Significant Role of Supplementary Cementing Materials in Concrete for the Assessment of Durability

Concrete has today very demanding performance requirements. The concrete durability crisis which started to attract public attention forced the engineers to think about the performance of concrete proper mix design and careful construction using the best available materials and technologies are necessary to achieve quality concrete structures. The February 2007 report issued by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has started in no uncertain terms that global warming is no longer an issue that has to be debated. According to the report, global warming is here, and drastic actions are needed for the long term sustainability of our environment. Curing of concrete plays a major role in developing the concrete microstructure and pore structure and hence improves its durability and performance. It is in this context that this paper discusses the role of supplementing cementing materials as partial replacement for cement in concrete in reducing green house gas emissions. In the last decade the use of Supplementary Cementing Materials (SCM) has become an integral part of high strength and high performance concrete mix design. The addition of SCM to concrete reduces the heat of hydration and extends the service life in structures by improving both long term durability and strength. The addition of SCM to concrete reduces the heat of hydration and extends the service life in structures by improving both long-term durability and strength. Some of the commonly used SCM’s are Flyash, Silica fume, Blast furnace slag and Metakaoline. This paper presents the results of the durability characteristic properties of M30 grade of concrete without superplasticizer. The durability was evaluated using Rapid Chloride Permeability Test.