A rational mix-design method for self-compacting concrete considering interaction between coarse aggregate and mortar particles

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to make a conventional mix-design method for self-compacting concrete more applicable to a wide variation of sand or powder materials to be used. Although fresh mortar's shear deformability in self-compacting concrete is largely effected by the materials' physical properties and then the proper sand content in mortar should be varied corresponding to the materials to be used, there had not been evaluation methods for the shear deformability by simple mortar tests since the shear deformability is the interaction between coarse aggregate and mortar particles. A new testing method for the evaluation, funnel test for mortar with model coarse aggregate, was newly developed. By using the new evaluation method, a new method for fixing proper sand content in mortar for achieving self-compactability corresponding to the properties of the materials to be used was proposed and then adopted to the conventional mix-design method for self-compacting concrete The applicability of the new mix-design method to wider variation of sand and powder materials was experimentally verified.