Experimental study of filling capacity of self-compacting concrete and its influence on the properties of rock-filled concrete

Yuetao Xie, David J. Corr, Mohend Chaouche, Feng Jin*, Surendra P. Shah

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

50 Scopus citations

Abstract

Rock-filled concrete (RFC) was developed in China mainly for large-scale concrete construction. The distinctive casting procedure of RFC makes it highly dependent on the filling capacity of self-compacting concrete (SCC). This study investigated two of the most controversial issues regarding RFC - the filling performance of SCC and the large interface between SCC and rocks. These issues were examined through an experimental setup designed to stimulate SCC flow in rock skeleton. The effects of different factors (aggregate size, yield stress, etc.) on the filling capacity of SCC and the properties of RFC were investigated on the basis of filling rate, cross-section porosity, and interface microstructure. Two clogging mechanisms were summarized from literature and used to explain the experimental results. The findings indicate that the interface microstructure of RFC greatly depends on the filling performance of SCC which is significantly affected by the size and condition of the large rocks.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)121-128
Number of pages8
JournalCement and Concrete Research
Volume56
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2014

Funding

The authors thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51239006 ) for providing financial support, Jianping Zhou and Chris Kelley for their kind help in fabricating the experimental setup and conducting the experiment. The authors would also like to thank the Chinese Scholarship Council for supporting Mr. Xie's studies at Northwestern University.

Keywords

  • Fresh Concrete (A)
  • Interfacial transition zone (B)
  • Microstructure (B)
  • Rheology (A)
  • Workability (A)

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Building and Construction
  • General Materials Science

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