Incorporating European Standards for Testing Self Compacting Concrete in Indian Conditions

Concrete is a vital ingredient in infrastructure development with its versatile and extensive applications. The Indian construction industry today is consuming about 400 million tons of concrete every year and is expected to reach a billion tons in less than a decade. It is the most widely used construction material because of its mouldability into any required structural form and shape due to its fluid behaviour at early ages. However, there is a limit to the fluid behaviour of normal fresh concrete. Thorough compaction, using vibration, is normally essential for achieving workability, the required strength and durability of concrete. Inadequate compaction of concrete results in large number of voids, affecting performance and long term durability of structures. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) provides a solution to these problems. As the name signifies, it is able to compact itself without any additional vibration or compactive effort. However, wide spread applications of SCC have been restricted due to lack of standard mix design procedure and testing methods. It is pertinent to mention that only features of SCC have been included in Indian Standard Code for the present. Slump flow test, L-box test, V-funnel test, U-box test, Orimet test & GTM Screen test are recommended by EFNARC (European Federation for Specialist Construction Chemicals and Concrete system) for determining properties of SCC in fresh state. This paper highlights the use of European standards by various researchers for testing Self compacting concrete in Indian conditions. The paper presents the experimental investigation of Self Compacting Concrete using Flyash and Rice husk ash as mineral admixtures and testing rheological properties as per European Standards