction
industry. Therefore, an attempt was carried out herein to investigate the effect of y ash replacements on the properties of SCC
when PPC was used.
3. Experimental studies
3.1. Materials
The following materials were employed:
 The cement used in all mixture was Portland pozzolana cement
(PPC) conforming to IS 1489 Part 1 [18]. The percentage blending of y ash in PPC is 28%. In addition y ash was also used as a
mineral additive. Their chemical composition is specied in
Table 1.
 Good quality aggregates have been procured for this investigation. Crushed granite with nominal grain size of 20 mm and
well-graded river sand of maximum size 4.75 mm were used
as coarse and ne aggregates, respectively. The specic gravities
of aggregates were determined experimentally. The coarse
aggregates with 20, 12.5 mm fractions had specic gravities of
2.91 and 2.80, whereas the ne aggregate had specic gravity
of 2.73, respectively.
 Commercially available poly carboxylate ether (PCE) based
super-plasticizer (SP) was used in all the concrete mixtures. It
is an F-type high-range water reducer, in conformity with
ASTM: C 494.
3.2. Mixture proportions
Four SCC mixtures were designed in order to obtain different
fresh-state properties. The details of the mixes for the study are presented in Table 2. Four different mixes (SCC10, SCC30, SCC50 and
SCC70) were employed to examine the inuence of y ash in SCCs
on the fresh, mechanical and durability properties when PPC cement was used. The waterbinder ratio for all the mixes was kept
constant at 0.30. In mixes SCC10, SCC30, SCC50 and SCC70 cement
content was replaced with 10%, 30%, 50% and 70% y ash (by mass)

Table 1
Chemical composition and physical properties of the Portland pozzolana cement
(PPC) and y ash.
Chemical composition

PPC

Fly ash

CaO
SiO2
Al2O3
Fe2O3
MgO
SO3
Na2O
K2O
Loss in ignition

45.7
39.1
10.3
5.82
1.79
2.28
0.14
0.71
1.72

1.7
62.5
26.2
4.2
0.8
0.2
0.12
1.14
1.0

Physical properties
Specic gravity
Blaines neness (m2/kg)
Blending of y ash in PPC

3.0
406
28

2.2
350

Table 2
Details of the mix proportions in kg/m3.
Constituent

SCC10

SCC30

SCC50

SCC70

Cement
Water
Fine aggregate
20 mm
12.5 mm
Fly ash
HRWR
VMA

495
165
836
382
525
55
6.6
0.55

385
165
818
374
514
165
7.15
1.10

275
165
800
366
503
275
7.15
1.10

165
165
783
357
491
385
8.80
2.75

respectively. The essential component of SCC is a high range water

reducer (HRWRA) which is also known as superplasticizer. SCC
mixtures always include a high-range water-reducing admixture
(HRWRA) to ensure concrete is able to ow under its own mass
[19]. Several trial mixes were conducted to determine the optimum
dosage of superplasticiser for each of the mixtures in order to
achieve the required self compacting properties as per EFNARC
standards. The dosage of superplasticiser for each mix was carefully
selected as over dosage may induce bleeding and strength retardation. As far as the aggregate grading is concerned, in the present
investigation a combined aggregate grading as recommended by
the DIN 1045 [20] standards was utilised. The aggregates 20, 12.5
and 4.75 mm were combined in such a way, so that it meets nearly
the combined grading specication of DIN B curve. The percentage
fractions of aggregates used for 20 mm 21%, 12.5 mm 30% and
4.75 mm 49% of the total aggregate content respectively. Blending
aggregates in this fashion will result in high strength cohesive self
compacting concretes [12]. Effect of coarse aggregate blending with
20 mm and 10 mm on the short-term mechanical properties of SCC
has also been carried out earlier [21].
3.3. Mixing and casting details
All the materials were mixed using a pan mixer with a maximum capacity of 80litres. The materials were fed into the mixer
in the order of coarse aggregate, PPC, y ash and sand. The materials were mixed dry for 1.5 min. Subsequently three-quarters of the
water was added, followed by the superplasticiser and the remaining water while mixing continued for a further 6 min in order to
obtain a homogenous mixture. Upon discharging from the mixer,
the self compactibility tests were conducted on the fresh properties for each mixture. The fresh concrete was placed into the steel
cube moulds and compacted without any vibration. Finally, surface
nishing was done carefully to obtain a uniform smooth surface.
3.4. Fresh concrete tests
For determining the self-compactibility properties (slump ow,
T50 time, V-funnel ow time, L-box blocking ratio) tests were performed on all the mixtures. The order of testing was:
(a) Slump ow test and measurement of T50 time.
(b) V-funnel ow test.
(c) L-box blocking test, respectively. The tests were performed
in accordance with EFNARC [22] standards.
3.5. Specimens and curing
The following specimens were cast from each mixture:
 Three 100  100  100 mm cubes for the compressive strength.
 Three 100  200 mm cylinders for the splitting tensile test.
 Three 150  300 mm cylinders for the modulus of elasticity
test.

P. Dinakar et al. / Materials and Design 46 (2013) 609616

611

 Two 100  100  100 mm cubes for water absorption study.

 Three 150  150  150 mm cubes for the water penetration
depth test.
 Two 100  200 mm cylinders for the rapid chloride penetrability test. Samples of 100  50 mm were prepared from these
cylinders
After casting, all the specimens were covered with plastic sheets
and water saturated burlap, and left at room temperature for 24 h.
The specimens were demoulded after 24 h of casting and were
then cured in water at approximately 27 C until the testing day.
3.6. Test procedures
The unconned compressive strength was obtained, at a loading
rate of 2.5 kN/s at the age of 3, 7, 28 and 90 days on 3000 kN machine. The average compressive strength of three specimens was
considered for each age. The split tensile strength was also tested
on the same machine at the age of 28 and 56 days.
The elastic modulus was determined at the age of 28 and
56 days. The specimens were xed with a longitudinal compressometer, placed vertically between the platens of the compression
testing machine and tested as shown in Fig. 1. This test conforms
to ASTM: C 469 for static modulus of elasticity of concrete in compression. All the specimens were tested on saturated surface dry
condition.
The water penetration depths under pressure were performed
on 150 mm cubes as per EN 12390-8 [23] at 28 and 56 days. The test
method involves the study of water penetration on 15 cm cubes
over a 5 bar pressure for a period of 72 h. The experimental setup
used for this study was shown in Fig. 2. After the test the specimens
were split exactly into two halves and the water penetration front
was marked on the specimen as shown in Fig. 3. The maximum
depth of penetration under the test area was determined using vernier caliper and recorded it to the nearest millimetre.
The absorption test was carried out on two 100 mm cubes as
per ASTM: C 642 at 28 days of water curing. Saturated surface
dry cubes were kept in a hot air oven at 100110 C till a constant
weight was attained. These are then immersed in water and the
weight gain was measured at regular intervals until a constant
weight is reached. The absorption at 30 min (initial surface absorption) and nal absorption (at a point when the difference between
two consecutive weights at 12 h interval was almost negligible) is
reported to assess the concrete quality. The nal absorption in all
cases is observed to be at 72 h.
The rapid chloride penetrability test was conducted in accordance with ASTM: C 1202. These were also determined at 28 and

Fig. 2. Permeability test set up for determining the water penetration depth.

Fig. 3. Water penetration dept front marked after the test.

56 days. This test measures the ease with which concrete allows
the charge to pass through and gives an indication of the concrete
resistance to chloride-ion penetration. Two specimens of 100 mm
in diameter and 50 mm in thickness conditioned according to the
standard were subjected to 60 V potential for 6 h. The total charge
that passed through the concrete specimens was determined and
used to evaluate the chloride penetrability of each concrete mixture. The reported results evaluated by the Coulomb charge are
the average of two tests.
4. Test results and discussion
4.1. Fresh properties

Fig. 1. Test set up for determining the elastic modulus.

4.1.1. HRWR and VMA demand

Table 3 presents the demand of HRWR and VMA admixtures
used in all SCC mixtures. It can be seen that the addition of y
ash in Portland pozzolana cement has a signicant inuence on
the ow characteristics of SCC. It can be observed that as the y
ash content increases the demand for HRWR and VMA also increases. For 70% replacement SCC demanded 1.6% and 0.5% of
HRWR and VMA. The reason could be that at 70% replacement
there was an abnormal increase in the paste volume of the SCC,
this high paste volume is due to the low specic gravities of PPC
and y ash. Also the PPC used in this investigation has got a very
high neness of 406 m2/kg. For 70% replacement several trails
were conducted to optimise the HRWR and VMA dosages. Initially
at low VMA dosage of around 0.2% the concretes seems to be cohe-

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P. Dinakar et al. / Materials and Design 46 (2013) 609616

Table 3
Fresh properties of the concrete investigated.
Concrete
name

V-funnel
L-box
T50 (s) Slump
Plastic
ow (mm) ow time (s) blocking ratio
density (kg/m3)

SCC10
SCC30
SCC50
SCC70

2432
2399
2390
2332

6
5
5
7

620
685
705
670

28.19
16.0
20.39
28.16

V-funnel flow time (sec)

30

0.77
0.80
0.93
0.83

sive exhibiting a very good slump ow around 700 mm, but after
few minutes signicant amount of bleeding is noticed and the
aggregates settlement was seen in the cube moulds. This prompted
to use more amount of VMA to avoid segregation and bleeding.
VMA dosage of 0.5% for the 70% replacement is quite high compared to earlier studies published in the literature. In spite of using
high amount of VMA still a very small amount of bleeding is observed in the mix. The results are quite contrary to the earlier results published, where good owability and cohesive SCCs have
being developed at 70% replacement of y ash with OPC cement
[10,11,14,24]. From the results it can be concluded that when
PPC was used in the development of SCC, y ash replacements of
the order 3050% will be ideal.
4.1.2. Fresh concrete test results
Fig. 4 presents the slump ow with respect to y ash dosage.
From the results it can be seen that as the y ash dosage increases
the slump ow also increases up to 50% and after that there was
drop in the ow at 70% replacement. The four mixtures exhibited
slump ow values between 620 and 705 mm showing the capability of concrete to deform under its own weight. Slump ow of
650 50 mm is required for SCC [22], and all the concretes developed here have satised the requirements. The 10% replacement
exhibited a thixotropic behaviour showing a slump ow value of
620 mm, whereas the 30% and 50% replacements exhibited values
between 680 and 700 mm.
Also, the T50s for all mixtures did not show signicant variation.
On the other hand, SCC mixtures with y ash percentages of 30%
and 50% showed equal values of 6 s, whereas the 10% and 70%
replacements showed values of 7 and 8 s. The V-funnel ow times
also exhibited a similar behaviour. V-funnel measurements of
some mixtures exceeded the upper limit; however, all concrete
mixtures lled the moulds by its own weight without the need
for vibration. Many researchers have used both the T50 and
V-funnel times as indicators of viscosity of highly owable concrete mixes. The relationship between these results is presented
in Fig. 5. This gure shows that there is an acceptable relationship
(R2 = 0.74) between T50 and V-funnel times for these SCC mixtures.

27

24

Vft = 0.89xT 1.70

50
R 2 = 0.74

21

18

15
5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

Fig. 5. Relationship between V-funnel ow time and T50.

Experimental measurements related with L-box ratio indicate

the lling and passing ability of each mixture. L-box test is more
sensitive to blocking. The determined L-box ratios of four mixtures
with respect to the y ash dosages are presented in Fig. 6. It can be
seen that as the y ash percentage increases from 30% to 70% SCC
mixtures exhibited values greater than 0.8, whereas the 10%
replacement SCC because of its thixotropic behaviour exhibited value less than 0.8, but still maintaining the self compactability. In
the same gure the variation of V-funnel ow times with respect
to y ash dosages is also presented. It can be observed that y
ash replacements of around 3050% will be ideal for developing
SCCs when Portland pozzolana cement is used.
4.2. Hardened concrete tests
After outlining the performance of SCCs during its fresh state, it
is necessary to understand the performance of these concretes during its hardened state. In this study, the mechanical properties of
all the SCCs were investigated through compressive strengths,
splitting tensile strengths and modulus of elasticity. Compressive
strength tests were carried out at 3, 7, 28 and 56 days and the results are presented in Table 4. Fig. 7 shows the variation of compressive strengths at 28 and 56 days with respect to the y ash
replacement. As noted from the results shown in Fig. 7, the compressive strength, of SCC increased drastically from 10% to 30%
replacement of y ash but started to decline at 50% and 70%
replacement. High compressive strength of nearly 100 MPa has
been obtained at 30% replacement at 56 days than the other y
ash mixes including the 10% replacement, where a high strength

720

30

1.0

Blocking ratio

680

660

640

20

0.9

15

10

0.8

Blocking ratio Vs Fly ash dosage

620

V-Funnel flow time (sec)

25

700

Slump flow (mm)

8.5

T50 (sec)

V funnel flow time Vs Fly ash dosage

600

0.7

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Fly ash (%)

Fig. 4. Variation of slump ow with respect to y ash replacement.

80

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0
80

Fly ash (%)

Fig. 6. Effect of y ash replacement on blocking ratio and V-funnel ow time.

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P. Dinakar et al. / Materials and Design 46 (2013) 609616

Table 4
Mechanical properties of the concretes investigated.
Compressive strength (MPa)

SCC10
SCC30
SCC50
SCC70

7 day

28 day

56 day

28 day

56 day

28 day

56 day

44.42
48.33
27.1
18.14

58.37
51.20
35.91
21.77

78.97
88.06
60.83
44.21

87.85
99.43
66.20
50.21

5.62
5.93
4.12
2.61

5.55
6.06
4.20
2.84

43.24
45.42
36.63
31.56

42.14
46.24
36.01
32.78

In the present investigation the elastic modulus (E) values obtained with respect to various y ash contents are presented in Table 4. The relationship between compressive strength (fck) and
modulus of elasticity of SCC mixtures is presented in Fig. 8; additionally the relationships of ACI and BIS models have also been
shown in the same gure. As can be seen from the gure SCC mixtures had exhibited
p lower elastic moduli when compared with BIS
model Ep5 fck and comparable values with ACI model
E 4:73 fck . This general tendency of SCC mixtures can be
attributed to the lower amount of coarse aggregate and increased
paste content. The relationship between the compressive strength
(fck) and modulus of elasticity (E) for the tested mixtures has been
determined by the following equation:

Compressive strength (MPa)

28 day
100

56 day

90
80
70
60
50
40
30

10

Modulus of elasticity (GPa)

3 day

110

Splitting tensile strength (MPa)

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Fly ash (%)

Fig. 7. Variation of compressive strength with respect to y ash replacement.

of approximately 88 MPa at 56 days is obtained. Generally and at

the same water to binder ratio, there is a strength reduction for
concretes containing y ash compared with that of the control.
However, and even at high y ash content (70%), a long-term high
strength of about 50 MPa is achieved at the same water to binder
ratio. Higher strength would be expected in the y ash mixes if
the w/b ratio was lowered to achieve similar workability to that
of the control. The trend is similar to results obtained elsewhere
on SCC containing y ash [25].
Modulus of elasticity of concrete is mainly related with its compressive strength. It is well known fact that normal weight aggregate has a higher modulus of elasticity than hydrated cement
paste, a higher content of a given aggregate results in a higher
modulus of elasticity of concrete of a given compressive strength.
There are many expressions for traditional concrete, in order to
predict the modulus of elasticity which is mainly related to compressive strength and density of concrete [26,27]. Since SCC being
a different material, it may exhibit different stressstrain behaviour relationship since SCC mixtures have a lower amount of coarse
aggregate, more powder content and the use of mineral admixtures such as y ash or slag. Various studies on modulus of elasticity of SCC resulted with conicting conclusions. It was well
established that the elastic modulus of SCC performed almost similarly with that of the traditional concrete when the strength was
held constant [2830]. On the other hand, it was also proved by
an experimental study made earlier that the elastic modulus of
SCC is lower than the traditional concrete [31]. It was also observed
that for a given strength the modulus of elasticity of SCC is lower
than that of a common concrete [32]. This is due to the smaller
maximum grain size of SCC and the higher amount of cement paste
of SCC. From these investigations it may be concluded that it is not
easy to compare the modulus of elasticity with traditional concrete. These contradictory results may possibly be explained by
the fact that the constituents and rheological behaviour of SCCs
are quite different from the traditional concrete. Neither aggregate
content and maximum size nor cement paste properties are the
same.

p
E 4:78 fck ;

R2 0:98

The variability of these values with different SCCs can be attributed to two reasons. First the strength grade of tested SCCs is not
the same. Second the powder ingredients of SCC are different for
different y ash replacements. The reactivity or inert nature of ller may change the strength characteristics and stressstrain relations of mixtures. If individual modulus values of the mixtures are
considered, it can be seen that similar to compressive strength the
elastic modulus of SCC30 at 30% replacement had exhibited the
highest modulus both at 28 and 56 days.
The results of split tensile strength tests at 28 and 56 days are
presented in Table 4. Each value in Table 4 represents the average
split tensile strength results of three specimens. The split tensile
strength ranges from 2.61 to 5.93 MPa and 2.84 to 6.06 MPa at
28 and 56 days, respectively. The split tensile strength of all SCC
mixtures increased with age. The results showed that, an increase
in the FA content decreased the split tensile strength of the SCC
especially at 28 days. SCC mixtures containing 1030% FA replacement showed higher split tensile strength than SCC mixtures containing 5070% FA replacement. This indicates that up to a 30% of
FA replacement may have positive effects on the interfacial bond
between the paste and aggregates. The mixtures containing 50
70% FA showed lower tensile strength probably due to the weaker

50

28 day Elastic modulus (GPa)

Concrete name

45

40

35

ACI model
30

BIS model
Experimental

25

40

50

60

70

80

90

28 day compressive strength (MPa)

Fig. 8. Relationship between compressive strength and modulus of elasticity.

P. Dinakar et al. / Materials and Design 46 (2013) 609616

28 day splitting tensile strength (MPa)

614
7

fsp = 0.0264f 1.21919

ck

R2 = 0.98
5

40

50

60

70

80

90

28 day compressive strength (MPa)

Fig. 9. Relationship between compressive strength and splitting tensile strength.

bond between the matrix and the aggregates. The relationship between the splitting tensile strength (fsp) and compressive strength
(fck) for the SCC mixtures is presented in Fig. 9. For the tested mixtures the tensile strength can be calculated by using the following
equation:

F sp 0:0264fck1:21919

Sonebi and Bartos [33] found that splitting tensile strength of

SCC at 28 days is higher than that of traditional concrete. But the
strength grades of SCC and traditional concrete at 28 days are different. The results derived from Fig. 8 showed that the splitting
tensile strength of SCC mixtures is usually higher due to better
homogeneity coming from vibration free production.
4.3. Water absorption
The results of water absorption in 30 min (initial surface
absorption) as well as the absorption after 72 h (nal absorption)
for all the concretes are presented in Table 5. From these results
it can be seen that as the y ash replacement increases the absorption also increases. Fig. 10 presents the values of 30 min (initial)
absorption and nal absorption of all the concretes obtained at
28 days. The initial absorption and the nal absorption values of
all the self compacting y ash concretes increased with an increase
in percentage of y ash replacement. Fig. 10 also presents the recommendations given by Concrete Society (CEB, 1989) for absorption 30 min [34]. This shows that all the self compacting y ash
concretes had lower absorption than the limit specied for good
concretes. The absorption values decreases from 28 to 56 days as
shown in Table 5. The absorption of the mix with 70% y ash is
higher at 28 days due to the low amounts of hydration products
produced. Curing has a signicant inuence on the pore structure
of the concrete, the longer the curing time, more ner the pore
structure and the capillary pores are less interconnected and moreover, the porous paste/aggregate interface zone formed at early
ages is densied by continuous curing in water [35]. As more
hydration products are produced at 56 days, the absorption of SCCs

at 56 days is relatively less than that at 28 days. This is similar to

some results on NVC [36].
The nal absorption at the end of 72 h also followed a similar
trend. SCC70 showed the highest absorption than any other SCC.
This may be due to the very high amount of y ash (70%) in the system. Except SCC70, the nal absorption values of all the other SCCs
were similar, the nal absorption values of SCCs lie in the range
3.545.55%. Water absorption is mainly inuenced by the paste
phase; primarily, it is dependent on the extent of interconnected
capillary porosity in the paste. Concrete mixes with higher paste
contents are bound to have higher absorption values than concretes with lower paste content (at consistent w/b ratio). The lower
water absorption thus observed for lower y ash replacements is
attributed to the relatively lower paste volume, i.e., smaller capillary pore volume. It is noted that self compacting concretes with
high y ash replacements have exhibited higher water absorption
[10]. The increase in paste volume due to the lower specic gravity
of y ash and PPC contributes to an increased capillary pore volume and increased water absorption. This is clearly reected in
SCC70.
4.4. Water penetration depth
One of the main factors of concrete durability is permeability.
Concrete with lower permeability shows better resistance against
chemical attacks. When water penetrates into the concrete, some
soluble salts including chloride ions penetrate into concrete and
cause corrosion. Generally, it seems that lower permeability causes
higher durability in concretes [37]. Water penetration test was
used to evaluate the permeability of concretes and validity of these
tests has been approved [23]. Fig. 11 shows the results of the water
penetration depths of all the SCC mixtures. Similar to absorption
the penetration depths increases as the y ash increases not very
signicantly up to 50% replacement whereas signicant increase
in the penetration depth was noticed in 70% replacement. The
trend is the same both at 28 and 56 days.
4.5. Chloride permeability
The results of the rapid chloride test measured at 28 and
56 days are presented in Fig. 12. The assessment criteria given by
ASTM 1202 is also given in the same gure. From the results it
can be seen that the Coulomb charge for the SCC70 is higher than
those of the other SCCs. For SCC70, the Coulomb charge is 3520
indicating a rather poor chloride penetration characteristic. It is
well established that the incorporation of y ash results in drastic
reductions in the Coulomb charges. The effect of FA on the chloride
ion penetration of concretes was also studied by other researchers.
For example, Shi states that the use of supplementary cementing
materials such as FA may have a signicant effect on the chloride
migration of concrete as measured by the RCPT test [38]. This is
true in the case of other replacements other than 70%.
Curing has a signicant inuence on the permeation properties
of the concretes. At 28 days SCC10, SCC30, SCC50 and SCC70
showed 1812, 923, 1312, 3520 coulombs, whereas at 56 days these
were reduced to 1188, 692, 823 and 1876 coulombs. At high

Table 5
Durability properties of the concretes investigated.
Concrete name

SCC10
SCC30
SCC50
SCC70

Absorption (28 day) (%)

Absorption (56 day) (%)

Water penetration (mm)

Chloride permeability (Coulombs)

Initial (30 min)

Final (72 h)

Initial (30 min)

Final (72 h)

28 day

56 day

28 day

56 day

0.89
1.00
1.29
1.49

3.54
4.53
5.55
12.12

0.84
0.95
1.18
1.32

3.14
3.74
4.95
10.52

5
5
11
35

4
3
9
24

1812
923
1312
3520

1188
692
823
1876

P. Dinakar et al. / Materials and Design 46 (2013) 609616

Water absorption (%)

14
13

Initial absorption (30 min)

12

Final absorption

11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Fly ash (%)

Fig. 10. Relationship between water absorption and y ash replacement.

615

concrete can be reduced by lowering the alkalinity of concrete pore

solution. When FA (especially with low-lime and low alkali contents) is used to partially replace PC, the concentration of alkali
ions and associated hydroxyl ions in the pore solution decreases
signicantly, and the extent of this reduction depends also on FA
replacement level [41]. Because of the expected differences in electrical resistance between the SCC mixtures, however, the electrical
conductivity values may also be different. As a result, the RCPT values may reect this difference and therefore should be interpreted
with care. The reason for high chloride penetration in the case of
70% replacement is due to the porous nature of the concrete. 70%
replacement SCC demanded more amount of superplasticizer and
VMA dosage compared to any other SCC developed. This resulted
in more air entrainment of the mix developed nally making the
SCC porous in nature. This is clearly reected on the other durability parameters also discussed above.
5. Conclusions

Water penetration depth (mm)

40
28 day

36

This study discusses an experimental program carried out to

investigate the effects of incorporating high volume y ash
replacement on the ow characteristics of SCC when PPC was used
in the fresh state, and mechanical and durability properties in the
hardened state. The following conclusions can be drawn according
to the results of this study:

56 day
32
28
24
20
16
12
8
4
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Fly ash (%)

Fig. 11. Relationship between water penetration depth and y ash replacement.

3500

Total charge (coulombs)

3000
2500

ASTM C 1202
> 4000 ------ High
2000 - 4000 ------ Moderate
1000 - 2000 ------ Low
100 - 1000 ------ Very low

28 day
56 day

2000

Low

1500
1000

1. It can be observed that y ash replacements of around 3050%

will be ideal for developing SCCs when Portland pozzolana
cement was used.
2. High percentage of y ash (more than 50%) cannot be used to
produce SCC when PPC was used, and 30% replacement of y
ash exhibited the highest compressive strength, splitting tensile
strength and elastic modulus. At 30% y ash as PPC replacement
can produce SCC with a very high compressive strength of
100 MPa.
3. Although the absorption increases with increasing y ash content, the initial absorption values of all SCCs were below 3%.
SCC with 70% replacement of y ash exhibited the highest water
absorption. Water penetration depth also exhibited similar
behaviour.
4. Increasing amounts of y ash in SCC reduces the chloride permeation and 30% replacement exhibited the highest chloride
penetration resistance.
5. Thus, the optimum y ash percentage was 30% which resulted
in highest compressive strength and less chloride permeation.

Very low

500

References

SCC10

SCC30

SCC50

SCC70

Fig. 12. Chloride permeability values of the concretes.

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the y ash at high replacements in addition to the y ash pore
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reducing the pore size and thickness of transition zone between
aggregate and surrounding cementitious matrix [39,40]. It should
also be noted that the RCPT results depends on the electrical conductivity of pore solution, which is determined by the composition
of the pore solution. The electrical conductivity or RCPT value of a

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