Influence of the Packing Density of Fine Particles in Ternary, Quaternary and Quinary Blends on High Performance Concrete

Concrete is a widely used construction material all over the world. Increasing the cement content in concrete leads to increase in the CO₂ emission which ultimately contributes to global warming. In order to increase the strength and durability of concrete without increasing the cement content becomes important. The solution to this problem lies in the packing density. According to the previous researches, for reduction in voids, ultra-fine pozzolanic materials should be added to form a dense cement paste to achieve a higher packing density. Addition of mineral admixtures can minimize the porosity of concrete and improve the microstructure, which leads to improve the mechanical properties of concrete. This paper presents an experimental approach for packing density measurement of ternary, quaternary and quinary mix. Mixtures are made with the inclusion of rice husk ash, fly ash, metakaolin, and ultra-fine slag as a replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement. Packing density of the ternary, quaternary and quinary cementitious blends were studied using the Punkte test method, wet packing test method and Relative Density Index (β) method respectively. Results indicated maximum packing density obtained by the replacement of cement by mineral admixtures varied between 25 and 30% in ternary, quaternary and quinary mixtures.