Strength effect of alccofine on ordinary and standard grade concrete mixes

Concrete is an indispensable construction material used worldwide. It primarily consists of the binder phase and aggregate phase. In the binder phase, cement replacement with silica fumes, fly-ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) is recommended in design mix guidelines (IS 10262-2019). However, ultra-fine material like Alccofine was not recommended as supplementary cementitious material. This paper addresses the suitability of this admixture for concrete of various grades i.e. M20, M30 and M40 grade mixes. The relevant hardened concrete strength for 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% cement replacement with Alccofine was tested. All the design mixes established the acceptance criteria of test results. However, the highest test results were obtained for 15% replacement of Alccofine for all the mixes. Surprisingly the 28 days strength of M20 grade concrete was achieved even at seven days curing test results. In summary, the Alccofine material can reduce the consumption of cement and C02 emissions in the atmosphere.