Developing a Cost-Effective Approach for Enhancing the Rheological and Mechanical Behavior of High Strength Self-Compacting Concrete

Despite the numerous advantages of using concrete with high strength capacity, the brittle behavior of high strength concrete (HSC) and higher production cost has limited its use in the construction industry. This research aims to develop a cost-effective approach for production of high strength self-compacting concrete with desirable performance in either compressive or tensile loading condition. To reach this purpose, 18 mixtures were cast initially with different w/c, binder, and silica-fume percentages. The results show that it is possible to produce high strength self-compacting concrete economically without using any additives such as silica-fume. Afterward, an innovative reinforcing technique using hexagonal wire mesh (HWM) were introduced for enhancing the HSC performance. The results show that HWM is able to enhance HSC behavior in both tensile and compressive loading condition. Finally, an economic analysis was conducted and the optimum HWM properties are selected according to the analysis results.