Durability properties of low-resistance self-compacting concrete

The building industry is turning increasingly to the use of self-compacting concrete (SCC) in order to improve many aspects of building construction: SCC offers several advantages in technical, economic, environmental and human terms. However, there are still some problems with regard to its durability, in terms of physical and chemical properties. The purpose of this research project is to study various durability characteristics of SCC compared with reference samples of vibrated concrete (VC) with similar low compressive strength. For this purpose, SCC and VC mixes were prepared using the same ingredients in identical proportions, the only difference being that limestone filler was used for the SCC mixes. Tests carried out on these samples revealed that there was no significant difference in the physico-chemical properties (oxygen permeability, chloride diffusion, water absorption, carbonation and leaching by ammonium nitrate) of the two types of concrete.