Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) is ushering in a revolution in concrete technology. Not only can the placement and compaction of concrete become literally silent, since no vibrators are needed, but the rate of placement can also be increased manifold. The most difficult to place forms or molds are filled in completely by SCC. There is an in built assurance of uniform placement and fully consolidated concrete when SCC is used at site. This ensures high durability since air voids and other flows are likely to be absent in SCC. An attempt has been made to develop a mix design for SCC for different grades of concrete, viz., M50 to M80, using the industrial by products—Fly ash and Rice Husk Ash (RHA)—and investigate its flow and strength properties in comparison with conventional concrete. The proposed mix design procedure coincided with the mix design guidelines given by EFNARC and others. The flow properties such as passing ability, filling ability, segregation resistance and compaction factor are checked by conducting various tests. The compressive strength of concrete at the age of 3, 7 and 28 days and also the split tensile strength and flexural strength for 28 days are reported.

Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC), a new kind of high performance concrete with excellent deformability and segregation resistance, was first developed in Japan in 1986. It is a special kind of concrete that can flow through and fill the gaps of reinforcement and corners of molds without any need for vibration and compaction during the placing process (Okamura, 1997; and Okamura et al., 2000). Though showing good performance, SCC is different from the High Performance Concrete (HPC) developed in North America and Europe, which emphasizes high strength and durability of concrete (Aitcin, 1998; and Henry, 1999). In terms of workability, HPC merely improves the fluidity of concrete to facilitate placing, however, it cannot flow freely by itself to pack every corner of molds and all gaps in the reinforcement. In other words, HPC still requires vibration and compaction in the construction process. Comparatively, SCC has more favorable characteristics such as high fluidity, good segregation resistance and the distinctive self-compacting ability without any need for vibration during the process (Okamura, 1990).

To produce SCC, the major work involves designing an appropriate mix proportion and evaluating the properties of the concrete thus obtained. In practice, SCC in its fresh state shows high fluidity, self-compacting ability and segregation resistance, all of which contribute to reducing the risk of honeycombing in concrete.

Structural Engineering Journal, Self-Compacting Concrete, Construction Process, Concrete Technology, Rice Husk Ash, Chemical Admixtures, EFNARC Specifications, Mineral Admixtures, ENTROY & SHACKLOCK Method, Water Powder Ratio, Conventional Concrete, Flexure Testing Machine, Supplementary Cementing Materials.