EFFECT OF AIR ENTRAINING ADMIXTURE ON THE PROPERTIES OF SELF-COMPACTING CONCRETE INCORPORATING SUPPLEMENTARY CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS.

Self-compacting concrete has gained a wide range of applications as a result of its unique properties, which can offer high strength and durable type of concrete with the proper selection of the raw materials. The purpose of this study was to show the effect of the use of high dosage of air entraining admixture on the properties of self-compacting concrete. An experimental investigation on the frost-salt scaling resistance of conventional and air entraining self-compacting concrete incorporating slag-blended cement and supplementary cementitious materials was carried out. Further fresh and hardened properties tests including slump flow, V-funnel, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, air void characteristics and water absorption tests were performed to obtain an objective evaluation between air and non-air entrained self-compacting concrete mixtures. Air void characteristics were evaluated through the automated image analysis procedure to enrich this investigation. Results indicate the following: the air entraining admixture highly decreased the compressive strength up to 52% and the metakaolin was the governing supplementary cementitious material concerning the scaling resistance and water absorption in comparison with the silica fume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]