Advanced Topics

formwork pressure | robustness | testing innovations

A White Paper by Researchers at the Center for Advanced Cement Based Materials (ACBM)

D.A. Lange, Editor, February 2007

Self Consolidating Concrete is an emerging class of concrete materials that offers great potential for improved ease of placement, increased rate of construction, and reduced cost through reduced time and labor. ACBM organized a research team in the fall of 2004 to coordinate on-going research activities toward three theme questions:

a) How can we measure and model formwork pressure?

b) How can we improve the robustness of fresh behavior of SCC?

c) What are innovations in testing SCC?

This white paper is an effort to bring together the results of independently conducted research, sponsored by a range of agencies and brought together as an activity of ACBM. The three chapters of this white paper were prepared to address the three theme questions. Each chapter provides a literature review, an overview of recent results, and commentary about needs for research in the future.

For a free downloadable PDF version of the paper, click here.

Acknowledgements:

The ACBM researchers acknowledge support from ACBM industrial sponsors: BASF Admixtures, Holcim USA, Lafarge, Portland Cement Association, and W.R. Grace & Co. The UIUC research team acknowledge support from the Illinois Department of Transportation. This publication includes results of ICT-R44 “Performance and Acceptance of SCC.” ICT-R44 was conducted in cooperation with the Illinois Center for Transportation; the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Highways; and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.

ACBM is a consortium of universities and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. ACBM is based at Northwestern University (http://acbm.northwestern.edu; email: acbm@northwestern.edu). The editor of this white paper is Prof. David Lange at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (email: dlange@uiuc.edu).