International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 8, August 2012)

Effect of Partial Replacement of Cement by Silica Fume on

Hardened Concrete
Dilip Kumar Singha Roy1, Amitava Sil2
1

Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, N. I. T., Durgapur,M. G. Avenue, Durgapur, W.B., Pin-713209
2
Scientist, IPIRTI, Field Station Kolkata, 2/2, Biren Roy Road (West) Sarsuna, Kolkata-700061

Silica fume is a by- product in the production of silicon

alloys such as ferro-chromium, ferro-manganese, calcium
silicon etc. which also creates environmental pollution and
health hazard. From the study carried out by Ray [1] , it is
found that compressive strength increased by about 21%,
flexural strength by 35% and split tensile strength by 10%
when silica fume was added (5-12.5) % with a increment of
2.5% on a high slump concrete. Joshi [2} observed that
reduction in cement content at fixed water cement ratio was
not detrimental to fresh and hardened concrete properties
and may actually improve performance when silica fume
was added as 10% by weight of cement content.

Abstract - The use of Silica Fume (SF) in short period of

time had one of the most dramatic impacts on the industrys
ability to routinely and commercially produce SF modified
concrete of flowable in nature but yet remain cohesive, which
in turn would develop both high early and high later-age
strengths including resistant to aggressive environments. This
paper features an experimental study on the nature of SF and
its influences on the properties of fresh and hardened
concrete. In the present study, an attempt has been made to
investigate the strength parameters of concrete made with
partial replacement of cement by SF. Very little or no work
has been carried out using silica fume as a replacement of
cement. Moreover, no such attempt has been made in
substituting silica fume with cement for low/medium grade
concretes (viz. M20, M25). Properties of hardened concrete
viz Ultimate Compressive strength, Flexural strength,
Splitting Tensile strength has been determined for different
mix combinations of materials and these values are compared
with the corresponding values of conventional concrete. The
present investigation has been aimed at to bring awareness
amongst the practicing civil engineers regarding advantages
of these new concrete mixes.
Key words Compressive strength, flexural strength,
normal concrete, silica fume(SF) concrete, split tensile
strength.

During the viaduct construction between J.J hospital and

Crawford market in Mumbai, Saini [3] has undergone a
research work based on high performance concrete (HPC)
of grade M75 where SF was added @10% by weight of
cement to ensure durability of the structure. They found
28days compressive strength of HPC varied between 79.6
to 81.3 MPa indicating good control of quality of concrete.
Basu (4] developed HPC with SF that can reduce microcracks which tends to develop around the interface between
bulk hydrated cement paste and anhydrous cement particles
or un reacted pozzolanas. A study has been carried out by
Thomas [5] on controlling alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in
concrete with particular emphasis on development of a new
standard practices in Canada. He concluded that use of
blended cement containing low alkali Portland cement
mixed with SF would be a viable means of controlling
expansion in concrete.

I. INTRODUCTION
During the last three decades, great strides have been
taken in improving the performance of concrete as a
construction material. Particularly Silica Fume (SF) and fly
ash individually or in combination are indispensable in
production of high strength concrete for practical
application. The use of silica fume as a pozzolana has
increased worldwide attention over the recent years
because when properly used it as certain percent, it can
enhance various properties of concrete both in the fresh as
well as in hardened states like cohesiveness, strength,
permeability and durability. Silica fume concrete may be
appropriate in places where high abrasion resistance and
low permeability are of utmost importance or where very
high cohesive mixes are required to avoid segregation and
bleeding.

From the research work done by Lewis [6], it has been

observed that there is a considerable reduction in rebound
from (35-15)% by addition of SF which also increased the
pumpability of high wokability mix having slump value
above 250mm. Incorporation of SF and other admixtures
could be important in the production of HPC in order to
obtain superior mechanical and durability properties as
stated by Roncero [7].

472

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 8, August 2012)
He found that water demand of cement SF system in a
paste of normal consistency increases with temperature and
decreases with incorporation of superplasticizers until a
certain dosage.

The concrete has been placed in 150 mm cube, 150mm

diameter 300mm high cylinder and 100mm 100mm
500mm prism moulds and vibrated with standard vibrator.
Curing regime has been taken as 24 hours in mould with
hessian clothes at (20 24)0 C followed by under water
curing until the day of testing.
In the fresh state, compaction factor of each mix have been
measured. In hardened state, 7 days and 28 days
compressive strength of cubes and cylinder, split tensile
strength and flexural strength have been measured.

During the extensive research work carried out by

Vishnoi [8], it was concluded that SF concrete has a
capability to withstand abrasion erosion with better
construction feasibility, workability and surface finish.
Kanstad [9] made a investigation work to assess the crack
sensivity of HPC with different SF contents and found that
effect of variation of SF content was of minor importance
compared to other factors viz degree of insulation,
environmental condition.

III. TEST RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A. Fresh State

Keeping in view of the above aspects, an attempt has

been made to replace cement by SF to develop a cost
effective modified concrete, i.e, SF concrete. Considering
this aspect, the present paper reports a study on the effect
partial replacement of cement by SF (from 5% to 10% with
a step of 2.5%) on M20 grade concrete designed with 53
grade Ordinary Portland Cement, sand and coarse
aggregate. As SF is costlier than cement, addition to
cement will further enhance the cost, which may not be
economically viable. The present study has, therefore,
made an attempt to use SF as cement replacement materials
for low/medium grade concrete (M20) used for general
construction purposes with a view to achieve the desired
strength parameters of the concrete higher grade.

1) Mix Character: Due to superfine nature of SF

particles, SF concrete has shown more cohesiveness than
standard ordinary Portland cement concrete. All the mixes
have exhibited satisfactory character in relation to
segregation and bleeding. But with the increase in
percentage of SF, the stickiness in concrete was observed.

II. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD

1) Compressive Strength: Table I and figure 1 depicts

that when cement is replaced by SF, the maximum 7 days
cube compressive strength observed as 17.85 N/mm2
(4.32% higher over normal concrete) and 28 days strength
obtained as 33.93 N/mm2 (19.6% higher). The maximum 7
days and 28 days cylindrical compressive strength are
found to be 15.94 N/mm2 (4.32% higher) and 25.56 N/mm2
(16.82% higher) respectively when cement is replaced by
SF as shown in figure 2. From the properties exhibited by
concrete using silica fume replacing cement, it is observed
that, there may be some marginal loss of strength initially
but the same improves effectively both with the age and
incorporation of SF in place of cement. The increase in
strength development is due to the fact that silica fume
dissolves in saturated solution of Ca(OH)2 within few
minutes. As soon as enough Portland cement has hydrated
to result in saturation of the pore water with Ca(OH) 2,
Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) gel is formed on the
surface of silica fume particles. This C-S-H gel produced
by SF concrete has a lower C : S ratio than that resulting
from the hydration of Portland cement concrete without
silica fume.

2) Workability: In all the mix, the compacting factor, i.e,

workability increases as percentage of SF is increased from
5% till 10%. SF concrete is just as susceptible to poor
workmanship as ordinary concrete and all normal site
operations should be performed to the optimum
requirements.
B. Hardened State

A. Materials
53 grade Ordinary Portland Cement, Zone II sand, 12.5
mm and 20 mm down graded aggregate, commercial Silica
Fume Grade 920-D (specific surface = 21.4, bulk density =
620 Kg/m3) have been used for various composites.
Designed Mix Proportion has been used as (normal
concrete) 1 : 1.485 : 3.143 for M20 grade concrete with the
following ingredients :
a) Cement = 533.05 Kg/m3
b) Sand = 791.58 Kg/ m3
c) Well graded aggregate(20mm size) = 1675 Kg/m3
d) Coarse aggregate / Fine aggregate ratio was 2.11
and water cement ratio was 0.45 for all mixes.
B. Sample Preparation and Properties Studied
Aggregates, Cement and SF have been charged into the
mixer machine in succession with appropriate proportions
for dry mix followed by addition of water and then rotated
sufficiently to achieve uniform and high workable mix.

473

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 8, August 2012)
TABLE I

3) Flexural Strength: The maximum 28 days flexural

strength of SF concrete is found to be 4.93 N/mm 2 which is
21.13% higher with respect to that of the normal concrete
for 10% cement replaced by SF as depicted in figure 2.
This value is far more than the value calculated from the
expression 0.7 fck (where fck is the characteristic strength
of concrete) as specified by IS: 456-2002 (Indian Standard
Specifications). Silica fume besides reacting with free lime
of cement and contributing to the development of the
strength, bind themselves tightly with cement hydrates in
the form of flocks and makes more space for the hydration
products (C-S-H gel) of cement grains. As SF content is
increased, the bond of the hydrated cement paste with the
aggregate, chiefly for the larger particles, is greatly
improved allowing the aggregate to participate in stress
transfer in a better way and hence, the increase in the
strength is observed.

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF CUBE AND CYLINDER AT 7 AND

28 DAYS OF CURING

Cube & Cylinder Compresive

Strength (N/mm 2 )

40
35

33.93
28.37

28.37

30
25

26.44

21.88

20.46

25.56

21.38

20
15
10
C ube C ompre ssi ve stre ngth
5

C yl i nde r C ompre ssi ve stre ngth

0
0

2.5

7.5

10

12.5

% C e me nt re pl ace d by SF

Figure 1. Variation of 28 days Cube and Cylinder compressive

strength for different percentage of SF replacing Cement

2) Split Tensile Strength: It is clear from the Fig. 2 that

the maximum cylindrical split tensile is found to be 3.61
N/mm2 at 10% cement replaced by SF (38.58% more than
that of normal concrete). With an average silica fume
dosage of about 40 kg, there will be approximately 1 km 2
of surface area capable of reacting with the calcium
hydroxide that is formed as the cement hydrates. For low
silica fume content, the strength improvement is marginal
because the volume of silica fume is inadequate to cover
the surface of all coarse aggregate particles. As the
percentage of silica fume is increased, there is an
improvement in packing, i.e., action of it as a filler material
resulting in improvement of the interfacial bond between
the aggregate cement matrix. As a result, a sharp increase
in tensile strength is observed.

Sl
No.
1
2
3
4

Flexural & Split Tensile Strength

(N/mm 2 )

4.93
3.93

4.07

3.33
3

3.61
2.78

2.6

Compressive Strength (N/mm2)

Cube
Cylinder
7
28
7 days
28 days
days
days
17.11
28.37
13.58
21.88
14.60
26.44
10.85
20.46
16.74
28.37
12.17
21.38
17.85
33.93
15.94
25.56

It is clear from the above discussion that till 10%

replacement of cement by SF, there are marked
improvement in compressive strengths, split tensile
strength and flexural strength. This type of SF concrete
may be recommended in places where high early strength
development is essential. This high strength SF concrete
which is being produced with a designed mix of lower
grade, i.e, M20 and the same can be used as a suitable
alternative of lower grade normal concrete. With all high
performance materials for making this type of concrete,
appropriate care should be taken in its use and proper
guidelines may be sought from the concerned authorities to
ensure the maximum benefits.

6
5

Percent
SF
replacing
cement
0
5
7.5
10

2.14

IV. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Split Te nsile
Stre ngth
Fle xural Stre ngth

1
0
0

2.5

7.5

10

12.5

% C e me nt re place d by SF

Figure 2. Variation of 28 days Flexural and Split Tensile strength for

different percentage of SF replacing Cement

474

Now according to local rate (West Bengal, India),

Cost of Cement
= Rs. 7.20 per Kg
Cost of Sand
= Rs. 0.89 per Kg
Cost of Stone chips
= Rs. 1.60 per Kg
Cost of Silica Fume (Condensed) as supplied by M/s
ElKem Materials (Mumbai, India) Rs. 17 per Kg.
The cost of SF concrete of M20 grade (Only 10% SF by
weight of cement)
= Rs. 7,745.56

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 8, August 2012)
Cost of Conventional Concrete of M25
= Rs. 8,467.50
The economic analysis reveals that the target mean
strength of next higher grade concrete namely M25 is
achieved in 28 days after replacing 10% of cement by silica
fume from the designed mix proportion of M20 grade.
Thus, an obvious recommendation can be put forwarded to
use the M25 grade of silica fume concrete as a supplement
of M20 grade normal concrete. This is seen from the above
cost analysis and which certainly confirms the reduction in
the cost of construction of M25 grade SF concrete by about
4.0% in comparison to that of the M20 grade normal
concrete.

REFERENCE

V. CONCLUSION
It may be concluded that use of silica fume is a
necessity in production of not only for high strength
concrete but also for low/medium strength concrete as this
material facilitate the adoption of lower water - cement
material ratio and better hydration of cement particles
including strong bonding amongst the particles. From the
study it has been observed that maximum compressive
strength (both cube and cylinder) is noted for 10%
replacement of cement with silica fume and the values are
higher (by 19.6% and 16.82% respectively) than those of
the normal concrete (for cube and cylinder) where as split
tensile strength and flexural strength of the SF concrete
(3.61N/mm2 and 4.93N/mm2 respectively) are increased by
about 38.58% and 21.13% respectively over those (2.6
N/mm2 and 4.07 N/mm2 respectively) of the normal
concrete when 10% of cement is replaced by SF.
As the SF concrete is more compact and thereby more
durable in nature and hence with some degree of quality
control, it may be used in places of construction where
there is a chance of chemical attack, frost action etc.
Moreover with 10% of cement replaced by silica fume, the
characteristic strength of higher grade of cement concrete
namely M25 is achieved only by using the M20 grade
designed mix proportion and consequently this SF concrete
can certainly be used as a supplement to M20 grade normal
concrete with at least 4% of cost reduction.
Lastly with good quality control, high early strength can
be achieved in SF concrete which may be useful in various
structural constructions such as high-rise buildings,
bridges, chimneys, machine foundations, run ways etc.,
wherein, the timeframe of completion vis--vis the
economy is an important driven factor for the targeted
purpose as well as for the contractors and owners alike as
this concrete will provides quick stage by stage or floor to
floor construction.

475

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