Performance of Reinforced Columns Cast with Self-Compacting Concrete

Abstract

This paper compares the structural performance of full-scale (300 x 300 x 3000 mm) columns cast using ordinary concrete and self-compacting (SCC) concretes with stirrup configurations representing different degrees of confinement. SCC and ordinary concretes having compressive strengths of 35 MPa (housing) and 60 MPa (civil engineering) were used to cast a total of eight columns. Two pairs of columns were cast using ordinary concrete and SCC. For each pair of the reinforced columns, one column was tested in uniaxial compression to determine its load carrying capacity, while the other one was used to take core samples to determine the distribution of in-situ compressive strengths along its height. The core results were compared to strengths determined on control cubes cured in standard conditions (water) and in air. In general, the in-situ compressive strengths or SCC were closer to standard cube strength than those of ordinary concrete. The distribution of in-situ properties was found to be more uniform in the case of SCC than that of the ordinary concrete. The compressive strength and the ductility of SCC and the ordinary concrete obtained from the 3-m column tests are also compared in this paper.