Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231

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Construction and Building Materials

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Bond and cracking properties of self-consolidating concrete

Arnaud Castel *, Thierry Vidal, Raoul François
Université de Toulouse, UPS, INSA, LMDC (Laboratoire Matériaux et Durabilité des Constructions), 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse cedex 4, France

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The experimental program is aimed at investigating the possible differences between bond and cracking
Received 19 September 2008 properties of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) and vibrated concrete (VC). Four different mechanical tests
Received in revised form 8 December 2009 were performed: splitting test, direct axial tension test, tension member test and beam test in flexure.
Accepted 11 December 2009
Moreover specific additional tests were carried out in order to study the effect of the concrete skin (i.e.
Available online 15 January 2010
the surface layer of concrete which do not have the same mechanical and physical properties as bulk con-
crete mostly due to the wall effect and the evaporation of water) on cracking.
Keywords:
Tension member tests did not show any significant difference between SCC and VC in terms of transfer
Self-consolidating concrete
Bond
length irrespective of the compressive strength of the concrete. Then, bond properties of both types of
Cracking concrete are similar. No significant difference between SCC and VC tensile strength was observed by
Tensile strength using the splitting test, the direct axial tension test and the beam test. Results obtained on not sawn ten-
Concrete skin sion members have shown that SCC cracking load can be significantly lower (up to 40%) than VC one. This
reduction in cracking load can be attributed to a lower quality of the SCC skin. If the concrete skin is
removed by sawing the specimens or if the concrete skin proportion in the tension cross-section is
low (as in beam tests), the cracking loads and then the tensile strength deduced are similar for SCC or
VC. The structural performance of the beams cast with SCC or VC can be considered similar under service
loading (deflection) or at ultimate state.
Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The main advantage of self-compacting concrete (SCC) com-
pared to vibrated concrete (VC) concerns its fresh properties. Its
workability facilitates the placement of concrete in congested
members and restricted areas without additional vibration energy
[1,2]. Moreover, the addition of a viscosity-modifying admixture
enhances the viscosity of the fluid mix and ensures high resistance
to segregation and bleeding [3]. As a result, most of the research
carried out on SCC focuses on the concrete properties at the early
ages. However, the modified composition of SCC in comparison
with VC can also have some consequences on the properties of
the hardened concrete. It is important to ensure that all the pre-
sumptions and test results, on which the structural design models
are based for VC constructions, are also valid for SCC constructions.
An important property of the hardened concrete is its bond capac-
ity with the reinforcing steel. Several works have been carried out
on this topic [4–9] with very conflicting findings. The usual pull-
out test [10], which characterizes the anchoring capacity of the
reinforcement in the concrete, is mainly performed in order to
study the bond behavior of the concrete. Very few results dealing
with cracking, tension stiffening, transfer length, etc., are available
in the literature [11].
In the present paper, four different mechanical tests were per-
formed in order to provide new data and confirm results from pre-
vious research [11] on the bond and cracking properties of SCC:
splitting test, direct axial tension test, tension member test and
beam test in flexure. Moreover, specific additional tests were car-
ried out in order to study the effect of the concrete skin on crack-
ing. Concrete skin means the surface layer of concrete which do not
have the same mechanical and physical properties as bulk concrete
mostly due to the wall effect and the evaporation of water [12]. The
investigations were carried out on the two optimized SCC mixes
used in the French National Project on SCC ‘‘Projet National Béton
Autoplaçant (PN-B@P)” [13,14]. This work is the second part of a
previous research program dealing with the study of the same
SCC bond properties by using the usual pull-out test [15] including
the effect of the steel bar orientation in regard to concrete casting
direction and the top-bar effect.
2. Experimental program

The experimental program is aimed at investigating the possible differences be-

tween the bond and cracking properties of the SCC and in vibrated concrete (VC).
* Corresponding author. Four different mechanical tests were performed: splitting test, direct axial tension
E-mail address: castel@insa-toulouse.fr (A. Castel). test, tension member test and beam test in flexure.

0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2009.12.017
 A. Castel et al. / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231 1223

Specific additional tests were carried out in order to study the effect of the con-
crete skin on cracking. Indeed, SCC contains a greater volume of paste than VC.
Moreover, 6.3/20 mm gravel is used in SCC mix and only 10/14 mm gravel is used
in VC mix. Thus, the bigger maximum size of the gravel used in SCC mix can induce
modifications of the concrete skin thickness compared to VC [12] and the greater
volume of paste contained in SCC can induce modifications of the concrete skin
strength especially if the concrete is subjected to water evaporation at early age.
An early initiation of the cracks in this area is probable and must be studied in rela-
tion to the different types of concrete.
2.1. Concrete mixtures
Four concrete mixtures were studied, two SCC and two VC. The concrete com-
positions are given in Tables 1 and 2 for the SCC and the VC, respectively. Two con-
crete strengths were studied (25 MPa and 40 MPa). SCC mixtures and then, the
compressive strengths of the concretes were imposed by the French National Pro-
ject on SCC [12,13]. The VC used for the study has been reference concretes since
a very long time in the laboratory. Their compressive and tensile strengths and their
bond properties with reinforcement are representative of what can be expected for
grade 25 and grade 40 concretes (i.e. C25/30 and C40/50 according to EN206 [16]).
This is why these VC were chosen as reference concretes in spite of different mix-
tures (aggregates, water/cement ratio) compared to the SCC.
2.2. Fresh concrete properties
SCC, T0 (mm) is the diameter of the slump flow measured just after mixing. T60
(mm) is the slump flow diameter measured after 60 s. No significant modification
of the fresh SCC properties is observed during this time. The segregation ratio
according to Lecrux et al. [17] suggests a very moderate tendency to segregate.
All samples cast with VC were compacted by using a poker vibration just after mix-
ing. Both VC showed a moderate tendency to segregate and no significant bleeding.
2.3. Hardened concrete properties
The properties of the hardened concrete (compressive strength fc28 and instan-
taneous elastic modulus Ec) were measured at 28 d on concrete cylinders
(£ = 110 mm, h = 220 mm). After casting, samples were stored in a 20 °C and
100% relative humidity room for 24 h. The specimens were removed from their
molds 24 h after casting and stored in a controlled room (T0 = 20 °C, 60% relative
humidity) for 27 d. Table 4 shows the mechanical properties obtained for all the
concretes which correspond to the average values obtained on three tests.
2.4. Splitting test
The tensile strength of the concretes are measured on concrete cylinders
(£ = 110 mm, h = 220 mm) by using the splitting test after 28 d. The specimens
were removed from their molds 24 h after casting and stored in a controlled room
(T0 = 20 °C, RH% = 60%) for 27 d.
The tensile strength is calculated by using the following equation:

ft;splitting ¼ 2Pu =ðpøhÞ ð1Þ

The fresh properties of all the concrete mixtures are listed in Table 3. The fresh
properties of SCC were characterized according to the French specifications for SCC where h and £ are respectively the height and the diameter of the concrete sample,
acceptance on site: the outcome of the French National Project (PN-B@P) [17]. For Pu is the ultimate splitting load. The loading rate is constant and equal to 2 kN/s. For
each concrete, three tests are performed.
Table 1
Concrete composition of the self-consolidating concretes.
2.5. Direct axial tension test
SCC25 (kg/m3) SCC40 (kg/m3)
Tests are performed on concrete cores with 150 mm height and 100 mm diam-
Cement CEM II/B-M (S-LL) 32.5 315.0
eter. Cores are drilled from 200  200  950 mm concrete elements (Fig. 1a). Then,
R CE CP1 NF (Gargenville Calcia)
the 200 mm height cores obtained are sawn at both extremities to reduce the
Cement CEM I 52.5 N CE CP2 NF 350.0
(Gargenville Calcia) Table 3
Limestone filler Betocab P2 160.0 130.0 Fresh concrete properties.
Sand 0/4 SC NF 811.0 857.0
Crushed gravel 6.3/20 SC 792.0 742.0 SCC25 SCC40 VC25 VC40
Superplasticizer Cimfluid adagio 2019 5.0 7.7
Slump (mm) 65 40
Viscosity-modifying admixture 0.5 0.5
Slump flow T0 (mm) 680–700 680–700
Collaxim L4
Slump flow T60 (mm) 650–670 680–700
Effective water 190.0 195.0
L-box blocking ratio 0.89 0.94
Total water 208.8 211.0
Segregation ratio at 5 mm sieve 0.15–0.2 0.15–0.2
Bleeding 0 0 0 0

Table 2
Concrete composition of the vibrated concretes.
Table 4
VC25 (kg/m3) VC40 (kg/m3)
Mechanical properties of the concretes.
Cement CEM II/B-M (S-LL) 32.5 R 350
CE CP1 NF (Gargenville Calcia) Concretes Compressive strength (MPa) Elastic modulus (GPa)
Cement CEM I 52.5 N CE CP2 NF 425 SCC25 30.0 28.2
(Gargenville Calcia) SCC40 44.0 32.1
Sand 0/4 770 710 VC25 35.0 29.5
Rolled gravel 4/10 325 530 VC40 49.0 32.8
Crushed gravel 10/14 840 530 Ratio SCC25/VC25 0.86 0.96
Total water 175 185 Ratio SCC40/VC40 0.9 0.98

Fig. 1. Sampling and pre-conditioning of the cores for the direct axial tension test.
1224 A. Castel et al. / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231

height to 150 mm. After that pre-conditioning, the axial tensile strength measured
will not be affected by the quality of the concrete skin as the sampling is formed
deep enough in the concrete element. Finally, by using a saw, a 5 mm deep notch
is performed around the perimeter of the cores at mid-length (Fig. 1b). Thus, the
tension failure cross-section is imposed and is 90 mm diameter, which is more than
three times the size of the biggest aggregate in the concretes. For each concrete, at
least two tests are performed.
Tests are carried out in a closed-loop digital controlled machine with a 50 kN
load capacity. Both extreme surfaces of the pre-conditioned cores are glued onto
AU4G (aluminum) shoulders which are fixed to the frame of the press so that any
rotation is prevent. This material is usually used due to its good compatibility with
concrete transverse strain. Three LVDTs located at 120° around the notch are used
to measure the axial displacements. The tests are controlled by reference to the
average value of the notch opening measured by the three LVDTs. The notch open-
500 mm (19.7 in) length
ing was increased at the rate of 5 lm/min until it reaches 0.2 mm. Afterwards, the
rate is increased to 50 lm/min. The average value of the three displacements is
used to calculate the axial concrete strain.
2.6. Tension member test
The tests are performed on 500-mm-long tension members with a
100  100 mm cross-section (Fig. 2), reinforced with 12 mm ribbed re-bar (yield
strength = 500 MPa).
2.6.1. Purpose of the test
In usual working conditions, structural members subjected to tension and flex-
ure is cracked. Between two cracks, the concrete tension stiffening depends on the
bond between the reinforcement and the concrete. The distance necessary for the
reinforcement to redevelop the full tensile force in the concrete, lost by the occur-
rence of the crack, is called the transfer length Lt [18]. The first purpose of these

100 mm
N N tests is to measure the transfer length. Tests consisted of recording the distribution
concrete of the concrete strains along the half tension member using eight strain gauges
30 mm long, four on each symmetrical side of the half tension member. In order
Re-bar Re-bar to prevent the results from any flexural effect, each strain value was taken as the
100 mm (3.94 in) average of the strains obtained on both sides. The location of the gauges is shown
in Fig. 3 (on one side only). As the load applied corresponded to the first loading
Fig. 2. Tension member specimens. of the tension members, the bond between the steel bar and the concrete is initially
perfect. A qualitative tensile-strain distribution in the reinforcement and in the sur-
rounding concrete along an uncracked tension member is shown in Fig. 4. At the
Half tensile member : 250 mm ends, the concrete strain is close to zero and the tensile stress in the bars becomes
es. Moving towards, (0 6 x 6 Lt), the tensile load is partly transferred from the re-bar
to the embedded concrete by means of bond action. Finally, when the transfer
loc.4 loc.3 loc.2 loc.1
length is reached, the concrete strain ect.max and the reinforcement strain es.min are
equal. The transfer length cannot be measured on a sample which is already cracked
since the distance between two cracks is always smaller than two times the transfer
100 mm Gauge length [19]. According to this assumption, the transfer length is also an essential
parameter which controls the crack spacing along structural members subjected
150 mm
to bending.
200 mm The second purpose of the test is to evaluate the cracking load Ncr which corre-
sponds to the initiation of the first transverse concrete crack. The first transverse
Fig. 3. Location of the strain gauges along the tensile members reinforced with concrete crack is accurately detected by the strain measurements especially at
ribbed bars. mid-length of the samples. For all the specimens, the loading rate was 0.1 kN/s.
For each concrete, two tests are performed.

Strain 2.6.2. Effect of concrete skin on cracking

Tension member far ends The tension member test is also used to study the effect of concrete skin on the

εs cracking load Ncr. Concrete skin strength is weaker than the strength of concrete lo-
cated deeper in structural members [12]. An early initiation of the cracks in this
area is probable and must be studied in relation to the different concretes. The same
mechanical tests are performed on 500-mm-long tension members cast with a
200  200 mm cross-section and reinforced with the same 12 mm ribbed re-bars.
steel After 28 d, before the mechanical experiments, the concrete skin is removed by
sawing the samples along their four longitudinal surfaces to reduce the cross-sec-
tion to 100  100 mm as previous tension members (Fig. 5). Sawing the concrete
specimens 50 mm deep allows to completely removing the skin concrete which
never exceeds 30–40 mm [12] but can also influence the crack formation particu-
εs.min larly because the aggregate will be on the surface directly and will present a sawn
face. But, this effect will be the same for SCC and VC and then will not influence the
concrete εct.max x
comparative interpretation of the results between both types of concrete. For each
concrete, two tests are performed.
0
Lt Lt Tests consisted of recording the concrete strain only at mid-length on the ten-
sile member by using two 30 mm long strain gauges, one on each symmetrical side
of the tensile member. Thus, the strain value was taken as the average of the strains
Fig. 4. Strain distribution in the bars and the concrete along an uncracked tension
obtained on both sides. These strain gauges will allow one to detect the first trans-
member.
verse concrete crack accurately and then to evaluate the cracking loads Ncr.

Fig. 5. Tension members affected (a) or not affected (b) by concrete skin effect.
 A. Castel et al. / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231 1225

2 φ6 11 stirrups at 198 mm spacing

Stirrup φ6

d = 175 mm
z

h = 200 mm
G
2 φ10 2000 mm

c = 20 mm

b = 150 mm
Fig. 6. Layout of the reinforcement, all re-bars are ribbed.

y 600 mm Table 5
P P Tensile strengths obtained by using the splitting test.

SCC25 VC25 SCC40 VC40

L = 600 mm L= 600 mm ft,splitting (MPa) 2.6 2.9 3.4 4.0
(23.64 in)
ft,splitting/fc28 0.087 0.083 0.077 0.082
ft,splitting/fc282/3 0.269 0.271 0.273 0.299
Ratio SCC/VC 0.90 0.85
2000 mm
0 x
28 d are also presented. The tensile strengths measured on VC are
Lower Surface Gauge 3 Gauge 2 Gauge 1
always superior to the ones obtained on SCC, as are the compres-
sive strengths in Table 4. But, ratios between the tensile strength
Fig. 7. Location of the loading and the strain gauges on the RC-beams. of SCC and VC (Table 5) are similar to the ones obtained between
the compressive strength of SCC and VC (Table 4). Then, for a con-
stant compressive strength, both types of concrete have a similar
2.7. Beam test
tensile strength measured by using splitting test. Consequently, ra-
One beam reinforced with two £10 mm ribbed bars is tested for each concrete. tios (ft,splitting/fc28) do not show any significant difference between
The beam’s characteristics are presented in Fig. 6. Beams are tested in 4-points-flex- both types of concrete whatever the compressive strength. The
ure as shown in Fig. 7. In the constant moment area, three strain gauges are pasted
tensile strength ft,splitting ranges between 7.7% and 8.7% of the com-
on the lower concrete surface of each beam. These strain gauges will allow one to
detect the first transverse concrete crack accurately and then to evaluate the crack- pressive strength. For all types of concrete scatter on splitting ten-
ing moment Mcr. The mid-span deflection is also measured by using a digital trans- sile strength is inferior to 5% (three test performed).
ducer. The tensile strength of the concrete is calculated using following equation:

ðh  y0nc ÞM cr 3.2. Direct axial tension test

ft;flexure ¼ ð2Þ
I0

where y0nc and I0 are respectively the height of the neutral axis (relation (3)) and the The curves of stress versus strain obtained for the 25 MPa grade
inertia (Eq. (4)) of the non cracked cross-section. concretes and for the 40 MPa grade concretes are presented
bh2
þ nAsd
respectively in Fig. 8 and 9. The tensile strengths after 28 d ob-
2
y0nc ¼ ð3Þ tained for all the concretes by using direct axial tension test are
bh þ nAs
presented in the Table 6. The ratios of the tensile strength (ft,axial)
where As is the tension steel cross-section, n is the ratio between the instantaneous
to the compressive strength (fc28) after 28 d are also presented.
elastic modulus of the steel and the concrete, h, d and b are the total cross-section
depth, the effective depth and the cross-section breadth respectively (Fig. 6).
3
by0 nc bðh  y0nc Þ3 5
I0 ¼ þ þ nAs ðd  y0nc Þ2 ð4Þ VC25(1)
3 3
VC25(2)
Stress (MPa = 145 psi )

The beam’s cracking pattern is studied at the value of the service loading and at
ultimate state including minimum, maximum and average spacing evaluation.
4 VC25(3)
Beams are tested until failure, but one loading cycle is performed after cracking
SCC25(1)
in order to compare, for the different types of concrete, the bending stiffness (mo- 3
ment–deflection curve) under service loading. The maximum service moment are SCC25(3)
Mser = 4 kN m for grade 25 MPa concretes and Mser = 6 kN m for grade 40 MPa con-
cretes. For these low values of moment, the beams are cracked only along the con- 2
stant moment area.

1
3. Experimental results and discussion

0
3.1. Splitting test
0 100 200 300 400 500
Strain ( μ m/m)
The tensile strengths after 28 d obtained for all concretes by
using the splitting test are presented in Table 5. Ratios tensile Fig. 8. Stress–strain curves obtained for grade 25 MPa (3625 psi) concretes by
strength (ft,splitting) to compressive strength (fc28) or to (fc28)2/3 after direct axial tension.
1226 A. Castel et al. / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231

5 Finally, from Eqs. (5) and (6), Eq. (7) can be deduced, which cor-
VC40(1) responds to the theoretical curves presented in Figs. 10–13.
VC40(2) N ¼ ðAs Es þ Ac Ec Þect:max ð7Þ
Stress (MPa = 145 psi)

4
3 in relation to the load intensity. Below a load value ranging between
2 values, the bond between the steel and the concrete is still perfect
1 4). Above these load values, the steel–concrete adhesion is lost
0 Ncr is reached. Figs. 10–13 show that, due to a significant relaxation,
0 100 200 300
Strain ( μ m/m)
Fig. 9. Stress–strain curves obtained for grade 40 MPa (5800 psi) concretes by
direct axial tension.
Table 6
Tensile strengths obtained by direct axial tension test.
SCC25 VC25
ft,axial (MPa) 2.0 2.6
ft,axial/fc28 0.067 0.074
Ratio SCC/VC 0.77
These figures show some important scatter particularly for the
maximum stress (14% for SCC25, 24% for SCC40, 33% for VC25
and 11% for VC40). The global shape of the curves during the soft-
ening branch can also be very different for the same concrete due
to the high sensitivity of this test to local experimental condition
such as aggregate density at the notched cross-section, scatter on
displacement control. For some of the tests (VC25(2) and
SCC40(1)), the softening branch does not appear at all because of
an early failure of the samples.
The tensile strengths measured for the VC are again superior to
the ones obtained for SCC for the reason mentioned previously. In
term of ratios (ft,axial/fc28), according to the scatters, there is no sig-
nificant difference between both types of concrete whatever the
compressive strength. The strength measured by direct axial ten-
sion test ft,axial ranges between 5.9% and 7.4% of the compressive
strength. The tensile strength measured by using the splitting test
(according to Eq. (1)) is significantly superior to the ones measured
by using the direct axial tension test.
3.3. Tension member test
The strains measured are presented in the Figs. 10–13 respec-
tively for SCC25, SCC40, VC25 and VC40. The theoretical behavior
of the specimens is also presented in these figures. The calculation
was carried out by considering a perfect bond between the steel
and the concrete beyond the value of the transfer length Lt
(Fig. 4). At this point, as already stated, the concrete strain ect.max
and the reinforcement strain es.min are equal:
ect; max ¼ es; min
In the tension member cross-section located beyond the transfer
length, the tensile load N is balanced by the concrete and the steel
as described by:
N ¼ As Es es:min þ Ac Ec ect:max
where Es and Ec are the instantaneous elastic modulus of the steel
and the concrete respectively, As and Ac the cross-section of the
reinforcement and the concrete.
SCC40(1)
For all the tension members, Figs. 10–13 show two different stages
SCC40(2)
SCC40(3) 5 kN and 10 kN, depending on the concrete, all the strains are very
similar (loc. 1–loc. 4) and conform to the model. For these low load
and the transfer length is short (less than 100 mm: location loc.
along the specimens, but the tension load is still transmitted to
the concrete due to the action of the ribs until the cracking load
400 500 the strain at loc. 4 and sometimes also at loc. 3 depending on the
concrete, are no longer that of the theoretical. Then, the adhesion
loss leads to a transfer length increase in the specimen with ribbed
re-bars. This second stage is more representative of the operating
condition of reinforced concrete beams after cracking as the load
value is already high. It is during this stage that the transfer length
in relation to the different concretes will be compared. Fig. 14
shows the strain profile obtained on SCC25 specimens at 15 kN
SCC40 VC40 and on SCC40 specimens at 12 kN (i.e. after the adhesion failure).
2.6 3.0 Fig. 15 shows the strain profile obtained on VC25 specimens and
0.059 0.061 on VC40 specimens both at 15 kN.
0.87
Figs. 14 and 15 do not show any significant difference between
the SCC and the VC in terms of transfer length irrespective of the
compressive strength of the concrete. Secondly, for both types of
concrete, the transfer length decreases when the compressive
strength of the concrete increases. The transfer length ranges be-
tween 15 and 20 cm for the 25 MPa concretes and between 10
and 15 cm for the 40 MPa concretes. The compressive strength of
the concrete influences the value of the transfer length probably
because the concrete located between the ribs is locally subjected
to compression.
Finally, Figs. 10–13 show that the load intensity Ncr, which leads
to specimen cracking, is significantly different for SCC in compari-
son with the corresponding VC. Indeed, Ncr is around 26% lower for
the SCC40 than for VC40 and around 43% lower for the SCC25 than
for VC25. For all types of concrete scatter on the Ncr is inferior to
2%.
3.3.1. Effect of concrete skin on cracking
The purpose is to evaluate the effect of the concrete skin on
cracking load Ncr. Table 7 compares the average cracking loads
obtained on the sawn tension members who are not affected
anymore by the concrete skin, to the cracking loads obtained
on previous tension members. The scatters on results obtained
on sawn specimens (2 tests for each configuration) were low
(<10%).
Results show that the cracking loads obtained on VC sawn spec-
imens are almost equal to ones obtained on the not sawn speci-
mens. The concrete skin does not significantly influence VC
cracks initiation. The SCC cracking load is usually lower than the
VC cracking load due to their lower aggregate content. Indeed,
ð5Þ aggregates contribute to limit the cracking propagation. But in re-
gard to our experimental results, SCC sawn specimens cracking
load is around 20% higher than not sawn specimens cracking load
for both concrete strengths. Thus, the concrete skin influences at
least partly but significantly SCC cracking load. This is probably
due to an early initiation of the cracks in this area resulting from
ð6Þ
a weaker strength than the strength of bulk concrete:
– Firstly, as the gravel used in these SCC mix are bigger than VC
ones, concrete skin thickness is assumed higher for SCC [12].
 A. Castel et al. / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231 1227

30 30
25 25
20 SCC25 (1)
20
N (kN)

Ncr

N (kN)
Ncr loc.1 SCC25 (2)
15
loc.2 15
loc.1
10 loc.3 loc.2
10
5 loc.4 loc.3
5 loc.4
model
0 model
0 20 40 60 80 100 0
0 20 40 60 80 100
μ m/m)
Strain (μ
Strain (μm/m)

Fig. 10. Strains measured along the tensile members cast with SCC25 (1 kN = 0.2248 kip).

30 30
25 25
SCC40 (1) SCC40 (2)
20 20
N (kN)

loc.1

N (kN)
15 Ncr Ncr loc.1
loc.2 15
loc.2
10 loc.3 10 loc.3
5 loc.4 loc.4
5
model model
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
μ m/m)
Strain (μ Strain (μm/m)

Fig. 11. Strains measured along the tensile members cast with SCC40 (1 kN = 0.2248 kip).

30 30
Ncr Ncr
25 25
20 VC25 (1) 20 VC25 (2)
N (kN)

N (kN)

15 loc.1 loc.1
15
loc.2 loc.2
10 loc.3 10 loc.3
5 loc.4 5 loc.4
model model
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
μ m/m)
Strain (μ Strain (μm/m)

Fig. 12. Strains measured along the tensile members cast with VC25 (1 kN = 0.2248 kip).

30 30 VC40 (2)

25 25
Ncr Ncr
20 20
N (kN)

N (kN)

VC40 (1) loc.1

15 15
loc.1 loc.2
10 loc.2 10 loc.3
loc.3
5 loc.4 5 loc.4
model model
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100
μ m/m)
Strain (μ Strain (μm/m)

Fig. 13. Strains measured along the tensile members cast with VC40 (1 kN = 0.2248 kip).
1228 A. Castel et al. / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231

60 Transfer length 60
50 Transfer length
50
μ m/m)

Strain (μm/m)
40 40
Strain (μ

30 30 SCC40 (1)
20 SCC25 (1) 20 model SCC40
model SCC25 SCC40 (2)
10 10
SCC25 (2)
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Gauge location (cm) Gauge location (cm)

Fig. 14. Distribution of the strains along the tension members for both SCC.

60 60
Transfer length
50 50 Transfer length
μ m/m)

Strain (μm/m)
40 40
Strain (μ

30 30
VC25 (1)
20 20 VC40 (1)
model VC25 model VC40
10 10
VC25 (2) VC40 (2)
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
Gauge location (cm) Gauge location (cm)

Fig. 15. Distribution of the strains along the tension members for both VC.

Table 7
– Secondly, SCC always contains a greater volume of paste than Cracking loads obtained on sawn and not sawn tension members.
VC. This greater volume of paste can induce modifications of the SCC25 VC25 SCC40 VC40
concrete skin strength especially if the concrete is subjected to Not sawn specimens Ncr (kN) 15.5 27.0 17.0 23.0
water evaporation at early age. Indeed, after only 24 h after casting, Sawn specimens Ncr (kN) 19.0 24.0 20.0 24.0
all the specimens were stored in the Laboratory environment Ratio sawn/not sawn 1.23 0.89 1.18 1.04
(T0 = 20 °C, 60% relative humidity). This low relative humidity Ratio SCC/VC (not sawn) 0.57 0.74
Ratio SCC/VC (sawn) 0.80 0.83
induces water evaporation from skin concrete which probably
affects more SCC than VC. As a result, SCC is more sensible than
VC to the curing condition at early age. More investigations could
be performed in order to clarify and confirm this last point. Table 8
Tensile strengths obtained on the beam tests in flexure.
As a result, when the concrete skin is removed (sawn speci-
mens), ratios between the cracking load of SCC and VC (Table 7) Concrete SCC25 VC25 SCC40 VC40
are not distinct anymore from ones obtained between the com- Mcr (kN m) 2.4 2.5 2.9 3.5
pressive strength of SCC and VC (Table 4). Then, for a constant ft,flexure (MPa) 2.2 2.3 2.6 3.3
compressive strength, tension members cast with both types of ft,flexure/fc28 0.073 0.066 0.060 0.067
Ratio SCC/VC 0.96 0.79
concrete have a similar behavior.

3.4. Beam test

Table 8 presents, for each beam, the cracking moment Mcr and
the tensile strength calculated by using Eq. (2). Ratios between
the tensile strength (ft,flexure) and the compressive strength (fc28)
after 28 d are also presented. The tensile strengths obtained on
VC are again superior to the ones obtained on SCC. But, as previ-
ously explained, this difference is due to the higher compressive
strengths of VC25 and VC40 compared respectively to SCC25 and
SCC40. Then, for a constant compressive strength, cracking mo-
ments are similar for beams cast with VC or SCC. The tensile
strength ft,flexure ranges between 6% and 7.3% of the compressive
strength. Tensile strengths obtained on the beams are equivalent
to ones obtained by direct axial tension test. Tensile strength mea-
sured by using splitting test is about 20% higher than ones obtained
by using direct axial tension test or beam test.
The effect of concrete skin on SCC beams cracking is not signif-
icant contrary to the case of the tension members. This is probably
due to the higher tension concrete area of the beams which leads
to a lower concrete skin proportion. Moreover, cracking initiates
at the lower surface of the beams where the compaction of the
concrete is the best and where the concrete skin effect is the weak-
est [12].
Fig. 16 shows the global moment–deflection curves obtained for
all the beams. Fig. 17 shows the moment–deflection curves of the
 A. Castel et al. / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231 1229

24 24

Moment (kN.m = 0.206 kip.yd)

22 Load bearing capacity

Moment (kN.m = 0.206 kip.yd)

Load bearing capacity 22
20 20
18 18
16 16
14 14
12 12
10 VC25 10 VC40
8 8
6 SCC25 6 SCC40
4 4 First cracking moment
2 First cracking moment 2
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Deflection (mm = 0.0394 in) Deflection (mm = 0.0394 in)

Fig. 16. Global moment–deflection curves obtained for all the beams.

6 6
Moment (kN.m= 0.206 kip.yd)

Moment (kN.m= 0.206 kip.yd)

5 5

4 4

3 3
VC25 VC40
2 2
SCC40
SCC25
1 1

0 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Deflection (mm = 0.0394 in) Deflection (mm = 0.0394 in)

Fig. 17. Moment–deflection curves obtained in the reloading phase of the cracked beams during the loading cycle performed up to the service moment.

beams under service loading. In that case, one loading cycle was Table 9
Statistical analysis of the cracking pattern of the beams.
performed in order to measure the deflection of the beams after
a stabilized cracking state was reached at the maximum value of Moment Number Maximum Minimum Average
the service moment (4 kN m for grade 25 MPa concretes and (kN m) of cracks spacing spacing spacing
(mm) (mm) (mm)
6 kN m for grade 40 MPa concretes). Fig. 17 shows only the mo-
ment–deflection curves obtained in the reloading phase of the VC25
4 5 220 190 207.5
cracked beams during the loading cycle performed up to the ser-
vice moment. 14 12 130 85 110
Table 9 presents the statistical distribution of the cracks along
SCC25
the beams for two loading values including the number of cracks 4 5 200 170 185
and their minimum, maximum and average spacing. The first load-
ing value corresponds to the maximum service moment and the 14 14 125 40 92
second loading value corresponds to about 70% of the ultimate mo- VC40
ment. The cracking maps of the beams at 70–80% of the ultimate 6 4 210 200 205
moment are presented in Fig. 18.
14 12 135 65 103
In the stabilized cracking phase under service moment, the
bending stiffness of the beams cast with SCC or VC are similar SCC40
6 4 200 200 200
whatever the concrete strength (Fig. 17). This is in accordance with
the results obtained on the 500 mm length tension members. In- 14 14 130 40 93
deed, the transfer length measured on tension members cast with
SCC or VC concretes are similar (Figs. 14 and 15). Consequently, the
tension stiffening effect of the concrete is the same, which leads to
comparable deflections for the same cracks distribution. Indeed, for to about 200 mm for all beams. Mostly, cracks occur at the same
these low loading values, Table 9 shows that the number of cracks location as the stirrups where the concrete cross-section is the
is the same for the beams cast with SCC or VC. The number of weakest. The stirrups half-spacing (around 100 mm) corresponds
cracks was also almost the same for grade 25 MPa and 40 MPa con- to about 0.6Lt for grade 25 MPa concretes and to about 0.8Lt for
cretes (5 and 4 cracks respectively). All the cracks appeared in the grade 40 MPa concretes which is almost consistent with CEB-FIP
constant moment area. Cracks spacing is very regular and is equal recommendation [19] (i.e. 0.75Lt).
1230 A. Castel et al. / Construction and Building Materials 24 (2010) 1222–1231
VC25
11 9 11,5 8,5 13 9 10 9 10 12 18
VC40
6,5
11 9 11 10 10 14 7 13,5 13 8
Fig. 18. Cracking map at 70–80% of the ultimate moment – all length in cm (0.394 in.).
For loading values higher than service moment values, Fig. 16
shows that the stiffness of the beams cast with SCC is lower than
the stiffness of the beams cast with VC. This could be due partly
to the cracking development of the SCC beams. Indeed, Fig. 18
and Table 9 show that, for high loading values, the average crack
spacing of the SCC is slightly lower due to a higher number of
cracks and the cracks distribution is slightly less regular than the
one observed on VC beams. These results are in accordance with
previous similar studies [11].
Finally, the failure modes for all the beams were compressive
concrete crushing after the tension steel yielding. In accordance
with [11], the load bearing capacities of the beams cast with SCC
or VC were similar whatever the concrete strength (Fig. 18). The
ultimate deflection was slightly higher for the SCC40 beam than
for VC40 beam. No significant difference was observed for grade
25 MPa reinforced concrete beams.
4. Conclusions
The experimental program was aimed at investigating the pos-
sible differences between bond and cracking properties of self-
compacting concrete (SCC) and vibrated concrete (VC). Four differ-
ent mechanical tests were performed: splitting test, direct axial
tension test, tension member test and beam test. Moreover, spe-
cific additional tests were carried out in order to study the effect
of the concrete skin on cracking.
4.1. Steel–concrete bond – tension member test
– Tension member tests did not show any significant difference
between SCC and VC in terms of transfer length irrespective of
the compressive strength of the concrete. Then, bond properties
of both types of concrete are similar. This result confirms the
one obtained by using the conventional pull-out test [15]. For
both types of concrete, the transfer length slightly decreases as
the compressive strength increases.
4.2. Concrete cracking – beam test
– Beam tests did not show any significant difference between SCC
and VC in terms of cracking moment irrespective of the com-
pressive strength of the concrete. As a result, tensile strength
measured by using the beam test is similar for SCC and VC.
– In the stabilized cracking phase under service moment (low
loading values): the bending stiffness of the beams cast with
SCC or VC is similar. The number of cracks and the average crack
SCC25
10 9 10 11 7,512,5 10 7 10 4 10 10,5 8
SCC40
12,5 7,59,5 11,5 13 7 6 10 4 14 6 11 9,5
spacing are the same. This is in accordance with the equivalent
transfer length measured on the tension members for both types
of concrete.
– At the ultimate state (high loading values): The failure of all the
beams was due to concrete crushing. The load bearing capacity
and the ductility of the SCC and VC beams were similar.
4.3. Concrete tensile strength
– No significant difference between SCC and VC tensile strength
was observed by using the splitting test, the direct axial tension
test and the beam test.
– Tensile strength obtained by using direct axial tests and beam
tests are similar. Tensile strength measured by using to splitting
test is about 20% higher.
4.4. Effect of the concrete skin on cracking – tension member test
– Results obtained on not sawn tension members have shown that
SCC cracking load can be significantly lower (up to 40%) than VC
one. This reduction in cracking load can be attributed to a lower
quality of the SCC skin as no difference is observed anymore
between SCC and VC sawn specimens where the concrete skin
is completely removed.
– The lower quality of SCC skin is attributed to the coupled effects
of water evaporation at early age and a greater volume of paste.
Desiccation leads to more reduction in skin concrete strength for
SCC and then to an early not sawn specimens cracking initiation
in this area. As results, SCC needs a greater attention on curing
condition at early age than VC in order keep equivalent cracking
properties.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the French National Project ‘‘Béton
Autoplaçant” and the D.R.A.S.T. (Direction de la Recherche et des
Affaires Scientifiques et Techniques) for their contribution.
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