Effect of coarse aggregates and sand contents on workability and static stability of self-compacting concrete

In this paper, the workability and static stability were evaluated using a proposed test method.Workability and static stability represent a key property of self-compacting concrete (SCC) in fresh state. A number of standardized test methods were developed to assess these properties. However, no accelerated test method reliably predicts both workability and static stability of SCC. In the present work, a modified K-slump test method was developed to evaluate workability and static stability of SCC. In order to take implicit mixture variations of SCC constituents that can affect fresh SCC properties, a central composite design was adopted to highlight the effect of gravel to sand ratio (G/S), gravel 3/8 to gravel 8/15 ratio (G1/G2), water to cement ratio (W/C), marble powder to cement ratio (MP/C) and superplasticizer content (SP) on workability measured with slump and flow time (T50) tests and static stability measured with sieve stability test (Pi), segregation test index (SSI), Penetration test (Pd) and the proposed K-slump test (Km). The obtained results show that G/S ratio close to 1 and G1/G2 ratio close to 60% can be considered as optimal values to achieve a good workability while ensuring a sufficient static stability of SCC. Acceptable relationships were obtained between Slump flow, Pi, Pd and Km. Results show that the proposed K-slump test allow to assess both workability and static stability of fresh SCC mixtures.