The performance of high fluidity concrete for normal strength structures

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) represents high quality concrete with exceptional workability and enables the easy production of heavily reinforced concrete structures of complex geometry. In spite of its obvious advantages, the high cost of SCC prevents its wider use. For normal strength concrete structures, the performance of high fluidity concrete would be sufficient, providing an affordable and more cost-effective solution than SCC for the construction market. The objective of the current research was to explore the properties of fresh and hardened high fluidity concrete composed of a high amount of fine fillers from industrial by-products (ground limestone filler and fly ash filler) and polycarboxylic ether polymers. The enhanced performances of the resulting concrete mixtures are discussed in terms of the mechanisms involved and the implications of their application in construction.