Mixture design of self-compacting glass mortar

Recycled ground glass is an unconventional material for self-compacting concrete (SCC). Nevertheless, its use is becoming increasingly attractive representing a twofold contribution to economic and eco-efficient SCC. In fact, on one hand mixed-color glass culets that are not reusable for packaging purposes may be employed. On the other hand its supplementary cementing potential can be used to replace expensive materials such as silica fume, metakaolin and cement, reducing CO2 emissions. The present paper provides a comprehensive procedure for the design of SCC mortar mixtures incorporating fine glass powder. A central composite design was carried out to mathematically model the influence of mixture parameters and their coupled effects on deformability, viscosity, compressive strength, resistivity and resistance to carbonation. The derived models and a numerical optimization technique were used to select the best mixture, which maximizes durability and minimizes cost, while maintaining self-compactability.