Effect of maximum size of aggregate on the behaviour of self-compacting concrete

Concrete is the most commonly used building material. However, concrete has its limitations - it cannot, on its own, flow past obstructions and nooks and corners. Thorough compaction, often using vibration, is essential for achieving strength and durability of concrete. Almost all concretes rely critically on their full compaction. Insufficient compaction dramatically lowers ultimate performance no matter how good the mix design. As concrete is produced and placed at construction sites, under conditions far from ideal, we do often end up with unpleasant results - rock pockets, sand streaks and a host of workmanship-related problems. Repair bills can be staggering and the durability of the structure may be in doubt. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) may provide remedies to these problems. Self-compacting concrete, as the name signifies, should be able to compact itself without any additional vibrations or compaction. The construction process is safer and more productive. Several Studies have been made regarding SCC and use of admixtures in SCC. Of these, partial replacement of cement with fly ash and GGBFS has gained tremendous impetuous. The main object of the paper is to investigate the effect of Maximum size of aggregate on the behavior of SCC. The behavior of various mixture proportions of SCC was investigated and the variations in compressive strength, split tensile strength of standard cubes and cylinders were studied. Ultra-sonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) and Rebound Hammer (RH) values were studied to assess the quality of SCC having different maximum sizes of aggregates.