EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE DURABILITY TO SALINE ENVIRONMENTS OF SELF-COMPACTING CONCRETE MADE WITH COARSE AGGREGATES COMBINATION

This study focus on durability to saline environments of self-compacting concrete (SCC) made of granite-gravel combination as coarse aggregates in concrete production. In this study fine aggregates, water, superplasticizer and cement were kept constant. The percentages replacement of gravel in place of granite aggregates were 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50, while 100% granite serves as control. A total of 162 cubes of 100 x 100 x 100 mm concrete specimens were immersed over the initial curing in a water container and further cured in 5% sodium chloride (NaCl) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) solutions for 28, 56 and 91 days in line with ASTM C39 (2003). The tests results indicate that concrete cured in five percent (5%) of NaCl solution have compressive strength accelerating properties at early age that could not be sustained for long. While those cured in 5% of Na2CO3 solution reduced significantly the compressive strength of concrete.