73 Technical Note

SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE (SCC)

1. INTRODUCTION aspects of construction. In terms of structural and durability

requirements, SCC is not different from conventional
The concept of Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) was first vibrated concrete and therefore existing design codes and
developed in Japan in the mid to late 1980s and by the mid standards are still valid.
1990s it spread around the world because of the major
concerns poor compaction was having on the quality and The basic constituent materials used in SCC are essentially
durability performance of concrete structures. The reasons the same as those of conventional concrete, although
for compacting conventional concrete is to ensure that additional admixtures or fine materials may be necessary
maximum density is achieved by fully expelling entrapped to achieve the required rheological properties. However,
air entrained during mixing and placing, and to further the biggest difference between the two concretes is the
ensure that the concrete is in full contact with both the steel actual proportioning of these materials. In order to achieve
reinforcement and the formwork. its defined purpose, SCC mixes contain lower coarse
aggregate contents, higher amounts of sand, higher amounts
The purpose of good compaction is to ensure satisfactory of cementitious materials including Portland cement, lower
strength, sound impermeable concrete with satisfactory water/cementitious material ratio, higher superplasticiser
detail at corners, good bond with the steel reinforcement, doses and sometimes viscosity modifying admixtures.
good finish and appearance and impermeable protective
cover to the steel reinforcement. SCC on the other hand A comparison of materials in typical SCC and conventional
does not require any mechanical effort such as the use of concrete is shown in Table 1 (3). The reduction in the
immersion vibrators or external formwork vibrators, to amount of coarse aggregate is done in order to reduce the
achieve full compaction. friction between them and therefore enhance the overall
concrete fluidity. The increase in paste contents (i.e. sand,
A well designed and produced SCC has the capability to cementitious materials, admixtures etc) is also intended to
flow under its own weight through and around congested further increase fluidity as well as enhance its cohesiveness
steel reinforcement fully encapsulating it, completely filling and resistance to segregation and viscosity. Control of the
the space within the formwork, without any loss of strength, viscosity and cohesiveness of the paste ensures the flow
stability or homogeneity, while still achieving the same of the SCC through obstacles such as steel reinforcement
outcomes of good compaction. It is now well accepted that without any aggregate blockages.
the fundamental research into producing SCC has now been
completed and it was being used successfully in practice in Due to the lower water/cementitious material ratios
many countries around the world for both precast concrete used in SCC mixes and higher dosages of dispersive
and in-situ applications (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8). superplasticisers which are key to achieving the required
rheological characteristics for flow and self-compaction,
2. WHAT IS SELF COMPACTING the properties of fresh SCC are more sensitive to variations
CONCRETE? in the quality and consistency of the mix constituents,
particularly variations in water contents. As the fresh
SCC is defined as “Concrete that is able to flow and properties of SCC are fundamental to both its short and
consolidate under its own weight, completely fill the long term performance (i.e. they can not be compensated
formwork or bore hole even in the presence of dense with further compaction) tighter controls on materials and
reinforcement, whilst maintaining homogeneity and production consistent with the requirements of Section
without the need for additional compaction, and which 610 are therefore required, with particular emphasis on
complies with the requirements of Table 610.181 (of the the actual determination of the moisture content of both
VicRoads Standard Specification Section 610 “Structural the sand and the stone on a frequent basis. Ensuring that
Concrete”)(9)”. no residual water is left in the concrete truck mixers prior
to batching is also of primary importance.
SCC is not a new building material but rather a further
extension of existing concrete technology which has been
found to offer the potential for improvements in various

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Technical Note 73

distances both horizontally and upwards and fill

Table 1 Comparison of materials in typical vertical elements from the bottom.
SCC and conventional concrete • Passing Ability:- the concrete containing the required
aggregate size must have the ability to flow through
Conventional Vi- SCC and around restricted spaces between steel reinforcing
Material, bars and other embedded objects under its own weight
brated Concrete (%)
by volume and without blocking or segregation.
(%)
• Segregation Resistance:- the concrete must be able
to satisfy both the filling ability and passing ability
Admixtures < 0.01 0.01
requirements while it still remains homogeneous both
during transport and placing and after placing.
Water 18 20
Paste viscosity (measure of the speed of flow) is another
Coarse important property, which although not essential in defining
46 28 SCC, it can nevertheless influence the passing ability,
Aggregate
segregation resistance and cohesiveness of SCC. Sufficient
34
Sand 24 viscosity is required within an SCC concrete to ensure that
aggregates are fully suspended within the paste and thus
Fines, including enhance the other important properties of SCC.
12 18
Portland cement
4. BENEFITS OF SCC

There are two commonly known methods of producing The principal benefits of SCC are advantages derived from
self compacting type concretes, namely, the powder the properties of fresh mix itself, namely:
and admixture methods. The powder method uses
superplasticisers in conjunction with very high cementitious • Ability to completely fill complex formwork and
material contents (i.e. cement, fly ash, slag, etc) to form encapsulate areas of congested steel reinforcement
a paste which controls the homogeneity of the mix, without any compaction and yet with reduced risks
improves its flowability and holds the mix constituents of voids and honeycombing.
together and resists segregation. The admixture method is • Ability to develop higher early and ultimate strengths
based on the use of the new generation of polycarboxylate and enhanced durability properties compared with
superplasticisers which offer the capability of providing conventional vibrated concretes.
for improved flowability, viscosity and cohesion, as well • Potential for improved surface finishes with reduced
as workability retention. Depending on the characteristics making good costs related to poorly compacted
of constituent materials, a viscosity modifier may also be surfaces.
required.
Although the SCC as a material will cost slightly more
It is important to emphasise that SCC should not be than conventional concrete, significant costs savings can
confused with high or very high slump (180mm to 250mm) be realised through the whole concreting process including
“flowable” conventional concretes (which may also use the giving consideration to SCC at the detailed design stage of
new generation of polycarboxylate superplasticisers)which a project. Such benefits can be summarised as follows:
are still subject to segregation problems and require
vibration to achieve compaction. • Reduced construction time and labour costs.
• Reduced man power for placing and compacting.
3. KEY PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS OF • Lower equipment costs and less noise since vibrators
FRESH SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE are not required.
• Improved OH&S in the workplace environment
There are three distinct fresh properties which essentially through the elimination of vibrating equipment and
define SCC and which are fundamental to its performance associated health and safety risks. Reduced noise
both in the plastic and hardened state. These properties levels, reduced trip and fall hazards, less manual
are also interrelated and must be maintained for a required handling.
period of time after mixing. To achieve these properties,
the material selection, proportioning and quality control 5. PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES
including production control are critical. The three essential
fresh properties required by SCC are: The following practical considerations should be taken into
account when working with SCC.
• Filling Ability:- the concrete must have the ability to
flow and completely fill all parts within the formwork • Due to the high fines content and viscosity SCC
under its own weight without leaving voids. As it is concrete tends to dry faster than conventional concrete
highly fluid it has the ability to flow considerable and therefore there is a potential of increased plastic

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 Technical Note 73

shrinkage cracking, as there is little or no bleed water proposals for use of SCC for other structural applications
at the surface. As such it is important that evaporative are subject to the approval as per the requirements of Clause
retarders are used between initial screeding and 610.07(k).
finishing and curing is implemented in a timely
manner as per specification requirements. On the other 8. SAMPLING AND TESTING FOR SCC
hand the reduced bleeding reduces the risk of plastic
settlement. Several test methods have been developed and together
• SCC must be supplied on a continuous basis and with visual inspection are often utilised to verify the
sufficient manpower and equipment must be on site performance of fresh SCC. However, none of these methods
to avoid any delays which may result in the concrete are standardised as yet, either nationally or internationally.
being left too long without fresh concrete being applied Some of these test methods include the Slump-flow test,
thus creating the potential for a cold joint to be formed. the J-Ring test, the L-Box test, the Orimet test and the
Where concrete has been untouched for long periods GTM Screen Stability Test. As part of the introduction of
it may be necessary to vibrate the new concrete into SCC into the VicRoads standard specification Section 610,
the old to prevent a cold joint from occurring. three tests were also introduced, namely, the Slump-flow
• In order to minimise the risk of segregation of SCC (to measure the filling ability/flowability), the Slump-flow
the vertical free-fall should be limited to 3 m and the T500 time (to measure the paste viscosity/rate of flow) and
horizontal flow from point of discharge to 6 m. the J-Ring test (to measure the passing ability). These tests
• As SCC concretes are more susceptible to quality were identified as the most practical and adaptable for both
and material fluctuations than conventional vibrated the laboratory and on-site for mix design and development
concrete, a stricter quality control regime, production and for acceptance and quality control.
control, construction control and training regime must
be put in place. The slump flow (Refer Fig.1), T500 time (measure of
• In concreting applications other than under water and viscosity) and passing ability of the SCC are required to be
dry bores, consideration should be given to undertaking determined using the Slump Flow and J-Ring test method
controlled field trials where all of the critical plastic in accordance with VicRoads test methods as described
and then hardened properties can be assessed. in the VicRoads Code of Practice RC 500.16. The slump
• Ensure adequate and ongoing communication between flow, T500 time and passing ability of the SCC are required
the mix designer, the contractor, supervising personnel to comply with the requirements of Table 2 (9).
and the personnel responsible for placing SCC
concrete. Table 2 Slump flow, T500 time and passing ability
requirements of SCC
6. HARDENED PROPERTIES OF SCC
Properties of Measurement Observations
The main differences between conventional vibrated SCC
concrete and SCC concrete are related to the behaviour
The aggregate
in the fresh state. In terms of the hardened properties,
shall be evenly
at similar water/cementitious material ratio, properly
distributed
proportioned, produced and placed SCC is generally
throughout the
denser and less variable than the equivalent conventional Slump Flow
550 – 650 mm concrete paste
vibrated concrete, thereby resulting in improved strength (Filling ability/
spread within the spread
and durability performance. In addition, compared to Flowability)
and shall not
conventional vibrated concrete, SCC at similar water/
exhibit signs of
cementitious material ratio is expected to have:
segregation
• The same structural performance.
• Equal or higher compressive and tensile strength. The final spread
3.5 ± 1 seconds
• Equal to or lower shrinkage. T500 time shall not exceed
to achieve a
• Equal to or better bond to the steel reinforcement. (measure of 650 mm in diam-
spread of 500
• Lower surface absorption and therefore better viscosity) eter
mm
durability.
The concrete
7. SCC IN SECTION 610 shall not exhibit
Passing Ability ≤ 10 mm signs of
SCC has now been introduced into the September 2005 segregation
version of the VicRoads standard specification Section 610
“Structural Concrete”. At this stage Clause 610.18(c) limits
the use of SCC for underwater and dry bore (bored piles, Sampling and testing for the slump flow, T500 (measure of
etc) applications only. Clause 610.18(c) also specifies the viscosity) and passing ability of SCC should be undertaken
minimum quality and testing requirements for SCC. Any at a minimum prescribed frequency (as indicated in Section

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Technical Note 73

610). Section 610 also requires that when making test 11. CONTACT
cylinders for SCC the test sample should be placed into
the cylinder moulds from a height not exceeding 100 mm Fred Andrews-Phaedonos, Principal Engineer- Concrete
from the top of the mould and be placed in one continuous Technology, GeoPave.
motion. Roding or vibration should not be applied to test
cylinders made up of SCC. Tel: (03) 98818939,
Mob: 0419 597 277,
9. SUMMARY Fax: (03) 9881 8900.

SCC offers improved quality and durability compared to Figure 1 – Slump Flow Test. A technician lifts the slump
conventional vibrated concrete, provided it is considered cone and measures the diameter of the SCC
as part of the whole construction process including the Spread with reference to the requirements of
detailed design stage of a project. This technical note has Table 2.
identified a number of benefits that can be realised both in
the fresh and hardened state. However, these benefits can
only be achieved through the adoption of a stricter quality
control regime, production control, construction control
and training regime for personnel involved with SCC. To
this regard more knowledge and control is required by the
concrete suppliers and users. In terms of VicRoads works
this means strict compliance with specification requirements
including those of Section 610 “Structural Concrete”.

10. REFERENCES

1. Holton I (2004), “Self-compacting concrete”, BRE.

2. Hurd MK (2002), “Self Compacting Concrete”,
Concrete Construction, Vol. 47, No. 1.
3. Concrete Society (2003), Self-Compacting Concrete
– Part I. The Material and its Properties”, Current
Practice Sheet No. 123.
4. Concrete Society (2005), “Self-compacting concrete
– A review”, Technical Report No. 62.
5. EFCA, EFNARC (2005), “The European Guidelines
for Self Compacting Concrete”.
6. Concrete Institute of Australia (2005), “Super-
Workable Concrete”, Recommended Practice.
7. Vachon M (2002), “Self-Consolidating Concrete”,
ASTM Standardization News.
8. Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (2003), “Interim
Guidelines for the Use of SCC in Member Plants”,
TR-6-03.
9. VicRoads Standard Specification Section 610 (2005),
“Structural Concrete”.

GeoPave believes this publication to be correct at the time of printing and does not accept responsibility for any consequences arising from
the use of the information herein. Readers should rely on individual judgement and skill to apply information to particular issues.

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