Stability improvement of bubbles by entraining fine air in self-compacting concrete proportioned at factory scale

Anuwat Attachaiyawuth

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Sriracha, Kasetsart University Sriracha Campus, Chonburi, Thailand

Nipat Puthipad

School of Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan

Masahiro Ouchi

School of Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14456/apst.2023.17

Keywords: Air-SCC Air size distribution Stability improvement Specific surface area Stability of entrained air

Abstract

Self-compactability enhancement by small bubbles has been developed for a decade. Those effective bubbles in concrete need to be ensured its stability. A full-scale experimental study was conducted on the stability of entrained air in air-enhanced self-compacting concrete (Air-SCC). The flow diameter and V-funnel time were measured based on the air content in the concrete immediately and 1 h after mixing. An air void analyzer was used to measure the diameter size of the entrained bubbles at the fresh stage. A water-dividing mixing method along with longer mixing time were used to increase the volume of small bubbles. The results indicated that the water-dividing method and 180 s mixing with a simple method effectively entrained small bubbles in mixtures using superplasticizer blended with retarder. That effective procedure could increase volume of small bubbles approximately 3.0%. Fine bubbles were defined by the high value of specific surface area (α > 20 mm²/mm³). Concrete containing air bubbles with a high a value had a reduction rate less than 1% of air content at 1 h. The authors have succeeded to maintain the air lost less than 1% of the designed value as this affected both the self-compactability and freeze-thaw resistance of concrete. These findings will be beneficial in designing or producing self-compacting concrete, especially in a cold environment.

How to Cite

Attachaiyawuth, A., Puthipad, N., & Ouchi, M. (2023). Stability improvement of bubbles by entraining fine air in self-compacting concrete proportioned at factory scale. Asia-Pacific Journal of Science and Technology, 28(02), APST–28. https://doi.org/10.14456/apst.2023.17

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