High strength concrete
High Strength Concrete (HSC) or sometimes referred to as High Performance Concrete can generally be described as concrete which has a strength greater than concrete used for conventional structural work. In the work done with Super-Pozz®, HSC is classified as concrete with a minimum compressive strength of 60 MPa.

One of the basic principles of HSC is the need for proper packing of particles. The purpose is to obtain the smallest possible volume of empty or water-filled space in the material. The ideal particle size distribution of Super-Pozz® is such that it efficiently fills void spaces between the aggregates and cementitious components of the mixture. The end result is a mix, which exhibits lower water demand, which leads to improved durability and strength gain.

HSC normally requires high cement contents, high-range water reducing admixtures and highly reactive mineral additives. The use of Super-Pozz® is beneficial because it produces concrete with a lower w/c ratio and can also provide a reduction in HRWR. The added advantage is an improvement in durability, reduction in shrinkage, reduced bleeding, improved slump retention and ease of placement of the concrete.

Research and experience has showed that the use of Super-Pozz® coupled with silica fume has a great potential for achieving very high strengths, particularly over longer periods. Blends of Super-Pozz® with silica fume are found complementary in that Super-Pozz® provides the water reduction and workability and silica fume promotes accelerated hydration; both products synergising to improve the overall strength gain profile of a mix.

Super-Pozz® incorporates into the concrete mix easily which reduces the risk of having a non-homogeneously mixed concrete after placement.

Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC)
Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is defined by Khayat, Hu and Monty as a "highly flowable, yet stable concrete that can spread readily into place and fill the formwork without any consolidation and without undergoing any significant separation". The main characteristic of the fresh concrete is to have a high slump-flow measurement with no segregation. With Super-Pozz®, due to its ideal particle shape and fineness, it disperses easily into the concrete resulting in major improvements in the workability and rheology of the mix. The use of Super-Pozz® in SCC creates a cohesive, yet workable mix without the need of modifying the water and/or admixture content. Super-Pozz® also reduces segregation and bleeding, which improves the bond between paste and aggregate as well as producing a less permeable concrete.

Ready-mix concrete
The use of Super-Pozz® can be effective in enhancing the properties of concrete, both in its fresh and hardened state. Due to the lower water demand required, Super-Pozz can beneficially be used to:

  • Lower the w/b ratio
  • Use of more cost effective admixtures dosages, or
  • A combination of the above

Super-Pozz® can be stored in silos and handled in the same manner as cement. Super-Pozz® in concrete assists with the placement and compaction, which is as a result of the material being totally spherical. Due to the ideal particle shape and size, Super-Pozz® fulfils an actively enhancing role unlike other ultra-fine materials, which tends to generally stiffen up the concrete mix. In addition, Super-Pozz® also aids pumpability and reduces pumping pressures, which allows for a major cost savings on equipment maintenance.

Durability
The durability of a product can be measured by its ability to remain serviceable for a required period of time (years,decades or even centuries). The environment to which cementitious products are exposed to needs to be taken into consideration when doing mix designs. Super-Pozz® as a mineral additive can effectively be used where typical aggressive environments such as chloride attack, alkali aggregate, silica reaction, and sulfate attack conditions exist. Other durability tests on concrete include permeability, abrasion resistance, carbonation rates, where Super-Pozz® improves the performance of concrete.

Pump concrete
Generally, the workability of Super-Pozz® concrete is improved due to the fact that there are a number of very fine, solid, spherical particles introduced in the mix. These small spheres act like miniature ball bearings allowing the concrete to exhibit better workability characteristics when energy is introduced into the mix. As a result of the Super-Pozz® addition, the workability is increased resulting in improved compatibility and pumpability of the mix. The improved compaction has the further advantage of increasing durability and resistance against penetration by aggressive chemicals. Another major benefit with the addition of Super-Pozz® in pumped concrete is that pumping pressures can be reduced thus allowing major cost savings on equipment maintenance.