Incorporating ground glass in self-compacting concrete

This research investigated the feasibility of using ground glass in self-compacting concrete (SCC). The ground glass was used as a partial replacement for both the cement and fine aggregate. The results show that to keep the filling ability constant, the inclusion of ground glass would require an increase in water/powder ratio and a reduction in superplasticizer dosage. These did not change the passing ability, but degraded the consistence retention and hardened properties such as strength but not to a prohibitive extent. This research concludes that SCC with satisfactory fresh properties can be produced by incorporating up to 104 kg/m(3) ground glass, replacing about 10% cement and 10% sand, without the need for viscosity modifying agent (VMA). The successful completion of this study can lead to the application of ground glass in SCC, thus widening the types of additions available for SCC, saving landfill and reducing CO(2) emissions by the use of less cement and sand. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.