Evaluation of Self-Consolidating Concrete Robustness by Measuring Electrical Conductivity of Plastic Concrete

Abstract

This paper is aimed to review robustness of Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) in term of resistance against static segregation and bleeding. SCC is a highly fluid and non-segregating concrete able to spread through even dense reinforcement and homogenously fill formwork without using any external mechanical consolidation. Due to field requirements, SCC should be able to sustain its desired fresh properties over a relatively long time (about two or three hours) making it more susceptible to segregation than conventional concrete. Although there are a couple of proposed test methods to evaluate SCC robustness, multi-electrodes electrical conductivity technique could be a reliable, non-destructive, inexpensive and simple test method to continuously monitor progress of hydration reactions (even indicating initial and final setting time) and stability (bleeding and both static and dynamic aggregate segregation) of plastic cement-based materials over the early-age period. In this paper, a brief review on fresh properties of SCC and static aggregate segregation has been taken place. Then, different methods for measuring concrete conductivity have been investigated. Afterward, some studies on evaluation of stability of cement-based materials and SCC have been reviewed. Finally, based on the literature, some recommendations for future works are introduced.