Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210

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Construction and Building Materials

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A preliminary concrete mix design for SCC with marble powders

Kürsßat Esat Alyamaç, Ragip Ince *
Firat University, Engineering Faculty, Civil Engineering Department, 23279 Elazig, Turkey

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The marble has been commonly used as a building material since ancient times. Disposal of the waste
Received 27 September 2007 materials of the marble industry, consisting of very fine powders, is one of the environmental problems
Received in revised form 15 August 2008 worldwide today. However, these waste materials can be successfully and economically utilized to
Accepted 16 August 2008
improve some properties of fresh and hardened self-compacting concrete (SCC).
Available online 24 September 2008
The aim of this study is to find some relationship between properties of the fresh SCC and the hardened
SCC containing marble powder. For this purpose, the mix design approach based on monogram developed
Keywords:
by Monteiro and co-workers for normal vibrated concrete was adapted to SCC mixes. In order to obtain
Self-compacting concrete
Marble powder
this monogram, a series of SCC mixes with different water/cement ratios and water/powder ratios were
Waste prepared. Several tests such as slump-flow, T500 time, L-box, V-funnel and sieve segregation resistance
Strength were applied for fresh concrete and tests such as compressive strength and split-tension strength at 7,
28 and 90 days were performed for hardened concrete. In conclusion, the mix design method based on
monogram can be suggested for preliminary design in SCC.
Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction contributing to economy, decreasing the waste materials and

All natural stones that industrially can be processed as cut to
size, polished, used for decorative purposes and economically valu-
able are called as marble. USA, Belgium, France, Spain, Sweden,
Italy, Egypt, Portugal and Greece are among the countries with
considerable marble reserve [1]. Turkey has the 40% of total marble
reserve in the world. 7,000,000 tons of marble have been produced
in Turkey annually and 75% of these production have been pro-
cessed in nearly 5000 processing plants. It can be apparently seen
that the waste materials of these plants reach millions of tons.
Stocking of these waste materials is impossible.
In marble quarries, the stones are being cut as blocks via differ-
ent methods (Fig. 1a). These blocks are being moved to processing
plants. In these plants, the blocks with 15–20 tons weight are being
cut to size as decorative tiles and being polished. During the cut-
ting process, the dust of the marble and water mixes together
and become waste marble mud. The material that become dry
mud after being refined within the refinement facilities are too
big for stocking and becoming harmful for the environment day
by day (Fig. 1b). During the cutting process 20–30% of the marble
block become dust.
These type solid waste materials should be inactivated properly
without polluting the environment. The most suitable inactivating
method nowadays is recycling. Recycling provides with some
advantages such as protecting the natural resources, energy saving,
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 424 2370000x5402; fax: +90 424 2415526.
E-mail address: rince@firat.edu.tr (R. Ince).
investing for the future [2]. The self-compacting concrete technol-
ogy has a big potential for this type solid waste materials.
Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is a special very liquid concrete
type that can settle in to the heavily reinforced, narrow and deep
sections by its own weight, and can consolidate itself without
necessitating internal or external vibration, and while providing
with these features can keep its cohesion (stability) without
leading segregation and bleeding. This concrete type developed
in Japan in 1980s with the progressions in the concrete technolo-
gies has become widespread in all over the world. Especially the
developments in the superplasticizer technology have contributed
considerably to formation and progression of the self-compacting
concrete [3,4].
Different from the classical concrete design, the self-compact-
ing concrete needs the superplasticizers, viscosity increasing
addition and inert or pozzolanic mineral additions in big quantity
all together or partly. New experiment techniques, design meth-
ods and ergo standards relating the selection of these materials
and usage of them in proper ratios in concrete design is being
developed [5–10]. The expected performance criteria for the
self-compacting concrete are self-compacting when it is fresh,
high early age strength that can stand for the early negative ef-
fects and durability to the all external effects in hardened
situation.
Numerous experimental tests on SCC revealed that the SCC
mixes containing inert fine powders such as limestone and chalk
have good fresh properties, excellent surface finish and hardening
strength higher than expected such as compressive strength and

0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2008.08.012
1202 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210
splitting tensile strength same as the pozzolanic fine powders such
as fly ash, blast-furnace slag and silica fume. This is mainly due to
improved particle packing and water retention of the fresh mixes
and chemical reactions involving cement hydrates and calcium
carbonate [8].
This paper presents a study combining the properties of fresh
SCC and hardened SCC in one graph. For this purpose, the mix de-
sign method based on monogram devised by Monteiro and co-
workers [11] for ordinary concrete was modified to SCC mixes.
Fig. 1. (a) A marble quarry and (b) marble powder waste.
Fig. 2. Mix design monogram for a given water/cement ratio [11].
This method has based on three laws: the Abrams’ law [12],
Lyse’s law [13] and Molinari’s law [14]. In the experimental pro-
gram of the study, a series of SCC mixes with different water-to-
cement and water-to-powder ratios were prepared by using three
type marble powder: cherry (Rosso Levanto), gold and white.
Then, several tests such as slump-flow, T500 time test, L-box, V-
funnel and sieve segregation resistance were applied for fresh
concrete and tests such as compressive strength and split-tension
strength at 7, 28 and 90 days were performed for hardened con-
crete cube specimens. Consequently, a monogram was developed
using the data obtained from 47 experimental programs for pre-
liminary design in SCC.
2. Concrete mix design monogram
There are many methods for concrete mix design with reference
to compressive strength. Since it is combining the properties of
fresh and hardened cementitious material in one graph, the mix
design method proposed by Monteiro and co-workers [11] is
highly useful for preliminary design. Fig. 2 illustrates a typical
mix design monogram for constant water/cement ratio. This
monogram utilizes the three relationships below:
Fig. 3. Gradation curves of granular materials.
 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210 1203

2.1. Abrams’ law K1

fc ¼ w=c
ð1Þ
K2
One of the most important parameters influencing the behavior
of the concrete is water–cement ratio (w/c) used in a concrete mix. where fc is the compressive strength at fixed age and w/c is by
Basically, concrete made with high w/c ratios will have low proper- weight. K1 and K2 in Eq. (1) are the empirical constants which de-
ties such as low compression strength and low tension strength. pend usually on curing, test conditions, test age and cement proper-
Considering the compressive strength, this relation was first ob- ties [15,16].
tained by Abrams [12] in 1918 and has common use all over the
world. The so-called Abrams’ law is expressed as 2.2. Lyse’s law

This law essentially gives a relationship between water content

and maximum aggregate size for a specific workability value
Table 1
Physical and chemical properties of marble powders used
(slump) [13]. It is well known that the cement requirement in con-
crete decreases with increasing maximum aggregate size. On the
Properties Cherry Gold White other hand, for a particular water/cement ratio, the compressive
Specific gravity 2.71 2.71 2.71 strength of concrete tends to increase with increasing aggregate
Specific surface area (cm2/g) 3924 5106 4372 cement ratio. Consequently, the following linear relationship be-
CaO (%) 40.45 49.53 54.55
tween water–cement ratio (w/c) and aggregate-cement ratio by
SiO2 (%) 28.35 1.25 0.14
Fe2O3 (%) 9.70 0.32 0.32 weight (m) can be written as:
MgO (%) 16.25 0.40 4.17
m ¼ K 3 ðw=cÞ þ K 4 ð2Þ

Fig. 4. SEM of cherry marble powder.

Fig. 5. SEM of gold marble powder.

1204 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210

in which K3 and K4 are the empirical constants which depend on the
workability properties of cementitious materials.
2.3. Molinari’s law
It is necessary to develop a relationship between aggregate/ce-
ment ratio (m) and cement content (C) in order to complete the
monogram in Fig. 2 [14]. Molinari has proposed the following in-
versely proportional relationship;
1000
C¼
K5m þ K6
where K5 and K6 are the material constants.
segregation is to remain homogeneity of concrete without separat-
ing of grout from the mix. Although several methods have been
used for self-compacting concrete in order to characterize the fresh
state of the resulting concrete, there is no single test that can ade-
quately measure for workability properties. On the other hand,
there is no unique standard test method measuring the workability
properties of SCC. In this study, the standard test methods used
according to EFNARC [9] are given:
3.2.1. Slump-flow and T500 time test
ð3Þ This test method, based on the traditional slump test, is utilized
to determine the flowability and flow rate of SCC. The test equip-
ments are one slump cone and one flow table, as shown in Fig. 7.

3. Experimental studies

3.1. Materials

According to EN 197-1, CEM I 42.5 N was used in all mixes. Its

specific gravity, specific surface area by Blain, and 28 days com-
pressive strength were 3.1, 3393 cm2/g and 49.2 MPa respectively.
The maximum aggregate size was 16 mm. The maximum sand
grain size was 4 mm. Mineralogically, the aggregate consisted of
river. The gradation curves of the granular materials are shown
in Fig. 3. The aggregate and sand were air-dried prior to mixing.
The superplasticizer ViscoCrete-3075 was used in order to pro-
duce SCC for all mixes. Three types of marble powder were utilized
to obtain SCC mixes. Their physical and chemical properties are gi-
ven in Table 1. Typical SEM photographs are illustrated at 5000
and 10,000 magnifications for each types of marble powder in
Figs. 4–6. As shown in the Figs. 4–6, these marble powders have
angular shapes with a rough surface texture unlike the fly ash par-
ticles that have spherical shape. On the other hand, cherry and
white marble powders seem to be coarser than the gold marble
powder. This can be also seen from the specific surface area values
of these marble powders in Table 1.

3.2. Test equipment

Self-consolidation characteristics are related to the workability

properties: filling ability, passing ability and, the resistance to seg-
regation. Filling ability is the capability of completely filling all
spaces without vibration. Passing ability is the aptitude to flow
through reinforcement bars without any blocking. Resistance to Fig. 7. Test equipments according to EFNARC [9].

Fig. 6. SEM of white marble powder.

 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210 1205

The slump cone is filled with concrete and then lifted vertically. diameter to reach 500 mm (T500) and the final mean diameter of
Two characteristic values are measured; time for the concrete concrete (dm).

Table 2 3.2.2. V-funnel test

Classes according to fresh SCC properties expressed by different test methods [9]
The test is utilized to determine filling ability and viscosity of
Slump-flow Viscosity (flow Viscosity (V- Passing Segregation SCC. The test equipment is a V-shaped funnel, as detailed in
(flow test) test) funnel test) ability (L-box resistance Fig. 7. The V-funnel is filled with concrete and then its gate is
test) (Sieve test)
opened. Time for the concrete to flow out of the funnel (tv) is
Class dm (cm) Class T500 (s) Class tv (s) Class PA Class SR (%) determined.
SF1 55–65 VS1 62 VF1 68 PA1 P0.8a SR1 620
SF2 66–75 VS2 >2 VF2 9–25 PA2 P0.8b SR2 615 3.2.3. L-box test
SF3 76–85 The test is utilized to determine flowability and passing ability
a
With 2 rebars. of SCC. The test equipment is an L-shaped box, as detailed in Fig. 7.
b
With 3 rebars. The vertical compartment of L-box is filled with concrete and then

Table 3
Experimental results: SCC mixes with cherry marble powders

Mix C (kg/m3) P (kg/m3) w/c sp (%) G (kg/m3) S (kg/m3) dmb (cm) T500 (s) tv (s) PA SR (%) fc (MPa) ft (MPa)
7d 28d 90d 7d 28d 90d
C1C 300 100 0.55 1 722 1095 30 – – – – 25.8 35.6 38.7 2.19 2.94 3.19
C2Ca 300 100 0.55 2 722 1095 57 2.92 4.1 0.89 1 30.7 39.1 41.8 2.63 3.19 3.47
C3Ca 300 100 0.55 3 722 1095 58 2.45 3.5 0.91 1 22.2 29.3 32.9 1.90 2.45 2.70
C4C 300 100 0.60 1 706 1071 43 – – – – 25.8 33.3 36.0 2.19 2.80 3.01
C5Ca 300 100 0.60 2 706 1071 60 2.38 3.4 0.95 7 28.9 37.8 41.3 2.41 3.12 3.44
C6Ca 300 100 0.63 2 696 1055 66 2.34 3.1 0.96 12 27.6 36.4 39.6 2.34 3.05 3.26
C7Ca 300 100 0.67 2 685 1039 68 2.22 2.7 0.98 16 26.2 34.2 36.9 2.27 2.87 3.01
C8C 300 100 0.70 2 675 1023 71 1.8 2.3 0.99 33 23.1 31.6 33.8 1.98 2.63 2.87
C9C 300 200 0.58 1 672 1020 [2] – – – – 29.3 40.0 45.8 2.48 3.33 3.71
C10C 300 200 0.58 2 672 1020 51 3 – – – 28.4 38.2 42.7 2.45 3.16 3.54
C11Ca 300 200 0.60 2 667 1012 62 3.2 6.1 0.91 4 29.3 40.9 44.9 2.45 3.33 3.75
C12Ca 300 200 0.63 2 657 996 68 2.9 5.5 0.94 7 28.0 38.7 41.8 2.37 3.16 3.50
C13Ca 300 200 0.63 3 657 996 69 2.5 5.2 0.93 7 28.0 37.8 41.3 2.37 3.16 3.37
C14Ca 300 200 0.67 2 646 980 71 2.7 4.7 0.96 9 26.7 37.3 40.4 2.23 3.09 3.33
C15Ca 300 200 0.70 2 636 964 73 2.4 4.4 0.97 13 25.3 34.7 38.2 2.19 2.91 3.19
C16C 300 250 0.57 2 658 999 50 5.4 – – – 24.0 35.6 37.3 2.01 2.94 3.12
C17Ca 300 250 0.60 2 648 983 58 4 7 0.89 2 25.3 37.8 39.1 2.16 3.16 3.23
C18C 300 250 0.63 1 637 967 [2] – – – – 23.6 34.7 36.4 2.05 2.87 2.98
C19Ca 300 250 0.63 2 637 967 65 3.6 6.4 0.91 4 24.4 37.3 39.6 2.09 3.09 3.33
C20Ca 300 250 0.63 3 637 967 66 3 6.2 0.92 5 25.8 37.3 39.1 2.16 3.05 3.30
C21C 300 250 0.67 1 627 951 [4] – – – – 24.0 35.6 37.8 2.05 2.94 3.19
C22Ca 300 250 0.67 2 627 951 66 3.4 5.7 0.94 7 24.4 35.6 38.2 2.09 2.98 3.12
C23Ca 300 250 0.67 3 627 951 68 2.9 5.4 0.94 7 23.6 35.1 36.4 1.98 2.91 3.01
C24Ca 300 250 0.70 2 616 935 69 3.2 5.3 0.97 10 23.1 33.8 35.6 2.01 2.84 2.94
C25Ca 300 250 0.70 3 616 935 71 2.7 5.2 0.97 16 21.8 32.0 33.8 1.90 2.70 2.80
C26C 300 500 0.70 2 519 787 [20] – – – – 18.2 25.3 26.7 1.57 2.12 2.30
C27Ca 350 50 0.60 2 677 1027 63 2.2 3.6 0.96 8 27.6 38.7 41.3 2.30 3.16 3.44
C28Ca 350 150 0.60 2 638 968 66 2.9 4.2 0.93 5 29.3 40.9 43.6 2.48 3.37 3.54
C29Ca 350 200 0.60 2 619 938 62 3.3 4.9 0.92 4 25.3 36.4 39.1 2.16 3.01 3.19
C30Ca 400 0 0.45 2 711 1079 62 2.75 5.4 0.92 9 38.7 55.6 61.8 3.26 4.47 5.01
C31Ca 400 0 0.48 2 701 1063 67 2.1 5.1 0.95 12 34.7 52.0 60.0 2.91 4.23 4.81
C32Ca 400 0 0.50 2 690 1047 68 1.5 4.5 0.97 14 33.8 49.3 54.7 2.80 4.06 4.40
C33Ca 400 50 0.51 2 667 1013 66 1.8 5 0.94 11 35.1 50.2 56.0 2.91 4.06 4.60
C34Ca 400 100 0.45 2 672 1020 55 2.69 6.5 0.88 8 42.7 53.8 64.4 3.57 4.37 5.25
C35Ca 400 100 0.48 2 662 1004 58 2.3 6.1 0.91 12 40.9 50.7 63.1 3.40 4.13 5.08
C36Ca 400 100 0.53 2 641 972 69 1.8 4.9 0.97 14 36.9 46.2 56.9 3.12 3.82 4.60
C37Ca 400 100 0.55 2 630 956 73 1.1 4.2 0.99 17 30.7 39.6 43.6 2.55 3.23 3.61
C38Ca 400 150 0.45 2 653 990 58 3.7 5.3 0.88 2 42.7 57.3 65.8 3.54 4.64 5.31
C39C 400 150 0.50 1 632 958 44 – – – – 29.3 40.0 45.8 2.45 3.26 3.82
C40Ca 400 150 0.50 2 632 958 66 3.1 4.1 0.93 4 41.3 54.2 61.3 3.44 4.40 5.01
C41Ca 400 150 0.50 3 632 958 71 2.2 3.9 0.94 5 39.1 52.0 58.7 3.30 4.26 4.71
C42Ca 400 150 0.53 2 621 942 68 2.8 3.6 0.94 9 38.2 51.1 57.8 3.16 4.20 4.67
C43Ca 400 150 0.55 2 611 926 72 2.2 3.3 0.96 14 37.3 48.9 52.9 3.12 3.95 4.30
C44C 400 150 0.58 2 600 910 76 1.7 2.7 0.99 23 32.0 42.7 45.8 2.63 3.50 3.75
C45C 400 400 0.53 2 524 795 51 6.6 – – – 20.9 30.7 33.3 1.76 2.52 2.84
C46Ca 450 50 0.44 2 654 992 67 2.4 5.9 0.95 13 39.6 52.4 61.8 3.23 4.20 5.05
C47Ca 450 100 0.44 2 634 962 70 3.1 6.4 0.93 10 42.2 55.1 64.4 3.47 4.43 5.15
C48Ca 500 0 0.42 2 646 979 70 1.13 3.5 0.96 14 43.6 57.8 67.1 3.64 4.64 5.42
C49C 500 50 0.36 2 658 998 52 4.47 – – 11 54.7 67.1 73.8 4.47 5.38 5.88
C50Ca 500 50 0.38 2 647 982 68 2.03 4.6 0.93 13 52.0 65.3 71.1 4.30 5.28 5.65
C51Ca 500 50 0.40 2 637 966 71 1.56 4.3 0.96 16 50.7 62.2 67.6 4.13 5.01 5.48
C52Ca 500 50 0.42 2 626 950 73 1.37 3.9 0.97 18 46.7 60.0 64.4 3.85 4.88 5.15
C53C 500 50 0.44 2 616 934 77 0.8 3.3 0.99 27 39.1 49.8 53.3 3.19 4.09 4.30
C54C 500 300 0.42 2 529 802 56 5.6 – – – 31.6 44.4 48.4 2.63 3.61 3.95
a
These mixes are provided with the properties of SCC.
b
The values in bracket indicate slump values of fresh concrete.
1206 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210

the sliding gate is lifted. The concrete flows through the steel bars
into the horizontal part. The distances H1 and H2 are measured
when the concrete is stopped. The value of passing ability
PA = H2/H1 is calculated.
3.2.4. Sieve segregation resistance test
This is utilized to determine resistance of SCC to segregation.
The test equipment is the sieve with diameter frame = 500 mm
and sieve size = 5 mm. After placing 4.8 ± 0.2 kg concrete sample
into the sieve, the fresh SCC is allowed to stand for 2 min on the
sieve. The segregated portion (SR) is calculated as the proportion
of the sample passing through the sieve.
The slump-flow test is quick while the sieve segregation resis-
tance test is slow. On the other hand, these tests can be performed
by single operator. There is good correlation between the sieve seg-
regation resistance test and the behavior in full scale structures.
Moreover the slump-flow test has good correlation with L-box test.
V-funnel and L-box tests are good indicator of viscosity [17]. In Ta-
ble 2, the classifications recommended by EFNARC [9] are given for
the properties of fresh SCC obtained from different test methods.
3.3. Mix details and test procedure
Experimental studies have revealed that the properties of a
fresh SCC are particularly influenced by two material parameters:
water–cement ratio (w/c) and water–powder ratio (w/p) [8–10].
Several mix design methods have been proposed at academic mili-
eu and institutions for SCC [4–6,8–10]. Not only the properties of
fresh concrete but also the properties of hardened concrete are
hereby considered in order to find a general expression of the
SCC mix design.
Totally seventy-three series of mix proportions, of which five
series were the references mixes, were tested concerning two
essential material parameters (w/c and w/p) in different combina-
tions and for three different marble powder types. The cement con-
tents varied from 300 kg/m3 to 500 kg/m3 whereas the powder
contents varied between 0 and 400 kg/m3 and the water/cement
ratios varied from 0.36 to 0.70. The superplasticizer was used in
different proportions as 1%, 2% and 3% of the cement content, ex-
cept for references mixes.
All specimens in each series were cast from the same batch of
concrete. The experimental results for SCC mixes with cherry pow-
ders and for SCC mixes with white and gold powders are given in
Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. The reference mixes are pre-
sented in Table 5. The first column in Table 3 and 4 gives the
mix numbers, namely C1 to C54 for SCC trial mixes and REF1 to
REF5 for reference mixes. The letters following the mix numbers
in the trial mixes in the first column are depicting the marble pow-
der types used in the batches; C for Cherry, W for White and G for
Gold. The mixture proportions are listed on the columns of Tables 3
and 4 from second to seventh, where C, P, w/c, sp, G and S indicate
cement content, powder content, water/cement ratio, percent of
superplasticizer by weight of cement, aggregate content and sand
content, respectively. The properties of fresh concrete prepared
according to the procedure proposed by EFNARC committee proce-
dure are shown in columns of Tables 3 and 4 from eighth to
twelfth. According to the criterias in Table 2, 53 of the 67 total
SCC trial mixes are provided with the properties of SCC. These
mixes are represented with an asterisk in Table 3. Besides, all of
the SCC mixes containing gold and white marble powders are pro-
vided with the properties of SCC in Table 4. None of the trial mixes
containing 1% superplasticizer were illustrated the properties of
self-compatibility, as shown in Table 3.
To determine mechanical properties of hardened concrete, com-
pressive strength and split-tension strength tests were applied at
7, 28 and 90 days. The test specimens were used as 150 mm cubes.
Specimens in each series were cast in plastic moulds. Specimens
were removed from the mold after 1 day and subsequently, the
ones with test age of 7 days were cured at 7 days and the ones with
test age of 28 and 90 days were cured at 28 days in a moist room of
95% relative humidity and temperature of about 23 °C. All the spec-
imens were tested in a testing machine with the capacity of

Table 4
Experimental results: SCC mixes with white and gold marble powders

Mix C (kg/m3) P (kg/m3) w/c sp (%) G (kg/m3) S (kg/m3) dm (cm) T500 (s) tv (s) PA SR (%) fc (MPa) ft (MPa)
7d 28d 90d 7d 28d 90d
C7W 300 100 0.67 2 685 1039 66 2.4 3 0.93 12 25.7 34.0 36.5 2.21 2.72 2.97
C7G 300 100 0.67 2 685 1039 68 2.3 2.8 0.96 15 25.2 33.7 36.3 2.09 2.60 2.72
C12W 300 200 0.63 2 657 996 65 3.2 5.9 0.91 5 27.8 38.5 41.4 2.21 2.97 3.34
C12G 300 200 0.63 2 657 996 67 3 5.7 0.94 6 27.2 38.4 41.3 2.21 2.85 3.10
C24W 300 250 0.70 2 616 935 67 3.7 5.7 0.93 7 22.8 33.5 35.4 1.83 2.85 2.97
C24G 300 250 0.70 2 616 935 68 3.4 5.4 0.96 9 22.6 33.0 35.1 1.83 2.72 2.72
C35W 400 100 0.48 2 662 1004 56 2.5 6.4 0.93 9 40.7 50.4 62.7 3.10 3.96 4.80
C35G 400 100 0.48 2 662 1004 57 2.3 6.3 0.91 11 40.5 50.3 62.1 3.10 3.83 4.68
C38W 400 150 0.45 2 653 990 55 3.4 5.6 0.87 1 42.7 57.0 65.4 3.47 4.44 5.16
C38G 400 150 0.45 2 653 990 58 3.7 5.4 0.88 1 42.4 56.9 65.2 3.22 4.32 4.92
C43W 400 150 0.55 2 611 926 72 2.6 3.6 0.93 12 36.8 48.3 52.4 3.10 3.83 4.20
C43G 400 150 0.55 2 611 926 69 2.3 3.3 0.95 13 36.4 47.9 52.2 2.97 3.83 4.08
C50W 500 50 0.38 2 647 982 65 2.6 5 0.9 12 51.5 64.5 70.3 4.08 4.92 5.40
C50G 500 50 0.38 2 647 982 68 2.2 4.7 0.92 13 50.9 63.9 69.8 3.96 4.92 5.16

Table 5
Experimental results: reference mixes

Mix C (kg/m3) w/c G (kg/m3) S (kg/m3) Slump (cm) fc (MPa) ft (MPa)

7d 28d 90d 7d 28d 90d
REF1 300 0.65 729 1106 15 20.4 30.2 32.4 1.76 2.52 2.73
REF2 350 0.60 697 1057 13 23.1 33.3 36.4 1.94 2.73 3.05
REF3 400 0.53 680 1031 9 27.1 37.3 39.1 2.23 3.01 3.30
REF4 450 0.47 663 1005 5 29.8 43.1 46.7 2.48 3.50 3.82
REF5 500 0.42 646 979 2 37.8 48.9 54.7 3.16 3.99 4.37
 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210
2000 kN. The specimens were loaded monotonically until failure
and care was taken to apply a constant loading rate. Typically, it
took about 5 min (±30 s) to reach the maximum load for each spec-
imen. The compressive strength, fc and the split-tension strength, ft
at 7, 28, and 90 days of the specimens are given in the last six col-
umns of Table 3–5. The values of strength in these tables were ob-
tained from mean of at least two test results.
4. Experimental results
The compressive strength and the split-tension strength mea-
sured, as shown in Table 3, are slightly lower for SCC mixes con-
taining 3% superplasticizer than for the ones containing 2%
superplasticizer. For this reason, the values of the mixes only con-
taining 2% superplasticizer (a total of 47 series) were utilized in the
analysis of mix design. Three powder types should have different
water requirements because they have different specific surface
areas. Nevertheless the flow values of the concretes obtained from
these powder types are almost identical in the same water-to-ce-
ment ratio, same cement content, and same powder content, as
illustrated in Fig. 8. This means that the effect of the powder type
can be negligible for the practical aims.
Fig. 9 shows the compressive strength at 28 days against the
water/cement ratio, for the considered 47 SCC mixes and 5 refer-
ences mixes. In the same figure, the best-fit curves expressed by
an exponential function are also given. This revealed that SCC
mixes containing marble powder pointed out a higher strength at
a given water/cement ratio than the traditionally concrete mix.
Furthermore, the mean strength of SCC mixes with marble powder
Fig. 8. Comparison of flow values of SCC with different marble powder.
Fig. 9. Comparison of SCC mixes with reference mixes.
1207
was 25% higher than the references concrete. A similar conclusion
was observed by Zhu and Gibbs [8] for SCC mixes containing lime-
stone and chalk powders.
5. Analysis of test results
Fig. 10 illustrates typical volume proportions of the ordinary
concrete and of the self-compacting concrete comparatively [10].
As shown, both the aggregate content (fine + coarse) and the
water-to-powder ratio of SCC are smaller than that of traditional
vibrated concrete. The powder contribution consists of cement
and inert or pozzolanic additions in SCC. In the present work, mar-
ble powder is used as additional material while it is assumed as the
mineral filler material in fine aggregate in the ordinary concrete.
Moreover, the properties of fresh SCC are, as already mentioned
above, particularly influenced by the two material parameters:
water–cement ratio and water–powder ratio. Nevertheless, the
water/powder ratio is not used directly since it is possible to pro-
duce SCC mixes without powder. Deducting from the above discus-
sion, a relationship between powder/cement ratio and cement
content should be constituted. Consequently, the Molinari’s law
(Eq. (3)), which is used for estimating the cement content in the
normal concrete, can be modified to the following form for SCC
mix:
1000
C¼ ð4Þ
K5m þ K6n þ K7
where n is the powder cement ratio by weight and, K5, K6 and K7 are
the material constants. The constants in Eq. (4) can be determined
from the multiple linear regression made on Y = K5X1 + K6X2 + K7
with Y = 1000/C, X1 = m and X2 = n. Fig. 11 shows the individual test
data and the modified Molinari’s law calculated via Eq. (4) for differ-
ent ratios of powder/cement in the aggregate/cement ratio versus
cement content plane. It is derived from Fig. 11 that the considered
test results are very close to the modified Molinari’s law because
the determination coefficient R2 = 0.988.
The Lyse’s law in the mix design based on monogram proposed
by Monteiro et al. [11] uses the slump test for workability of con-
crete. Similarly, the slump-flow test, which is commonly proposed
for determining the workability properties of fresh SCC such as
flowability and flow rate at academic milieu and institutions for
SCC, was utilized in this study. The flow values in Table 3 and 4 var-
ied from 55 to 75 for the considered 47 data. According to EFNARC,
these are classified as: (1) SF1 (55–65 mm) and (2) SF2 (66–
75 mm). Fig. 11 illustrates the individual test data and Lyse’s law
calculated via Eq. (2) for two different slump-flow classes in the
aggregate/cement ratio versus water/cement ratio plane. The cor-
relation coefficients of Eq. (2) are r = 0.833 for flow 55–65 mm
(SF1) and r = 0.911 for 66–75 mm (SF2).
Abrams’ law (Eq. (1)) has been applied to some properties of
concrete such as the compressive strength, Young’s modulus and
Fig. 10. Comparison of mix proportioning between SCC and ordinary mix.
1208 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210
Fig. 11. Mix design monogram for SCC mixes with marble powder.
fracture energy [11]. In the present research, this law was also ap-
plied to the split-tension strength of concrete. The constants in Eq.
(1) can be calculated as K 1 ¼ a and K 2 ¼ expðbÞ from the expo-
nential regression made on Y ¼ a ebX with Y = fc, X = w/c. The results
of analysis based on Abrams’ law for the compressive strength (fc)
and the split-tension strength (ft) of the specimens at 7, 28 and 90
days are given in Fig. 11. In Fig. 11, the equations’ correlation coef-
ficients, at 7, 28 and 90 days, are respectively 0.965, 0.974 and
0.966 for the compressive strength and, 0.959, 0.964 and 0.958
for the split-tension strength.
6. Comparison with the previous studies
In the previous investigations, the effects of water/cement ra-
tios, water/powder ratios, the powder type (inert or pozzolanic),
the volume fraction of the solids in the mix, and the content of vis-
cosity modifier agents on the properties of fresh and hardened SCC
were evaluated. However, general relationships between proper-
ties of the fresh SCC and the hardened SCC containing inert/pozzo-
lanic powder have not been proposed. In this study, the mix design
approach based on monogram developed by Monteiro and co-
workers [11] for vibrated concrete was adapted to SCC mixes.
In order to investigate how well the monogram proposed in this
study would simulate the behavior of SCC with different types of
powders available in the literature, the study by Zhu and Gibbs [8]
has been simulated. The mixes in their study were designed for
water/cement ratios: 0.42 and 0.57 with crushed coarse aggregate
of maximum size of 20 mm. In addition, CEM I 42.5 Portland cement
with a Blaine specific surface area of 3850 cm2/g, three types of
limestone powder and two types of chalk powder were utilized as
filler in their SCC mixes. Corresponding to the investigated series
of w/c values, values of slump-flow were ranging from 60 to
65 cm. The compressive cube strength tests were performed at 7,
28 and 90 days and splitting cylindrical tests at 28 days. Since the
compressive cube strengths at 7 and 90 days are not reported clearly
in Ref [8], these mixes (SCC1 and SCC2) and only their average 28-
day strength values are summarized in Table 6 according to w/c val-
ues. Consequently, it is found that the contributions to strength
gains were significantly greater for the limestone powder than for
the chalk powder. Besides, the diversity in the mean strength values
are owing to usage of five different powders in Table 6.
Table 6 and Fig. 12 give results of the experiments and the ap-
proach based on the presented monogram, comparatively. It is
noted that only the SF1 slump-flow class and the strength proper-
ties at 28 days are taken into consideration in Fig. 12 different from
Fig. 11. Although test data obtained from different laboratory for
SCC with different powder types were utilizing in the comparison,
Fig. 12 shows that Eq. (2) and Eq. (4) agree with previous test re-
 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210 1209

Table 6
Comparison design based on the monogram and the study of Zhu and Gibbs [8]

Mix Agg. (kg/m3) Cement (kg/m3) Powder (kg/m3) Experimental Predicted

a/c w/c fc (MPa) ft (MPa) a/c w/c fc (MPa) ft (MPa)
SCC1 1670 300 240 5.57 0.57 44–52 3.2–4.7 5.30 0.60 41 3.3
SCC2 1685 405 135 4.16 0.42 67–74 4.6–5.9 3.94 0.43 58 4.6

Fig. 12. Comparison of developed mix design monagram with study by Zhu and Gibbs [8].

sults quite well. Consequently, the modified Molinari’s Law (Eq.
(4)) developed in this study seems to be useful for determining
the contribution of powder/cement ratio on the properties of fresh
SCC.
Nevertheless, experimental results of the study by Zhu and
Gibbs have greater strength values than results of the monogram
presented in this study. This is mainly due to the strength is influ-
enced by not only water/cement ratio and aggregate/cement ratio
but also properties of aggregate particles such as grading, surface
texture, shape, strength, stiffness and maximum size [18]. How-
ever, if the further researches will be performed, more reliable
findings can be proposed.
7. Conclusions
From the findings of these experimental and statistical investi-
gations for self-compacting concrete mix design based on mono-
gram proposed by Monteiro and co-workers, the following
conclusions can be extracted:
1. Although the marble have been commonly used as a building
material since ancient times, disposal of the waste materials
of the marble industry is one of the major problems for the
environmental concerns all over the world. However, this study
emphasizes that these waste materials can be successfully and
economically utilized as additional inert filler material in SCC
technology.
2. The presented monogram is highly useful since its ability to
combine the properties of fresh SCC such as flowability and
properties of hardened SCC such as compressive strength and
split-tension strength at 7, 28 and 90 days in one graph.
3. The results obtained from the comparison of the modified
Molinari’s Law (Eq. (4)) developed in this study and the previ-
ous tests depicts that such a relationship seems to be useful
1210 K.E. Alyamaç, R. Ince / Construction and Building Materials 23 (2009) 1201–1210
for determining the contribution of powder/cement ratio on the
properties of fresh SCC.
4. This monogram designed for two slump-flow classes: (1) SF1
(55–65 mm) which is suitable for unreinforced/slightly rein-
forced concrete structures and concretes cast by a pomp injec-
tion system, (2) SF2 (66–75 mm) which is appropriate for many
applications such as columns. In addition, the monogram allows
performing mixes of SCC with different powder to cement
ratios. Consequently, this also gives opportunity to obtain eco-
nomic mix design.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the Scientific Research
Projects Administration Unit of Firat University (Project No: FU-
BAP-1370) for the financial support.
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