The effect of nano-caco3 and nano-SiO2 on properties of self-compacting concrete

With the growing progress in the use of concrete, novel technologies have been introduced into the production of this building material. Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is one of the concrete types, which has been extensively applied in building industry nowadays. SCC could be empowered in terms of durability and mechanical properties and, as a result, the service-life of SCC and efficiency of concrete structures could be increased using complementary materials such as Pozzolans and nano-materials. Considering their structures, nano-materials such as nano-silica, nano-calcium carbonate and other similar materials could be helpful in making SCC. This paper aims to investigate the effect of nano-calcium carbonate and nano-silica on the durability and mechanical characteristics of SCC. Thus, different concrete forms with the mixture designs containing 0%, 1%, 2% and 3% nano-calcium carbonate and nano-silica were developed. The samples were made in 15*15*15 cubic and cylindrical forms, depending on the experiment type, and tested at the ages of 7 and 28 days. In all the mixture designs, the rheological tests relating to fresh concrete including concrete flow, slump test, V-funnel, L-box, J-ring and U-box tests were performed. Finally, in order to examine the durability, permeability, freeze and thaw cycle, electrical resistance and pulse rate determination in concrete were employed. At the end, micro-structural properties of concrete containing nano-carbonate were tested using XRD and SEM tests. In all the samples, use of nano-calcium carbonate increased durability and resistance properties of SCC.