Self-compacting concrete: overview

Abstract

Self-compacting concrete is a type of concrete that dos not require external compacting work during its placing in order to achieve a good termination. This concept appears in Japan in the late 80?s as a result of the continuous search for improving productivity through the reduction of placing times; the need to improve environmental conditions; the challenge of new milestones in the form of new shapes and structures heavily armoured where the rebar density makes difficult the use of vibrators; and the search for a better end-product in terms of strength and durability. Aimed by these premises, a new concrete is developed that, in the fresh state, possess a low friction coefficient among its particles in order to obtain a high flow-ability, but at the same time it has the adequate viscosity in order to ensure the cohesion and avoid segregation of particles.