Vol 3 No 1

16 NOV 11 • MICA (P) No. 161/O9/2011

SINGAPORE CONCRETE INSTITUTE SCI CONCRETUS • Vol 3 No 1 16 NOV 11 • MICA (P) No. 161/09/2011
 CONTENTS
SINGAPORE CONCRETE INSTITUTE

16 NOV 11 • MICA (P) No. 161/O9/2011 Vol 3 No 1

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2
SCI CONCRETUS • Vol 3 No 1

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2011/2012 3

CATEGORY 1: PRODUCTIVITY, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & GREEN TECHNOLOGIES

• The Use Of Low Fines Self Consolidating Concrete (SCC) In Everyday Applications
To Improve Productivity 4
16 NOV 11 • MICA (P) No. 161/09/2011

• Ultra Lightweight Cement Composite 7

• An eco-friendly approach for aircraft pavement Construction at singapore
sci FC,IFC,IBC,BC.indd 1 11/9/11 12:22 PM

SCI Concretus
Issue 3.1 Nov 2011 Changi Airport 10
www.SCI-Concretus.com

Honorary Chief Editor CATEGORY 2: CONCRETE TECHNOLOGIES AND STANDARDS

Dr. Tam Chat Tim
• If Concrete Can Speak 14
Editors
Er Oh Lock Soon • Ultra Durable Concrete for Everyday Application 15
Prof. Gary Ong
Mr. Willie Kay
Mr. Tan Yew Meng CATEGORY 3: STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING, TESTING AND REPAIR
Prof. Zhang Min Hong
Prof. Susanto Teng • Ultra Rapid & High Performance Concrete for Extreme Industrial Environments 18
Prof. Yang Yaowen • Corrosion Protection of Reinforced Concrete Structures Using Embedded
Mr. Fong Weng Khiong
Mr. Bahador Sabet Divsholi Galvanic Anodes 21
• Prediction of Time of Initiation & Propagation for Corrosion of Steel in Reinforced
Content Manager Concrete 25
Mrs. Arezoo Rahimi
• Condition Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Barge Pier Structure 25
Design & Creative Services
Lu Zhenming
Angeline Lee CATEGORY 4: READY MIX AND CONCRETE ADMIXTURES
Sam Yang
• Superplasticizers: past, present and future 26
Production Director
Mr. Bahador Sabet Divsholi
• Reducing Autogenous and Drying Shrinkage of Concrete by a
Shrinkage-Reducing Admixture 30
For Advertising enquiries, contact
Edina Koh • High Early Strength MIGHTY Concrete Admixtures based on Napthalene Sulfonate 34
scinst@scinst.org.sg
Tel: 6552 0674
CATEGORY 5: CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

SCI Concretus Magazine • New State-of-the-art Multi Utilities Complex 38

Published by :
• Erection of Lion Grove Supertrees At Gardens By The Bay (Marina South) 42

SINGAPORE Board of Directors

32 SCI ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER
ND
50
CONCRETE
INSTITUTE 2009/2010
SCI LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 51
SINGAPORE CONCRETE INSTITUTE
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PRESIDENT
Er Oh Lock Soon

Cover image courtesy of SCI Group
MEMBERSHIP
General Manager
APPLICATION FORM 61
QINGJIAN Co Ltd
BASF South East Asia Pte. Ltd. Singapore Branch

NOTE :
SCI Concretus welcomes articles relating to use SCI MEMBERSHIP 63
of Concrete in its various forms. Publication is at
the discretion of the Editorial Board. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of Singapore DIRECTORY LISTINGS 64
Concrete Institute. While care has been taken to
ensure that the information contained in this
magazine is accurate, SCI assume no responsibil- UPCOMING CONFERENCE 72
ity for any errors in or misrepresentation of such HON SECRETARY HON TREASURER
1ST VICEneither
information, PRESIDENT 2ND VICE PRESIDENT
for any loss or damage. Mr Arnold De Silva Mr Tan Yew Meng
Er Koh Beng Thong Mr Loh Kah Soon Head of Business Management, Deputy Director
Executive Vice President Executive Director Construction Chemicals - Singapore School of Architecture & the Built
Surbana
No part of Consultants Pte Ltd can be reproduced
this publication Pan-United Concrete Pte Ltd BASF South East Asia Pte Ltd Environment
without the express written permission of Singa-
Singapore Polytechnic SCI CONCRETUS 1
pore Concrete Institute.
 President’s Message
As we celebrate our 33rd Anniversary of the Singapore Concrete Institute, we would
like to remind ourselves and everyone in the construction industry on the need of our
nation’s drive towards higher productivity. It is even more relevant than ever before as
the demand for more foreign workers in our industry continues unabated.

It is with this concern in mind that SCI has decided to set the theme “The Path To-
wards Productivity” for this year’s 33rd Anniversary Gala Dinner together with the
fourth issue of the SCI Concretus.

The Board has also decided that, starting from this year, SCI shall give recognition
to those outstanding organizations who have contributed towards the productivity
movement in the construction industry by awarding them the SCI Excellence Awards
annually. This is to serve as a constant reminder for all stakeholders of the industry
on the need for higher productivity and efficiency.

This fourth issue of SCI Concretus, also sets in the productivity theme, will provide
our readers and supporters with the latest information on concrete technology and
issues related to productivity improvement in the concrete industry.

In heeding the global call for environmental protection and sustainability, SCI, in
partnership with Professor Ravindra K Dhir of Applying Concrete Knowledge
(Consultant) and with funding from the Building and Construction Authority and a
group of industry sponsors, has embarked on a project entitled “Recycled and Sec-
ondary Aggregates for use in Construction: A State of the Art Review”. Our readers will be able to read more about this important mile-
stone project in the next few issues of the magazine. Through this project, SCI is doing its part in promoting sustainable construction by
taking affirmative action in saving our environment.

On behalf of the SCI Board of Directors, I would like to thank all our sponsors, friends and supporters for their continuing support of this
publication. We look forward to all your future contributions for SCI Concretus in creating a well recognized platform in environmental
sustainability and construction excellence.

Thank you.
Oh Lock Soon
President
Singapore Concrete Institute
16 November 2011

2 SCI CONCRETUS
 SINGAPORE Board of Directors
Directors
CONCRETE
INSTITUTE 2009/2010
2011/2012

PRESIDENT 1ST VICE PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT 2ND VICE PRESIDENT
Er Oh Lock Soon Er
ErKoh Beng Soon
Oh Lock Thong Er Tan Yew Meng
Director (Business Development) DeputyGeneral
ManagingManager
Director(T&R) Director
Qingjian Realty Pte Ltd QINGJIAN
Surbana GroupConsultants
International Co Ltd School of Architecture & the Built
Singapore Branch
Pte Ltd Environment
Singapore Polytechnic

HON SECRETARY HON TREASURER

1ST
HONVICE PRESIDENT
SECRETARY 2NDHON VICE PRESIDENT
TREASURER Mr Arnold
ASST De Silva
HON SECRETARY ASSTMrHONTan Yew Meng
TREASURER
Mr Arnold
Er Koh Beng DeThong
Silva MrMrFong
Loh Weng Kah SoonKhiong Mr
HeadSabet Divsholi
of Business Bahador
Management, Ms Chen
DeputyHong Fang
Director
Executive
Head ViceManagement,
of Business President Executive Director
Director Construction Chemicals
Research - Singapore
Associate School of Architecture
Scientist & the Built
Surbana Consultants
Construction Pte Ltd
Chemicals Pan-United
Ascent FacilitiesConcrete Pte Ltd
Engineering Pte Ltd BASF
NanyangSouth East AsiaUniversity
Technological Pte Ltd W.R. Grace Environment
(Singapore) Pte Ltd
BASF South East Asia Pte Ltd Singapore Polytechnic

IMM PAST PRESIDENT DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR

Mr Willie Kay Prof Zhang Min-Hong MsDIRECTOR
Neo Bian Hong ErDIRECTOR
Lim Teck Choy
ASST Managing
HON SECRETARY
Director IMM PAST PRESIDENT
Professor A/ProfDirector
Zhang(Design)
Min-Hong Dr Upgrading
Head, Johnny WongConstruction
MrWAKFong Weng Khiong
Technologies Pte Ltd Mr Willie
Dept of Civil Kay
and Environmental Associate
Land Professor
Transport Authority Acting Director
Management Unit 1
Director Managing Director
Engineering Dept of Civil Engineering BuildingQuality
Building QualityDepartment
Dept
Ascent Facilities Engineering Pte Ltd WAKUniversity
National Technologies
Of Pte Ltd
Singapore The National University of Singapore Housing
Housing& Development
And Board
Development Board

DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR DIRECTOR

Er Chang Heng Choy Ms Catherine Wong Phui Chan Ms Sherly Wijaya Mr Tony Tan
SeniorDIRECTOR
Executive Engineer DIRECTOR
Manager DIRECTOR
Laboratory Manager DIRECTOR
General Manager
Mr Lim
Building Tee Yoke
Engineering Division Ms Neo Bian Hong Ms Chen Hong Fang Mr Bahador Sabet Divsholi
Deputy DirectorAuthority Construction Technology Division Admaterials
SeniorTechnologies
Chemist Pte Ltd HL Building Materials Pte Ltd
Building & Construction Director
Setsco (Design)
Services Pte Ltd PhD Candidate
Buildability Dev. Dept Land Transport Authority W.R. Grace (Singapore) Pte Ltd Nanyang Technological University
Building & Construction Authority
SCI CONCRETUS 3
SCI CONCRETUS • 5
Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development & Green Technologies

THE USE OF LOW FINES SELF CONSOLIDATING

CONCRETE (SCC) IN EVERYDAY APPLICATIONS
TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
Seow Kiat Huat, Nilotpol Kar, Dr Feng Qiuling, BASF Construction Chemicals

1. INTRODUCTION
The use of high flow concrete mixes has
been around for a long time since the mid
80’s. However, there are several hurdles in
the use of SCC. First SCC is designed for
its rheological property. In order to achieve
high flowability and to be cohesive (to
avoid segregation and bleeding), it is nec-
essary to increase the powder content of
the mix. It requires about 500 to 580 kg of
total fines to ensure that that mix will not
segregate or bleed while achieving high Fig.1: Smart Dynamic Concrete (SDC), a low-fines self consolidating concrete incor-
flowability thus self consolidating prop- porates the ideal properties of cost effectiveness of regular ready mix concrete and the
erty. In this 500 to 580 kg of total fines, flowability of conventional SCC.
no less than 450kg is made up of cementi-
tious content. The resultant mix is that the
compressive strength is very high in the
order to 60 to 75MPa.

Another major aspect in Asia is that the

majority of concrete class required is less
than 35 MPa. The most widely used grade
of concrete in construction is between 20 –
40 MPa almost 85% in usual construction
projects. This would result in “overkill”
in the concrete mix design – this is prob-
ably one of the biggest reasons why such a
concrete, in spite of the immense benefits
never grew popular across Asia Pacific.
The additional gap of 25 to 40MPa needs
to be paid for resulting in high cost of the
SCC mixes.

2. INTRODUCTION OF Fig 3 :Yield value against plastic viscosity

SDC (SMART DYNAM-
IC CONCRETE)
It is a quite a challenge to produce every-
day concrete – strength classes of 20 – 40
MPa – to be of flowable nature, especially
with low cementitious content. With a
revolutionary viscosity modifying agent
(VMA) integrated with a hyperplasticizer
(PCE), this addresses the conflicting issues
of flow and cohesiveness and the result
is a reality of a normal concrete with self
consolidating properties. Such a low fines
self consolidating concrete (refer to as
Smart Dynamic Concrete concept) in Asia
Pacific has found good use across China,
India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
It brought in a store of benefits for vari-
ous players in the construction value chain
(Fig 1) 1.
It has been observed in quite a number
of instances – ASEAN countries, India,
China that low fines self consolidating
concrete prepared with the special VMA
integrated within the superplasticizer has
much better robustness in terms of cement
compatibility and /or slight changes in wa-
ter content. The hyperplasticizer and VMA
in combination offer a perfect balance and
stability against bleeding and segregation
as shown in Fig 3 as is measured for yield
values vs. plastic viscosity 2.
With regards to the cost low fines self
consolidating concrete in strength classes
25 -40 MPa have shown marginal cost in-
crease compared to conventional concrete
(referred to as conventional vibratable /
pumpable concrete), but with a huge reser-
voir of benefits as conventional Self Com-
pacting Concrete.

4 SCI CONCRETUS
 Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development & Green Technologies

Fig 4: Field demonstration of the savings in labour and in time for placement of conventional vibratable concrete vs. low fines self
consolidating concrete (Smart Dynamic Concrete)

3. CASE STUDIES workers with the help of a vibrator. This was a test case and demonstration for
SDC. A small slab of about 100m3 was
ACROSS ASIA PACIFIC 3.2 COMPLETED AND CUR-
first cast. After seeing the benefits of less
manpower and the highly flowable mix,
RENT PROJECTS IN ASEAN the contractor proceeded to cast nine num-
3.1 ASEAN ber of 9m high columns. Through this ex-
3.2.1 Malaysia ercise, it was found that the concrete has
The SDC technology has been successful-
better finish, noise reduction as there was
ly tested at lab scale and plant scale prior
SDC is currently in use for the construc- no need for vibration and faster placing
to undertaking some significant projects
tion of a factory to produce PV cell tech- time. Various other concrete elements of
in ASEAN countries. Similar comparison
nology in Penang with an estimated total the projects were also cast using SDC. The
between conventional pumpable concrete
quantity of about 8,000 m3. The readymix total SDC quantity was about 1000m3.
(vibrated for compaction) and Smart Dy-
company producing the SDC is market-
namic Concrete at similar cementitious
ing this concept as ‘Green Concrete’ due Other projects using SDC in Singapore
contents have shown reduction in man-
to its lower cementitious content and ease
power and vibration with higher produc-
of placing the concrete. The main reason The other projects that have used or cur-
tivity.
for its use compared to the conventional rently using SDC are:
concrete is the tight schedule of the project a. JEC – Jurong Entertainment Centre
As an example of a site demonstration car-
and the requirement for better surface off (estimated about 800m3)
ried out ( Fig 4), two panels were cast with
form finish. b. Alba Condominium at Cairnhill Rise
conventional pumpable concrete (or tradi-
(about 8000m3)
tional vibratable concrete) and Smart Dy-
There is a growing interest in SDC across c. Lush @ Holland Hill Condominium
namic Concrete respectively – these panels
Malaysia and there are quite a few major (about 10,000m3)
were 12’ x 8 ‘ and approx 250 mm thick.
projects opting for such a concrete in the
The panel cast with SDC using a PCE
near future. With the Singapore government’s push to-
based superplasticizer integrated with the
wards higher productivity for the construc-
special VMA was completed in 1’40” by a
3.2.2 Singapore tion industry and the tight labour market,
single worker with no vibrator against the
SDC will definitely be a growing trend in
other panel cast with traditional vibratable
Wharf Residences the coming years.
concrete of slump approx 14 cm by three

SCI CONCRETUS 5
Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development & Green Technologies
3.2.3 Indonesia
Since the launch of SDC in early April 2010, the following projects were done:
Although the quantity of SDC concrete
was small (about 1000m3) in each of the
project, it has shown that SDC can be ap-
plied successfully using the Indonesian
raw materials.
3.3 China
The concept of Smart Dynamic Concrete
(low fines self consolidating concrete) was
first started in China in 2009 for Asia Pa-
cific. The first biggest pour using the Smart
Dynamic Concrete technology incorpo-
rating the unique and versatile viscosity
modifying agent in PCE technology was
executed in a single pour of 60,000 cubic
metres of concrete for the raft foundation
of proposed 632 metre high rise tower,
early this year. The raft foundation is 121
m in diameter and 6 m thick.
6 SCI CONCRETUS
Fig 5.: Aerial view of the raft foundation
placement of a major high rise in China
4. CONCLUSIONS
Low fines SCC addresses the needs of the
ready mix concrete industry and projects
where more than 80% of the concrete
produced is between strength classes 25
– 40 MPa. This type of concrete goes into
structures that are not heavily reinforced
(everyday RC structures). This eliminates
the extra costs related to fines (material,
silos, handling, logistics, etc.) and reduces
the binder content for the required strength
class. This means less cement or more sup-
plementary cement materials (SCM). The
innovative viscosity modifying admixture
is now available in most Asia Pacific mar-
kets and is poised to be a break through
for increasing the use of self-compacting
concrete in the construction industry as it
offers multiple benefits to the various stake
holders.
5. REFERENCES
[1] Martin, K., Concrete February 2008 –
“Smart Dynamic Construction - for a new
generation of highly fluid concretes”
[2] Kluegge, J., Kar, N., Asmus, S., Chris-
tensen, B., - A new viscosity modifying
agent (VMA) for low fines self consoli-
dating concrete (SCC) – Proceedings of
the Second International Symposium on
Design, Performance and Use of Self Con-
solidating Concrete, Beijing, China, 5 – 7
June, 2009.
 Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development & Green Technologies

ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT CEMENT COMPOSITE

Kok-Seng Chia, Min-Hong Zhang and Richard J.Y. Liew
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore

1. INTRODUCTION Table 1: Chemical composition of cement, silica fume, and lightweight filler
Elements (wt.%) Al2O3 SiO2 Fe2O3 CaO MgO Na2O K2O SO3 LOI
An ultra lightweight cement composite SCI CONCRETUS
(ULCC) with density 0.6 times that of con- Portland cement 4.2 20.5 3.2 65.3 4.1 0.17 0.50 2.1 2.2
ventional concrete and strength exceeding Silica fume 95.5 2.4
60 MPa was developed. This paper pres- Lightweight filler 29.5 59.7 4.3 0.8 1.5 0.85 3.32 0.02 -
ents experimental results from material
characterisation of the novel ULCC as a
potential structural material. The ULCC
was produced with porous filler obtained
as by-product from ash ponds of coal-fired
thermal power plants [1]. Particles of the
filler have spherical shape consisting of a
hollow interior that is covered by a thin
shell with typical thickness 5-10% of its
diameter. Due to its hollow structure, the
filler has low particle density typically
ranging from 600 to 900 kg/m3. Particle
size is usually between 100 – 300 μm with
top size at ~600 μm. In this paper, proper-
ties of the ULCC is benchmarked with two
control concretes – a normal weight and a Fig. Fig. 1: Particle
1: Particle size distribution
size distribution of Portland
of Portland cement
cement and and lightweight
lightweight filler filler
lightweight concrete, which are designed
to possess similar 28-day cube compres- A normal
similar weight
ingredients as theaggregate concrete
NWAC, except that the(NWAC) and awas
coarse aggregate lightweight aggregate concrete
4-8 mm expanded
sive strength. clay type lightweight aggregate, and silica fume was used to achieve
(LWAC) with 28-day cube compressive strength similar to that of the required strength.
ULCC were included
for comparison. Ingredients of the NWAC (w/b = 0.45) were water, Portland cement, quartz
2.2 Test methods
sand as fine aggregate and granite of 20 mm as coarse aggregate. The LWAC (w/b = 0.35)
2. EXPERIMENTAL consisted of ofsimilar ingredients as the NWAC, except
Table 2: List material properties evaluated and relevant test that the coarse aggregate was 4-8 mm
methods
PROGRAM expanded clay type lightweight aggregate, and silica fume was used to achieve required
Property Test standard Specimen type & size
strength.
2.1 Materials Flow consistency BS EN 1015-3:1999 --
2.2 Test
Density methodsspecimens
of hardened BS EN 12390-7:2009 All specimens
The ULCC was produced with water, Table 2 shows
Compressive strength list of the ULCCBS
material properties evaluated,
EN 12390-3:2009 100-mm cubetest
andstandards and type of
binder, and lightweight filler. Cementi- specimens used. Ø100 x 200 mm cylinder
tious binder included ordinary Portland Splitting tensile strength BS EN 12390-6:2009 Ø100 x 200 mm cylinder
cement and silica fume. Water-to-binder Static Young’s modulus & Poisson’s BS 1881-121:1983
Table 2: List of material properties evaluated and relevantØ100 x 200 mm cylinder
test methods
ratio (w/b) was 0.35. The ULCC was fibre- ratio
reinforced with 6-mm polyvinyl alcohol Property Test standard Ø100 x 50Specimen
Resistance to chloride-ion penetration ASTM C1202-05
type & size
mm cylinder
(PVA) fibres (aspect ratio = 220). Chemi- Flow consistency BS EN 1015-3:1999 --
cal compositions of the main ingredients Density of
3. RESULTS hardened specimens
AND DISCUSSION BS EN 12390-7:2009 All specimens
in the ULCC are given in Table 1. Particle Compressive strength
Properties of the BS ENin12390-3:2009
ULCC are presented and discussed 100-mm
this section in comparison to cube
those and
density of the filler was found to be about of the control NWAC and LWAC (Table 3). Ø100 x 200 mm cylinder
850 kg/m3 determined by a helium pyc- Splitting tensile strength
Table 3: Comparison BS EN at12390-6:2009
of ULCC with control mixtures 7 and 28 days Ø100 x 200 mm cylinder
nometer. Particle size distribution of the Static Young’s modulus & Poisson’s BS 1881-121:1983 Ø100 x 200 mm cylinder
filler was obtained by dry sieving (ASTM Material property ULCC LWAC NWAC
ratio
C136) and is shown in Fig. 1 in compari-
son to that of Portland cement (by laser
Resistance
Slump (mm) to chloride-ion penetration ASTM
--* C1202-05 100 Ø100 x 50
100mm cylinder
diffraction) used. Density after de-mould (kg/m3) 1450 1860 2350
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
7d 28d 7d 28d 7d 28d
A normal weight aggregate concrete Properties of the ULCC are presented and discussed in this section in comparison to those
(NWAC) and a lightweight aggregate con- Compressive strength, cube fcu (MPa) 55.7 64.0 54.2 57.8 55.4 68.0
of the control NWAC and LWAC (Table 3).
Compressive strength, cylinder fc’ (MPa) 51.1 64.6 51.2 63.4 43.2 55.7
crete (LWAC) with 28-day cube compres-
sive strength similar to that of the ULCC Ratio fc’/ fcu 0.92 1.01 0.94 1.10 0.78 0.82
were included for comparison. Ingredients
Table 3: tensile
Splitting Comparison
strengthof(MPa)
ULCC with control
3.9 mixtures
4.4 at 7 and--28 days--
-- --
of the NWAC (w/b = 0.45) were water, Material property
Static modulus of elasticity (GPa) 16.0 ULCC --
16.8 LWAC
23.4 -- NWAC
28.2
Portland cement, quartz sand as fine aggre- Static Poisson’s
Slump (mm) ratio 0.24 0.26 --* -- 0.20
100 -- 0.16
100
gate and granite of 20 mm as coarse aggre- Electrical charge passed (C) 3 -- 153 -- 242 -- 2890
Density after de-mould (kg/m ) 1450 1860 2350
gate. The LWAC (w/b = 0.35) consisted of *Flow consistency =180 mm

SCI CONCRETUS 7

Page 2
 Density of the hardened ULCC was 1,450 kg/m3, about 60 and 80% that of
NWAC and LWAC, respectively. Average 100-mm cube compressive strengths
mixtures
Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development wereTechnologies
& Green similar both at the 7 and 28 days, except for the LWAC which wa
at 28 days. Cylinder compressive strength (fc’) of the ULCC shows, in general,
in strength development as the cubical specimens. For normal weight concrete
80% that of fcu. Ratio (fc’/fcu) of the NWAC in this study (Table 3) was in ag
3.1 Density and compressive strength
concrete strength classes defined in Table 7 of BS EN 206-1:2000. However
3.9 MPa at 7 days, and 4.4 MPa at 28 days. The 28-day static Poisson’s ratio of the
On trend
average,could
ratio be observed
of splitting for tothe ratio
tensile ULCC(fwas c’/f0.26
cu) of theseems
which ULCC. Similar observation w
to be higher
Density of the hardened ULCC was 1,450 the LWAC
compressive strengthwhere
(fst / fc’)the ratio
of the ULCC (fc’/fcu ) was
than 0.94
that of and 1.10
the LWAC at ages
and NWAC of 7 and 28 days,
(Table
kg/m3, about 60 and 80% that of the con- was(Table
about 0.073). A study by Hammer et al. [2] also reported this with the ratio ranging
at the different ages. From 3). Static Poisson’s ratio of the NWAC and
trols NWAC and LWAC, respectively. Av- Fig. 2, it is estimated that fst / fc’ for nor- LWAC in this study agrees with that of
erage 100-mm cube compressive strengths 1.05 for LWAC
mal weight concrete also haswith fcu, 28d
similar value= 50typical
MPa.LWAC However,
and NWAC others [3-4]
reported whichreported consisten
(fcu) for the 3 mixtures were similar both than0.07fcutowith
within the ratio
0.08, based on theranging
similar from 0.900.15
is between to and
0.930.25(LWAC fcu, 28d = 80 MPa). D
with an averaging
at the 7 and 28 days, except for the LWAC disagreement
strength of 60 MPa asofthedata, ULCC ain ratio
this of 0.91[7].was
of 0.20 used
Limited in Table
experimental 8 of BS EN 20
results
which was 10% lower at 28 days. Cylin- study. seem to indicate that the static Poisson’s
der compressive strength (fc’) of the ULCC lightweight concrete. ratio was increased with the reduction in
shows, in general, similar trend in strength 3.3 Modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s the density of the material. However, it
development as the cubical specimens. For 3.2 Splitting tensile strength should be noted that the ULCC was fibre-
ratio
normal weight concrete, fc’ is about 80%
that of fcu. Ratio (fc’/fcu) of the NWAC in
Splitting tensile strength of thereinforced ULCCwith wasno3.9 MPa
coarse at 7 days, and 4.4 MPa at
aggregate.
Modulus of elasticity of lightweight con-
this study (Table 3) was in agreement with average, ratio of splitting tensile
crete is affected by its strength and density, 3.4 Resistance to chloride-ion (fst / fc’) of the ULCC w
to compressive strength
concrete strength classes defined in Table 7 at the different ages. From
and is generally lower than that of nor- Fig. 2, it is estimated that fst/fc’ for normal weight conc
penetration
of BS EN 206-1:2000. However, no obvi- similar value within 0.07 to 0.08, based on the similar strength of 60 MPa as the U
malweight concrete of the same strength.
ous trend could be observed for the ratio At 28 days, the ULCC had a Ec of 16.8 Total charge passed through the ULCC
(fc’/fcu) of the ULCC. Similar observation study.
GPa, whereas Ec of the controls LWAC according to ASTM C 1202 test was 153
was noted for the LWAC where the ratio and NWAC were 23.4 and 28.2 GPa, re- coulombs (Table 3), which was compara-
(fc’/fcu) was 0.94 and 1.10 at ages of 7 and 3.3 Modulus
spectively. It is noted thatofEcelasticity
of the NWACand ble Poisson’s ratio
to that of the control LWAC, but much
28 days, respectively (Table 3). A study by in this Modulus
Hammer et al. [2] also reported this with
study is lower ofthan
elasticity of lightweight
that calculated lower thanconcrete is affected
that of the control NWAC.by its strength and d
Both
from Formula (1) (~36 GPa). This indi- the ULCC and LWAC were classified as
the ratio ranging from 0.84 to 1.05 for generally
cates lowerweight
that the normal than aggregate
that of normalweight concrete
“very low” chloride of the
penetrability, same strength. At
whereas
LWAC with fcu, 28d = 50 MPa. However, usedULCC
in the NWAC Ec of has
had aprobably 16.8lowGPa,
elas- whereas
the NWAC Ec was
of the controls
classified LWAC and NWAC w
as ‘moderate’
others [3-4] reported consistently lower 28.2 GPa, respectively. It is noted
tic modulus. chloride Ec of theTheNWAC
thatpenetrability. in this study is low
lower charges
fc’ than fcu with the ratio ranging from 0.90 passed in the ULCC and the LWAC may
(LWAC fcu, 28d = 80 MPa). Despite calculated from Formula (1) (~36 GPa). This indicates that the normal weight ag
SCI
to 0.93CONCRETUS The formula (1) is used to predict static be attributed to the dense matrices due to
of the disagreement of data, a ratio of 0.91 in theofNWAC
modulus concrete Eprobably
c, based on has low elastic
density modulus.
incorporation of silica fume and lower w/b
was used in Table 8 of BS EN 206-1:2000 ρc (1440The formula
to 2560 kg/m3) (1) is used
in ACI Code 318to predict static
in these modulus
two materials. Thisofalso indicatesEc, based on den
concrete
for lightweight concrete. [6]: 3 that high resistance to chloride-ion pen-
to 2560 kg/m ) in ACI Code 318 etration [6]: can still be achieved in the more
3.2 Splitting tensile strength
Ec = 0.043ρc1.5 f c' porous ULCC and LWAC. A more detailed
discussion on the effect of pore structure
Splitting tensile strength of the ULCC was on chloride penetrability is found in [8].

3.5 Potential applications

In practice, high performance LWAC

is used where applications require high
structural efficiency with reduction in dead
weight such as high-rise buildings, float-
ing structures, and bridges. Material with
high structural efficiency has high specific
strength (strength-to-density ratio). An ex-
ample is the Heidrun tension leg platform,
constructed using high-strength LWAC
having specific strength about 40 kPa/(kg/
m3), with density of 1,940 kg/m3 and 28-
day cube compressive strength of 80 MPa
[3-4]. In this study, specific strength of the
ULCC was above 40 kPa/(kg/m3), based
on the 28-day cube strength. This is equiv-
alent to specific strength of high-strength
normal weight concrete with compressive
strength of about 100 MPa.

Many offshore and marine structures are

floating structures at some point of their
life as they are often constructed in ship-
yards or graving docks and must be towed
to sites. Thus, there is a need to reduce the
mass and improve the structural efficiency
of these structures, especially where part
of the voyage includes shallow water
conditions that will mandate lower draft
requirement for the structures. Structural
Fig. 2: Splitting tensile strengths versus compressive strength for NWAC, adapted fro
Fig. 2: Splitting tensile strengths versus compressive strength for NWAC, adapted from [5] efficiency is increased for material with

The 28-day static Poisson’s ratio of the ULCC was 0.26 which seems to be higher th
8 SCI CONCRETUS

of the LWAC and NWAC (Table 3). Static Poisson’s ratio of the NWAC and LWAC
study agrees with that of typical LWAC and NWAC reported which is between 0.15 a

similar strength but lower density since it
is directly related to specific strength. Im-
provement in structural efficiency is most
pronounced for lightweight structures in
submerged conditions. This can be illus-
trated using density ratio, defined as ra-
tio of apparent density of normalweight
concrete to lightweight concrete or the
ULCC in this case. Structural efficiency is
increased with higher density ratio when
comparing materials of similar strength
grade.
For example, density ratio (in air) for
NWAC / ULCC is 1.6 (2.35/1.45), and is
further increased to 3.0 [(2.35-1.00)/(1.45-
1.00)] for submerged structures. On the
other hand, density ratio (in air) for NWAC
/ LWAC is lower at 1.3 (2.35/1.86), or 1.6
[(2.35-1.00)/(1.86-1.00)] for submerged
structures. Hence, structural efficiency for
ULCC is about twice that of the LWAC
and thrice that of the NWAC in submerged
condition.
With high structural efficiency, the ULCC
is suitable for shipbuilding and marine
structures based on sandwich design con-
cept. Typical lightweight sandwich design
consists of a lightweight core structure
sandwiched between two surface steel
plates. Such design has been identified as
feasible in shipbuilding [9].
4. SUMMARY
Distinct advantages of the ULCC include
a low density of 1450 kg/m3 (0.6 times of
normal weight concrete) and a high 28-day
compressive strength above 60 MPa. Ratio
of splitting tensile-to-compressive strength
of the ULCC was similar to that of normal
weight concrete. However, the ULCC had
lower Young’s modulus and higher Pois-
son’s ratio than typical concretes used in
practice. Despite of its low unit weight, the
ULCC had very low chloride penetrability
according to ASTM rapid chloride pen-
etration test. For structural applications,
drying shrinkage and creep behavior of the
ULCC are currently under investigation.
ACKNOWLEDGE-
MENTS
Grateful acknowledgement is made to
A*STAR (project no. 0921420044) and
Densit ApS for funding this research.
REFERENCES
[1] Torrey, S., ‘Coal Ash Utilization: Fly
Ash, Bottom Ash and Slag’, (Noyes Data,
Park Ridge, NJ, USA, 1978).
[2] Hammer, T.A., Smeplass, S. and
Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development & Green Technologies
Rønne, M., ‘Special Lightweight High
Performance Concrete’, in ‘Concrete
2000 Economic and durable construc-
tion through excellence’, Proceedings of
an International Conference, vol. 1, 1993
(E&FN Spon, New York) 141-151.
[3] ESCSI (Expanded Shale, Cay and Slate
Institute), ‘Building bridges and marine
structures’, (Salt Lake City, Utah, 2001),
16 pp.
[4] FIB (Federation Internationale du Be- Industrial Contracts Marketing (2001) Pte Ltd
ton), ‘Lightweight-Aggregate Concrete’, 711 Geylang Road #02-03
Bulletin 8, (Lausanne, Switzerland, 2000).
[5] Mindess, S., Young, J.F. and Darwin,
Oriental Venture Building
D., ‘Concrete’, 2nd ed. (Prentice Hall, Singapore 389626
USA, 2003), 644 pp.
[6] ACI Committee 318, ‘Building Code • Architectural Finishing Products
Requirements for Structural Concrete and
• Stone
Commentary (ACI 318M-08)’, ACI Manu-
al of Concrete Practice, Part 3, (American • Polyurethane/Silicon/Acrylic
Concrete Institute, USA, 2010), 479 pp. • Cementitious
[7] ACI Committee 213, ‘Guide for Struc-
• Metallic
tural Lightweight-Aggregate Concrete
(ACI 213R-03)’, ACI Manual of Concrete
Practice, Part 1, (American Concrete Insti- • Eco Coating System
tute, USA, 2010), 38 pp.
• Low VOC
[8] Liu, X., Chia, K.S. and Zhang, M.-
H., ‘Development of lightweight concrete • Heat Shield
with high resistance to water and chloride- • Photo Catalytic
ion penetration’, Cement & Concrete
• Anti Bacteria
Composites 32 (10) (2010) 757-766.
[9] Bergan, P.G. and Bakken, K., ‘Sand- • Water-based PU/Epoxy
wich design: A solution for marine struc- • Dirt Resistance
tures?’, in ‘MARINE 2005 Computa-
tional Methods in Marine Engineering’,
Proceedings of an International Confer- • Fire Proofing System
ence, Oslo, Norway, June 2005 (CIMNE, • Fire Intumescent mastic coating
Barcelona, 2005).
• Cementitious Vermiculite
• Water Proofing System
• Cementitious
• Polyurethane
• Special Coating system:
• Pharmaceutical Wall and Flooring
• Clean room Wall and Flooring
For technical and sales enquiries, please contact
Tel: 6741 7776 or Fax: 6744 0103
Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development & Green Technologies

AN ECO-FRIENDLY APPROACH FOR

AIRCRAFT PAVEMENT
CONSTRUCTION AT SINGAPORE
CHANGI AIRPORT
By
Dr Ho Nyok Yong, Dr Kelvin Lee Yang Pin, Dr Tan Jun Yew, Mr Hon Lip Yung & Mr Lim Wee Fong
Samwoh Corporation Pte Ltd (Contact: wflim@samwoh.com.sg)
Professor Fwa Tien Fang
National University of Singapore (Department of Civil Engineering)
Mr How Choon Onn, Ms Koh Sim Yi & Ms Meryl Lan
Changi Airport Group Pte Ltd (Engineering & Development Group)

Demolition of aircraft stand rigid pavement

Introduction ture construction and material supply con-

In recent years, the Singapore government
has been actively promoting the use of
recycled waste materials in construction
applications to alleviate waste disposal
problems in land-scarce Singapore, as well
as to reduce our strong reliance on the im-
port of natural aggregates from overseas.
To support the government’s directive to-
wards sustainable development, Samwoh
Corporation Pte Ltd, a leading infrastruc-
glomerate, has undertaken an ambitious
tion of new aircraft stand rigid pavement.
The project also involved a pavement con-
and forward-thinking pilot project by sultant from the National University of
Changi Airport Group Pte Ltd (CAG) to Singapore (NUS). It is the first of its kind
reconstruct the existing aircraft stand rigid in the region and has opened a new frontier
pavement at Singapore Changi Airport us- in civil engineering construction and sus-
ing concrete made of recycled concrete ag- tainable development in Singapore.
gregate (RCA). The existing aircraft stand
rigid pavement has been used for over 20
years and is due for rehabilitation. The aim
of the project is to recycle the concrete
waste derived from the demolition of the
existing rigid pavement for the construc-

10 SCI CONCRETUS

1.Production of
Recycled Concrete
Aggregate
The existing aircraft stand rigid pavement
was broken up using hydraulic breakers
and the concrete waste was transported
to a nearby recycling facility for process-
ing. The waste contains mainly crushed
concrete, ferrous metals and very small
amount of other foreign materials. The
waste was processed via a few key pro-
cesses which include crushing, sorting
and sieving of the end product (RCA) into
the required sizes to meet the CAG require-
ments as shown in the above table.
2. Mix Design for RCA
Concrete
The mix design for the concrete with RCA
(hereinafter known as RCA concrete) was
determined with respect to CAG specifica-
tion requirements which specified a mini-
mum flexural strength of 4.2N/mm2 at 28-
day. The workability was designed based
on a slump value of 38-65mm in accor-
Samples of RCA
Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development & Green Technologies
dance with the requirements for side-form
paving method of construction.
The RCA concrete was designed using
20% of RCA (by mass of coarse aggre-
gate). Laboratory tests results have shown
that RCA exhibited much higher water ab-
sorption (about 5%) as compared to granite
aggregate (typically less than 1%) which is
normally used for concreting in Singapore.
This would drastically reduce the work-
ability of the concrete mix. Many research-
ers attempt to address this issue by increas-
ing water and cement contents in order to
achieve the required workability at a con-
stant water to cement ratio. However, the
increase in cement content can affect the
properties of the hardened concrete such
as shrinkage. To overcome this problem, a
rational mix design approach developed by
Ho et al. was used without the need to in-
crease the cement and water contents. The
method involves adjustments in the coarse
aggregate to fine aggregate ratio and ad-
dition of some admixtures to achieve the
required workability. The findings of the
study have been shown that RCA concrete
provides comparable strength as compared
to normal concrete without RCA using this
method of mix design.
3. Construction
The aircraft stand rigid pavement com-
prises 435mm thick of the RCA concrete
and 75mm thick of lean concrete. A key
challenge in the construction of the rigid
pavement is that RCA concrete tends to
exhibit higher shrinkage than normal con-
crete which may lead to shrinkage cracks.
Special curing measures were undertaken
during the casting of RCA concrete. Im-
mediately after casting, the concrete sur-
face was applied with a concrete curing
compound and then covered with a curing
shelter and polyethylene sheets. Based on
site observations, the method was found
to be effective even when the construction
was conducted in the afternoon. With this
curing method, it allows casting in the day
which eases casting work, improves vis-
ibility and increases productivity.
Stringent quality control was carried out to
monitor the workability of the fresh con-
crete and the flexural strength. The work-
ability of fresh concrete was monitored for
every batch of concrete delivered to the
site to ensure it meets the slump require-
ment of 38-65mm. Samples of the RCA
concrete were also obtained and tested
for 7- and 28-day flexural strength for ev-
ery concrete mix produced per day or per
pavement construction operation. The fol-
lowing observations can be drawn from the
test results.
a) 7-day flexural strength – All the test
results meet the required strength of 4.2N/
mm2. This implied that the completed air-
craft stand can be opened to traffic earlier
SCI CONCRETUS 11
 Category 1: Productivity, Sustainable Development & Green Technologies

a) Breaking up of rigid pavement b) Subgrade preparation c) Setting up of welded mesh

a) Breaking up of rigid pavement b) Subgrade preparation c) Setting up of welded mesh

f) Reinstatement of markings e) Completed rigid pavement d) Casting of RCA concrete

f) Reinstatement of markings e) Completed rigid pavement d) Casting of RCA concrete
Construction process of aircraft stand rigid pavement using RCA concrete
Construction process of aircraft stand rigid pavement using RCA concrete
than the stipulated period of 14 days after
) 7-day flexural
placementstrength
of concrete as – specified
All the test
accord-
6.6

results meet flexural

a) 7-daying to the required
CAG
strength
specification. strength – Allofthe test 6.2 6.6
2
4.2N/mm b). 28-day
results Thisflexural
meet implied
the required
strength –that the
strength
The aver- of 5.8 6.2

completed aircraft
age flexural2 strengthstand can
is in the range be
of 5.1-
Flexural Strength (N/mm 2 )

4.2N/mm
6.3N/mm . .This This
2
implied thatimplied
that RCAthat the
opened to traffic earlier than thecan be
5.4 5.8

completed
concrete can beaircraft stand
Flexural Strength (N/mm 2 )

designed to achieve or per-

stipulatedform
opened period
even betterof than14 days flexural
the required after 5.0

strength. to traffic earlier than the

5.4

placement of concrete
stipulated period asof specified 14 days after
4.6
5.0

according 4. to CAG
Conclusions specification. and
placement of concrete as specified Minimum Strength Requirement = 4.2N/mm 4.2
4.6 2

) 28-day Further
flexuraltoStudy
according strength
CAG specification. – The 3.8
4.2
2
Minimum Strength Requirement = 4.2N/mm
average This
flexural strength
project has demonstratedis the in fea-
the
b) 28-day offlexural strength
2 from the – The
3.4
3.8

range ofsibility5.1-using 6.3N/mm

RCA derived
. This 7-day 28-day

average
demolition flexural
of the strength
existing aircraft is
stand in the 3.0

implied that that RCA for theconcrete

reconstructioncan
13-Mar-10 3.4 12-May-10
12-Apr-10 11-Jun-10 11-Jul-10 10-Aug-10 9-Sep-10 9-Oct-10 8-Nov-10 8-Dec-10 7-Jan-11
rigid pavement of2
range of stand5.1-
the aircraft 6.3N/mm
rigid pavement at Singa- . This Date of Casting 7-day 28-day
be designed to achieve or perform 3.0

implied
even better that
pore Changi
has been than
that
carried outthe
RCA
Airport. To date,
concrete
the project
required
successfully since
can Quality control test results of DateRCA
13-Mar-10
concrete
of Casting
12-Apr-10 12-May-10 11-Jun-10 11-Jul-10 10-Aug-10 9-Sep-10 9-Oct-10 8-Nov-10 8-Dec-10 7-Jan-11

be strength.
flexural designed to achieve or perform
March 2010 and the first phase, compris-
ing 8 aircraft stands, will be completed in footprint of RCA versus Quality control
natural granite test
aggregate. Theresults of RCA
study showed the RCAconcrete
produces
evenDecemberbetter
2011. The thanremaining the aircraftrequired
less carbon emissions than natural granite aggregate. In other words, the use of RCA not
flexural
. Conclusions strength.
stands will
and
be progressively rehabilitated
Further Study
only provides a substitute for natural aggregate, it is also a greener alternative to granite
using the RCA concrete over the next few aggregate. It is envisaged that the project will put Singapore in the forefront of sustainable
years. To further optimize the use of RCA, development in the region.
4. Conclusions and Further Study
This project tohas demonstrated the feasibility of using RCA derived from the demolition of the
Samwoh has carried out extensive research
REFERENCES
evaluate the feasibility of using higher
xisting aircraft
dosagestand
of RCA.rigid pavement
The laboratory for the
tests have reconstruction of the aircraft stand rigid pavement at
This project has demonstrated the feasibility of using RCA derived from the demolition of the
ingapore Changi Airport. To date, the project
shown that it is possible to use up to 40%
Ho, N.Y., Lee, Y. P. K., Lim, W. F., Ting, S. K., Soh, Y. and Low, G. L. (2009). Efficient
utilization ofhas been
recycled carried
concrete aggregateout successfully
for structural since27th
concrete applications. March
Confer-
of RCA in concrete for the aircraft stand
existing aircraft stand rigid pavement for the reconstruction of the aircraft stand rigid pavement at
010 and therigid
first phase,
pavement and comprising 8 aircraft
field trials are being stands, will be completed in December 2011. The
ence of the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations, Singapore. 30 November to
2 December.
Singapore Changi Airport. To date, the project has been carried out successfully since March
emaining aircraft stands
In addition, carbon will beanalysis
footprint progressively
carried out to validate the performance.
was rehabilitated using the RCA concrete over the next
2010 and the first phase, comprising 8 aircraft stands, will be completed in December 2011. The
ew years. Toalsofurther optimize
carried out to evaluate the use of RCA, Samwoh has carried out extensive research to
the carbon
remaining
valuate aircraftofstands
the feasibility
12 SCI CONCRETUS
using will be dosage
higher progressively
of RCA.rehabilitated using
The laboratory thehave
tests RCA concrete
shown that over
it is the next
fewtoyears.
ossible use upTo to further
40% of optimize the usefor
RCA in concrete of the
RCA, Samwoh
aircraft has carried
stand rigid pavement outand
extensive research to
field trials
evaluate
re being theout
carried feasibility of using
to validate higher dosage
the performance. of RCA.carbon
In addition, The laboratory tests have
footprint analysis shown
was also that it is
possible
arried out to to use upthe
evaluate to 40%
carbonof footprint
RCA in concrete for thenatural
of RCA versus aircraftgranite
stand rigid pavement
aggregate. and field trials
The study
 Jan-11

the
t at
rch
The
next
h to
it is
ials
 Category 2: Concrete Technologies and Standards
If Concrete Can Speak
By Dr. Tam Chat Tim, Associate Professorial Fellow
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
National University of Singapore
P
roductivity is the current catchword
in all endeavours, with concrete
construction still far from catching
up in the race to the top. In fact, the current
level of productivity in the local concrete
construction sector is a long way from that
in more industrialised regions. Why am I
so far behind my overseas cousins? What
should I do to catch up?
There are at least three areas that I need to
improve. The first is in adopting more ad-
vanced technologies in construction. The
second is in worker’s training as such tech-
nologies tend to demand better skill and
basic knowledge in their implementation.
Finally, it is the attitude towards quality
assurance so that all things are done right
the first time.
I do not need to go far in shopping for the
new technologies in concrete construc-
tion that enable higher productivity. The
shopping list is easy to find but in order
to acquire any such new ways there is al-
ways the first cost to bring them into the
local construction industry. (BCA has in-
troduced an S$250-million Construction
Productivity and Capability Fund (CPCF).
I also need the support of far sighted man-
agement that has recognised the poor re-
turn of employing unskilled labour on long
term productivity increase – remember
how dedicated were our “samsui” women
with their broad red head dress and blue-
14 SCI CONCRETUS
dark samfoo dress, in carrying their work
at the level of skill available then! Pride of
work is the best driving force.
Why do my present day handlers in the
concrete construction have to return to
their home countries after a few years in
the industry when they have just about
gained enough experience to do a better
job? They have to learn how to handle me
on the job, from others often of limited
training themselves. When I am not given
the right treatment, I cannot be expected to
perform as intended. However, I am ca-
pable of better performance.
For example, let me talk about members of
my concrete family with self-compacting
capability, or self-consolidating, if you
prefer, by their initials, SCC. Why don’t I
see them around more often? It is only in
the few cases where my contractor friend
cannot find other suitable members of my
concrete family to perform the task that my
cousin, SCC has to be selected to do the
job. Why not in more cases where SCC
is considered as the alternative? I am the
material in precast concrete elements com-
monly adopted in housing projects, trans-
portation infrastructures and tunnel seg-
ments. In nearly all cases, I am designed
with a low slump and heavily compacted
by means of external and at times also in-
ternal vibrators. In order for me to accept
such high level of vibration, I have to be
confined within very strong moulds which
are not only costly but heavy to handle.
The opposite situation is the norm when
you adopt my SCC cousin for the same
products, lighter moulds and minimal vi-
bration. In addition, the rate of casting will
also be increased – productivity! Yes, my
SCC cousin may well be a bit more cost-
ly, but the overall savings will more than
compensate for this. The experience with
post tensioned precast girders in North
American in the past decade demonstrates
the classic case of a higher materials cost
often ending with a lower overall product
cost. The fact that the issue of defects in
the anchorage zones being reduced to near
non-existence has been sufficient to pro-
mote changing over to SCC. This is the
case of getting it right the first time, and
most of the time, even though may not be
all the time. Of course, there is the need to
train my producer and handlers in working
with my new cousin, initially.
In conclusion, not only productivity is
improved, my carbon footprint is also re-
duced through the use of lighter moulds,
less time, labour and energy in handling
the new type of moulds and much less en-
ergy needed to achieve full compaction at a
short time. I look forward to the day when
my SCC cousin will dominate the precast
concrete sector bringing not only better
productivity but also the other concomitant
benefits to the construction industry.
 Category
Category
2: 2:Concrete
Concrete
Technologies
Technologies
andand
Standards
Standards

Ultra Durable Concrete for

Everyday Application
Bahador Sabet Divsholi (bsabet@ntu.edu.sg)
Tze Yang Darren Lim (dtylim@ntu.edu.sg)
Associate Professor Susanto Teng (csteng@ntu.edu.sg)
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University

Introduction one normal High Strength Concrete (HSC)

in terms of cost, mechanical and durability
are presented in Table 1, and the material
properties of OPC, UFGGBS and USF are
aspects is done in this work showing UDC listed in Table 2.
With the rapid consumption of natural re-
have superior qualities which makes it a
sources, there is a growing concern about
favourable construction material for future
sustainable development. More than 6 bil-
lion tons of concrete are produced annu-
structures [1]. Results and
ally for various construction purposes with discussions
limited life expectancy. In addition, fast
rising cost of construction and demolition Experimental work
Experimental work
Compressive strength: Compression test
of concrete structures in densely populated results of cube specimens tested on 3, 7,
areas is a great concern for the future.AOne A total of four mixes were designed, two
total of four mixes were designed, two concrete mixes 28, 56 with w/cdays
and 90 ratiowere
of 0.28 and the
compiled andother two
of the best solutions to tackle these chal- concrete mixes with w/c ratio of 0.28 and plotted in Fig. 1. The inclusion of UFG-
mixes
lenges is to increase the life expectancy of with
the aother
w/c ratio of 0.25.
two mixes withMix A isratio
a w/c the reference
of GBSmix andwith
USF100 % to
leads Ordinary
a higherPortland
rate of Cement
the structures. Residential and important 0.25. Mix A is the reference mix with 100 hydration
(OPC), Mix B has 30Portland
% Ordinary % UFGGBSCementreplacement.
(OPC), Mix Mix C and Dandarepozzolanic reaction.
higher grades It also due to
of concrete
civil structures are typically designed for a has better filling effects of the interfacial
lower w/cBratio
life span of 50 and 100 years respectively. has 30and% 10
UFGGBS replacement.
% Undensified MixFume
Silica C (USF) replacement.
transition zone poresDifferentiating
with subsequentMix im- C and D
However, the life expectancy of structures and D are higher grades of concrete due to provement in the strength of the concrete.
is the 30 lower
% UFGGBS
w/c ratioreplacement in Mix D.Sil-
and 10 % Undensified The mix proportions are presented in Table 1, and the
can be increased to several hundred years
with careful planning and proper design. ica Fume (USF) replacement. Differentiat-
material properties of OPC, GGBS and USF are listed in Table 2.
The increase in material cost for concrete ing Mix C and D is the 30 % UFGGBS re-
is not a considerable amount compared to placement in Mix D. The mix proportions
the total construction cost of the reinforced Table 1: Mix proportion details
concrete structures. Doubling the concrete Table 1: Mix proportion details
materials cost may only increase the to- Mix A B C D
tal construction cost by a few percent but
Water / cementitious 0.28 0.25
it can increase the life expectancy of the
structure significantly, resulting in extra Aggregate / cementitious 3.35 2.85
savings. UFGGBS replacement (%) 0 30 0 30

The two most common causes of dete- USF replacement (%) 0 0 10 10

rioration in concrete structures are carbon- Total cementitious (kg/m3) 523 518 585 580
ation and chloride penetration promoting
Coarse / fine aggregate 1
the corrosion of steel bar in reinforced
concrete. However, the addition of sup- HRWRA / cementitious (%) 1 1 1.5 1.5
plementary cementitious materials such Aggregate by weight ratio 0.722 0.722 0.69 0.69
as Granulated Ground Blast-furnace Slag
(GGBS) and silica fume, combined with
low water/cementitious (w/c) ratio will Table 2: Physical and chemical characteristic of cement (I), UFGGBS and USF
produce Ultra Durable Concrete (UDC)
with high internal degree of saturation, Cement (I) UFGGBS USF
very fine pore structure and low degree of
porosity [1]. This high degree of satura- Physical properties
tion will restrict the gas diffusion of CO2, 2
Blaine Surface Area (m /kg) 360 870 -
allowing the effect of carbonation to be
BET Surface Area (m2/kg) 1466 4968 20340
neglected [2]. Also, the low permeability
of the UDC will reduce the chloride pen- Particle Mean Diameter (µm) 14.7 4.09 < 0.1
etration rate, inhibiting steel reinforcement Density(kg/m ) 3
3150 2720 2200
corrosion [3]. In addition, the electrical re-
sistivity of the UDC will be increased. This Oxide compositions (%)
increase in electrical resistivity is a result SiO2 21.5 31.2 93
of reduced permeability from the inclusion Al2O3 5.5 9 2
of GGBS and silica fume [4].
Fe2O3 4.5 1 1
A comparison between UDC mixes with CaO 63 35.1 1
SO3 2.5 0.1 0.3
MgO 2 11.8 1
SCI CONCRETUS 15
 Total cementitious (kg/m3) 523 518 585 580
Coarse / fine aggregate 1
Category
HRWRA 2: Concrete
/ cementitious (%) Technologies
1 and Standards
1 1.5 1.5
Aggregate by weight ratio 0.722 0.722 0.69 0.69

Table 2: Physical and chemical characteristic of cement (I), UFGGBS and USF
lts and discussions
Drying test: Fig 2 shows the gravimetric
Table 2: Physical and chemical characteristic of cement (I), UFGGBS and USF
weight loss of the four mixes of concrete
Cement (I) UFGGBS USF samples under indoor drying condition
pressive strength: Compression test results of cube specimens tested on 3, 7, 28, 56 with andrelative
90 dayshumidity at 75 %. After the
Physical properties indoor drying, the same samples were sub-
compiled and plotted in Fig. 1. The inclusion of UFGGBS and USF leads to a higher rate
jected to of oven drying at 105°C
prolonged
Blaine Surface Area (m2/kg) 360 870 -
to measure the total evaporable water con-
ation and pozzolanic
BETreaction. It (m2/kg)
Surface Area also has better filling effects
1466 4968 of the interfacial
20340 transition zone of saturation for the four
tent. The degree
mixes was 89, 98.1, 98.7 and 98.6 % for
s with subsequentParticle
improvement in the
Mean Diameter strength 14.7
(µm) of the concrete.
4.09 < 0.1 Mix A, B, C and D respectively. Mix B, C
Density(kg/m3) 3150 2720 2200 and D have very high degree of saturation,
therefore allowing us to neglect the effect
140.00 Oxide compositions (%) of carbonation.
Compressive Strength 

130.00 Mix D
SiO2 21.5 31.2 93
Mix C Chloride penetration: The chloride pen-
120.00 Al2O3 5.5 9 2
etration is modelled by chloride binding
110.00 Fe2O3 4.5 Mix B 1 1 capacity through adsorption isotherm and
Results and discussions chloride diffusivity [5]. For Mix B, C and
100.00 CaO 63 35.1 1 D, considering diffusion alone will allow
SO 2.5 0.1 Mix A
0.3 us to yield good prediction of the chloride
90.00
Compressive strength: Compression test results of cube specimens tested on 3, 7, 28, 56 and 90 days
3
penetration. By using the law of diffusion
80.00 and plottedMgO
were compiled
2 11.8 1
in Fig. 1. The inclusion of UFGGBS and USF leads to a higher rate [6],ofa time-dependent chloride diffusion
coefficient [7] and a Monte Carlo Simula-
hydration70.00
and pozzolanic reaction. It also has better filling effects of the interfacial transition tion,
zonethe probability of failure of the con-
60.00 crete can be calculated through analysis
pores with subsequent improvement in the strength of the concrete.
0 20 40 60 80 [8].
100 In addition to the empirical age factor
(α-values) of the concrete, the diffusivity
140.00 Time (Days) coefficients for 28 day water cured sam-
Compressive Strength 

130.00 Mix D ples experimentally measured based on

Mix C NT BUILD 492 are to be provided for the
120.00
analysis. Details of the input parameters
110.00 Fig. 1: Concrete strength Mix B(MPa) are presented in Table 3 and the prediction
100.00 results are shown in Fig. 3.
Mix A
90.00
ng test: Fig 2 shows
80.00 the gravimetric weight loss of the four mixes of concrete samples under
In locations with harsh weather condi-
tions, the probability of failure should be
or drying condition with relative humidity at 75 %. After the indoor drying, the same
70.00 limitedsamples
to 10 percent in the serviceability
60.00 limit state [9]. From the results presented
subjected to prolonged0oven drying 20 at 105°C40to measure 60 the total evaporable
80 water content.
100 TheC and D obtained 5.1 and
in Fig 3, Mix
1.1% probability of failure respectively for
ee of saturation for the four mixes was 89, Time (Days)
98.1, 98.7 and 98.6 % for Mix A, B, C and
a service D of 500 years, showing the
period
superior qualities of these concrete mixes.
ctively. Mix B, C and D have veryFig. 1: Concrete
high degree ofstrength (MPa) therefore allowing us toUsing
saturation, neglect the
commercially available Wenner
Fig. 1: Concrete strength (MPa) probe method the electrical resistivities
t of carbonation. of these four mixes were measured at 90
days of curing in saturated conditions. The
Drying test: Fig 2 shows the gravimetric weight loss of the four mixes of concrete samples under
measurements were 30, 137, 460 and 1740
indoor drying condition KΩ cm for Mix A, B, C and D respectively.
1.000 with relative humidity at 75 %. After the indoor drying, the same samples
Significantly higher electrical resistivity
were subjected to prolonged oven drying at 105°C to measure the total evaporable water content.values
The for Mix C and D and their ratios
0.999 support the prediction presented in Fig 3.
degree of saturation for the four mixes was 89, 98.1, 98.7 and 98.6 % for Mix A, B, C and D
The material cost of Mix C and D are 45
respectively. Mix0.998
B, C and D have very high degree of saturation, therefore allowingMix
us to
A neglect
andthe50 % higher than Mix A respectively.
Weight loss 

However, this increase is only a small per-

effect of carbonation. Mix B
centage of the overall construction cost yet
0.997 Mix C extending the life span of the structures.
1.000 Mix D
0.996
0.999
0.995
0.998 Mix A
Weight loss 

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Mix B
35
0.997 Time (Days) Mix C
Mix D
0.996
Fig 2: Weight loss ratio under normal drying condition
Fig 2: Weight loss ratio under normal drying condition
0.995
16 SCI CONCRETUS0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Time (Days)

Fig 2: Weight loss ratio under normal drying condition

allow us to yield good prediction of the chloride penetration. By using the law of diffusion [4], a
time-dependent chloride diffusion coefficient [5] and a Monte Carlo Simulation, the probability of
failure of the concrete can be calculated through analysis [6]. In addition to the empirical age factor
Category
Category
2: 2:Concrete
Concrete
Technologies
Technologies
andand
Standards
Standards
(α-values) of the concrete, the diffusivity coefficients for 28 day water cured samples experimentally
measured based on NT BUILD 492 are to be provided for the analysis. Details of the input parameters
are presented in Table 3 and the prediction results are shown in Fig. 3.

TableTable
3: Input parameters
3: Input parametersininprobability
probability of failurecalculation
of failure calculation References
Mix design A B C D [1] Sabet Divsholi B., Lim T.Y.D.
and Teng S., “Ultra Durable Concrete for
Design life 500 years
Sustainable Construction”, Advanced Ma-
Cover depth 50 (2) mm terials Research, Vol. 368-373, 2011, pp.
Temperature 30ºC 553-556.
Dcoef 7.91 (1.22) 0.95 (0.07) 0.16 (0.04) 0.11 (0.01)
t0 (age when tested) 28 days
[2] Persson B., “Experimental Stud-
ies on Shrinkage of High Performance
te (age when exposed) 28 days
Concrete”, Cement and Concrete Re-
α (age factor) 0.4 (0.08) search, Vol. 28, No. 7, 1998, pp. 1023-
Ccr (critical chloride content) 0.4 (0.08) 1036.
Cs (surface chloride content) 3.8 (0.9)
[3] Nakamura N., Sakai M. and
Swamy R.N., “Effect of Slag Fineness on
*standard deviation is presented in bracket
the Development of Concrete Strength and
Microstructure”, ACI SP Vol. 132, No. 2,
100 1993, pp.1343–66.
90
Probabilities of failure (%)

80 Mix A [4] Lim T.Y.D., Sabet Divsholi B.

70 and Teng S., “In Situ Inspection of Ultra
60 Mix B
Durable Concrete Using Electrical Re-
50 sistivity Technique”, Advanced Materials
40 Research, Vol. 368-373, 2011, pp. 1989-
30 1992.
20
10 Mix C
[5] Xi Y. and Bazant Z.P., “Model-
0
ing Chloride Penetration in Saturated Con-
0 100 200 300 400 Mix D 500
Years crete”. Journal of Materials in Civil Engi-
neering, ASCE, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1999, pp.
58-65.
Fig. 3: Probability of failure for 500 years
[6] Collepardi M., Marcialis A. and
Acknowledgements
In locations with harsh weather conditions, the plasticizer
probability was provided
of failure by BASF
should Southto 10 Turriziani R., Penetration of Chloride Ions
be limited
East Asia Pte Ltd. The Wenner probe was in Cement Pastes and in Concretes”, Jour-
percent in the serviceability limit state [7]. From the results presented
provided in Fig
by Proceq 3, Mix
Asia C and D obtained
Pte Ltd.
The authors would like to acknowledge nal of American Ceramic Society, Vol. 55,
the research funding provided by National No. 10, 1972, pp. 534-535.
Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF)
under CRP funded Project “Underwater [7] Tang L. and Gulikers J., “On the
Infrastructure and Underwater City of the Mathematics of Time-dependent Apparent
Future”. Ultra-fine GGBS was provided by Chloride Diffusion Coefficient in Con-
EnGro Corporation Limited and the super- crete”, Cement and Concrete Research,
Vol. 37, No. 4, 2007, pp. 589-595.

[8] Ferreira M., Arskog V., Jalali S.

and Gjørv O.E., “Software for Probabili-
ty-based Durability Analysis of Concrete
Structures, Fourth International Confer-
ence on Concrete Under Severe Condi-
tions: Environment and Loading”, Vol. 1,
2004, pp. 999-1016.

[9] Standard Norway NS 3490, “De-

sign of Structures: Requirements to Reli-
ability, Standard Norway”, Oslo, 2004.

SCI CONCRETUS 17