Effect of filler types on physical, mechanical and microstructure of self compacting concrete and Flow-able concrete

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of various filler types on the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) and Flow-able concrete. For this purpose, two groups of fillers were selected. The first group was pozzolanic fillers (silica fume and metakaolin) while the second group was non-pozzolanic fillers (limestone powder, granite dust and marble dust). Cement contents of 400 kg/m3 and 500 kg/m3 were considered while the used filler material was 7.5%, 10% and 15%. Slump and slump flow, T50, sieve stability and bleeding tests were performed on fresh concrete. The studied hardened properties included unit weight, voids ratio, porosity, and water absorption and cube compressive strength. In addition, thermo-gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electronic microscope were performed. The test results showed that filler type and content have significant effect on fresh concrete properties where non-pozzolanic fillers improve segregation and bleeding resistance. Generally, filler type and content have significant effect on unit weight, water absorption and voids ratio. In addition, non-pozzolanic fillers have insignificant negative effect on concrete compressive strength. Finally, there was a good correlation between fresh concrete properties and hardened concrete properties for SCC and Flow-able concrete.