Study and Analysis of Self Compacting Concrete

Abstract

Concrete is a composite construction material made primarily with cement, water and aggregate. There are many formulations of concrete, which provide varied properties, and concrete is the most used man-made product in the world. Concrete is widely used for making architectural structures, foundations, brick/block walls, pavements, bridges/overpasses, motorways/roads, runways, parking structures, dams, pools/reservoirs, pipes, footings for gates, fences, poles and even boats. Famous concrete structures include the Burj Khalifa (world‟s tallest building), Hoover Dam, The Panama Canal and The Roman Pantheon. Concrete technology was known by the Ancient Romans and was widely used within the Roman Empire – The Colosseum; is largely built of concrete and the concrete dome of the Pantheon is the world‟s largest. After the Empire passed, use of concrete became scarce until the technology was re-pioneered in the mid- 18th century. There are inorganic materials that also have pozzolanic or latent hydraulic properties. These very fine-grained materials are added to the concrete mix to improve the properties of concrete (mineral admixtures), or as a replacement of Portland cement (blended cements).