IMPACT OF TERNARY BLENDS AS VISCOSITY MODIFYING ADMIXTURES ON SELF-COMPACTING CONCRETE (SCC) BLENDS CONTAINING RICE HUSK ASH (RHA) AND GROUND GRANULATED BLAST FURNACE SLAG (GGBFS)

Abstract

Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) is a modern concrete system known for its high flowability and high segregation resistance without the need for mechanical vibration. The American Concrete Institute (ACI) defines SCC as ‘A concrete mixture that possesses excellent flowability and does not separate, enabling it to effortlessly spread, fill the desired mold, and fully surround the reinforcement without the need for any mechanical consolidation. This means that SCC can effectively achieve compaction on its own, resulting in dense and durable concrete. In the present study, the focus is placed on the experimental research of Self-Compacting Concrete systems (SCCs) produced by replacing Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) with ternary blends of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS). By using RHA and GGBFS, environmental contamination will be kept to a minimum while also protecting natural resources. Additionally, there will be less need for storage and disposal facilities. In this research, OPC is replaced by different blends of RHA-GGBFS (0%, 5%, 10%, 15), and concrete’s fresh and hardened properties was investigated. Nine formulations were studied at varying amounts of RHA and GGBFS. The water-to-binder ratio and super-plasticizer content was kept constant for the whole research process. The findings of the tests on the fresh characteristics show that the viscosity of the freshly mixed SCC increases with an increase in the replacement levels of RHA-GGBFS blends while the hardened properties of SCC decrease with such replacements. The overall results suggest that RHA-GGBFS blends can be used as a replacement of cement to produce structural self compacting concret