article · Structural Concrete
This research assesses how incorporating nanosilica influences the characteristics of self-compacting concrete blended with limestone powder and either silica fume or fly ash. Fifteen concrete mixtures were produced in line with European guidelines, exploring nanosilica content from 1% to 10% by cement weight alongside a constant 15% limestone powder supplementation. Fresh concrete behaviour was examined through workability and flow tests, while hardened samples underwent assessments for tensile, flexural, compressive, and bond strength, elastic modulus, permeability, and air content. The evaluation also covered compressive resistance after exposure to elevated temperatures between 100°C and 800°C. The findings reveal that a combination of 3% nanosilica, 10% silica fume, and 15% limestone powder delivers the optimal mechanical outcomes, reaching 75.1 MPa compressive strength, 11.9 MPa bond strength, and a modulus of elasticity of 41,300 MPa, while preserving good flow and filling capabilities.
Self-compacting concrete flows effortlessly into formwork without mechanical vibration, reducing construction labour and noise. Identifying the exact proportions of supplementary materials like nanosilica and limestone powder helps engineers produce stronger, highly durable building materials that can better resist mechanical stresses, fluid ingress, and high-temperature exposure in modern infrastructure projects.
This research provides concrete manufacturers and structural engineers with precise mix proportions to produce high-strength self-compacting concrete. The work is applied research tested under laboratory conditions using standard European guidelines. Transitioning this formulation to commercial practice would require validating batch consistency in commercial ready-mix plants and assessing the cost-effectiveness of nanosilica additions at industrial volumes.
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Abstract This research focused on finding the effect of nanosilica (NS) on the properties of self‐compacting concrete (SCC). NS in various proportions of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 8%, and 10% was added to SCC with 10% silica fume (SF) or 10% fly ash (FA) by weight of cement to improve the properties of SCC. While the limestone powder (LSP) was used at a fixed supplementation of 15% by cement weight for all mixes. Fifteen SCC mixtures were designed based on the European guidelines for self‐compacting concrete. The properties of fresh SCC were evaluated by several tests of the slump flow, slump T 50 , V‐funnel, V‐funnel T 5min , L‐box J‐ring, and fill box. Meanwhile, several tests evaluated SCC's mechanical properties, including compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, bond strength, and modulus of elasticity. Moreover, the permeability properties of SCC were evaluated by water permeability and air‐content tests. The effect of applying high temperatures (100–800°C) on the compressive strength of SCC containing NS with cementitious materials (SF, FA, and LSP) was also evaluated. Results showed that adding 3% NS with 10% SF and 15% LSP by weight of cement can be used to achieve the best mechanical properties of SCC. The SFNS3 mixture achieved the highest mechanical properties of 75.1, 11.9, and 41,300 MPa for compressive strength, bond strength, and modulus of elasticity tests. While the results for the slump flow, slump T 50cm , and fill box were 680 mm, 6 s, and 93%.
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DOI: 10.1002/suco.202300121
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