The effects of utilizing silica fume in Portland cement pervious concrete

Abstract

Silica fume has long been used as a supplementary cementing material to provide a high density, high strength, and durable building material. Silica fume has a particle size a fraction of any conventional cement, which allows it to increase concrete strength by decreasing the porosity especially near the aggregates surface. Because Portland Cement Pervious Concrete (PCPC) has a smaller bond area between aggregate and paste, silica fume has significant impacts on the properties of the PCPC. The research in this paper studies the workability of a cement paste containing silica fume in addition to analyzing the results of testing on Portland Cement Pervious Concrete mixtures that also contained silica fume. Testing conducted included a study of the effects of silica fume on cement's rheological properties at various dosage rates ranging from zero to ten percent by mass. It was determined that silica fume has negligible effects on the viscosity of cement paste until a dosage rate of five percent, at which point the viscosity increases rapidly. In addition to the rheological testing of the cement paste, trials were also conducted on the pervious concrete samples. Sample groups included mixes with river gravel and chipped limestone as aggregate, washed and unwashed, and two different void contents. Workability tests showed that mixtures containing a silica fume dosage rate of 5 percent or less had comparable or slightly improved workability when compared to control groups. Workability was found to decrease at a 7 percent dosage rate. Samples were tested for compressive strength at 7 and 28 days and splitting tensile strength at 28 days. It was found in most sample groups, strength increased with dosage rates of 3 to 5 percent but often decreased when the dosage reached 7 percent. Abrasion testing showed that both samples containing washed aggregate and samples containing silica fume exhibited a reduced mass loss