Properties of self-consolidating concrete containing high-volume supplementary cementitious materials and nano-limestone

In the present paper, conventional self-consolidating concrete (SCC) incorporating 40% Class F fly ash (FA) replacement for cement, and semi-flowable self-consolidating concrete (SFSCC) incorporating 40% FA and 15% metakaolin (MK) replacement for cement, with or without 1% nano-limestone (nanoLS) addition, were studied. Properties of the fresh concrete mixtures, such as air content, slump flow, and J-ring flow were tested. Properties of the hardened concretes, such as compressive strength, rapid chloride permeability, freezing–thawing resistance, and free drying shrinkage were examined. The results indicated that SCC mixture with 40% FA replacement displayed good workability and adequate compressive strength (33 MPa) at 28 days. In addition to enhancing strength (especially at early ages) and durability, MK also improved shape-holding ability of SFSCC. Addition of nanoLS further increased concrete strength and freezing–thawing resistance and reduced concrete permeability.