An Experimental Study on Workability and Durability Properties of Zeolite-based Self Compact Concrete

The technology of making self-compacting concrete has been introduced in the world in recent years due to its high quality in high-strength areas. Because this type of concrete has a high cement consumption, one of the cement alternatives that has been considered by researchers is zeolite pozzolan. However, so far the persistence of this type of concret in chloride areas such as the coasts of the Persian Gulf has received less attention.The study program in this paper includes fresh and hardened concrete tests for different percentages of zeolite replacement. The method of this research is to create mixtures for determining the extent of cement materials in order to meet the conditions for acceptance of fresh and hardened concrete behavior according to the existing regulations. U-shaped box, V-shaped funnel, slump flow, J-ring and GTM screen stability have been tested on fresh zeolite-based self compact concrete specimens(SCC). Also, the water absorption, chlorine ion penetration and water pressure penetration depth for hardened concrete were performed. The results of this study indicate that the addition of zeolite pozzolan significantly increases the viscosity of fresh concrete and improves its rheological properties. According to the results of experiments, the replacement of 5 to 15 percent cement with zeolite improves the performance conditions of fresh concrete itself. The best results for concrete durability at 10 and 15 percent are obtained. On the other hand, an excessive increase in zeolite levels results in lower workability and slump, leading to higher levels of excess superplasticizer and water.