Assessment of the Transport Properties and Strength of Concretes Having Different Mix Proportions, Silica Fume and Fly Ash Additions

Measurement of concrete permeability is increasingly being used as an index for quality control in addition to concrete compressive strength. In the present work, the behavior of three different types of concrete was investigated to determine the transport properties and concrete compressive strength up to one year. The mix variables investigated include: cement content (300, 350, 400 and 450 kg/m3), water/cement ratio (0.35, 0.40, 0.45 and 0.50) and mineral pozzolanic materials (10% silica fume and 20% fly ash as a partial replacement of cement content). The experimental results were statistically analyzed to develop correlations between the concrete constituents and the selected durability indices of concrete. The test results showed an improvement in transport properties at higher levels of cement content and lower water/cement ratios. The permeability was significantly influenced by the inclusion of silica fume and fly ash in concrete. Test results showed that silica fume concrete (SFC) gives better performance when compared with normal and fly ash concrete (FAC) in terms of concrete compressive strength, chloride ion permeability and water penetration depth.