Future research needs in self-consolidating concrete

Abstract

The development of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) had revolutionized construction by its ability to achieve full compaction without mechanical vibration and consistency of quality. Use of SCC results in significant reduction in construction time, cost, and noise. With the growing utilization of SCC, the necessity for research to understand and manipulate the fresh and hardened properties of SCC also increases. The paper presents future research needs of SCC in the areas of rheology, construction, and sustainability. Aside from yield stress and viscosity, which are key properties for flowability and stability, the mechanisms behind thixotropy need to be understood. To be able to obtain a better grasp of the mechanisms driving the rheology of cement-based systems, the system needs to be studied at multiple scales. Three research areas in construction using SCC are discussed; pumping, cast-in-place of bridge components, and rock-filled concrete. Finally, the research need for further sustainability is emphasize.

Keywords:

• rheology
• pumping
• cast-in-place bridge components
• rock-filled concrete
• sustainability

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions from Shiho Kawashima of Columbia University, Kejin Wang of Iowa State University, George Morcous of University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Jae Hong Kim of UNIST, Ulsan, Korea, Raissa Ferron of University of Texas at Austin, Nathan Tregger of W.R. Grace, and Yuetao Xie of Tsinghua University, China.