The mix design for self-compacting high performance concrete containing various mineral admixtures

• The strength efficiency factor of rice husk ash is assessed.
• A mix design method is proposed for self-compacting high performance concrete.
• Superplasticizer saturation dosage of mortar is similar to superplasticizer demand for concrete.
• Efficiency factors of mineral admixtures are used to predict compressive strength.
• Concrete containing ternary binder has compressive strength in the range of 90–120 MPa.

This paper is an effort towards presenting a new mix design method for self-compacting high performance concrete (SCHPC) containing various mineral admixtures (MA). In the proposed method, the constituent materials were calculated by using the absolute volume method. The packing theory of Funk and Dinger with the exponent q = 0.25 was adopted to determine the grading of aggregate. The primary paste volume for filling capacity was computed from the void content of compacted aggregate. The superplasticizer dosage for the concrete was set on the basis of the superplasticizer saturation dosage of the corresponding mortar. Efficiency factors were used to express the effect of MAs on compressive strength of concrete. The results show that the method was adequate to proportion SCHPC mixtures containing ternary binders, i.e. cement and two different MAs (rice husk ash (RHA), silica fume, fly ash, and lime stone powder), satisfying the self-compactability requirements and compressive strength class in the range of C60/75–C90/105. With 5–20 wt.% cement replacement, RHA was very effective in improving compressive strength of SCHPC. The efficiency factor for RHA, i.e., 2.7–1.8, which is the first time applied, is only marginally lower as compared to that of silica fume.

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