Predicting the shrinkage deformation is an important aspect in the evaluation of the long term behavior of concrete. In this study experimental shrinkage results for self consolidating concrete (SCC) and conventional concrete (CC) are compiled from 25 published investigations into a database. The database includes 93 SCC mixtures and 30 CC mixtures. The shrinkage strains for the concrete mixtures are calculated using the following predictions models: CEB-FIP 1990, EHE, ACI 209, B3 and GL2000. Various analysis methods, including, best fit line, residual analysis, and coefficient of variation, are used to compare the predicted and measured shrinkage strains of the SCC and CC mixtures. The influence of various parameters, such as strength of concrete, cement content, filler content, aggregate content, and water: cement ratio, on the shrinkage behavior of SCC is also included. The ACI and B3 models best estimate the shrinkage strains for SCC and CC. The CEB-FIP 1990, EHE, and GL2000 substantially underestimate the shrinkage strains for both the SCC and CC mixtures. However, each of the models predicts the shrinkage strains with similar accuracy for SCC and CC.
Self consolidating concrete (SCC) is a very fluid concrete that can flow through the reinforcement and fill the molds without any need for vibration during the placement process and in the hardened state complies with all the requirements of conventional vibrated concrete (CC). SCC is characterized by its excellent deformability and segregation resistance. SCC consists basically of the same components as conventional vibrated concrete (cement, water, aggregates, admixtures and mineral additions), but the final composition of the mix and its fresh characteristics are different. In comparison with conventional concrete, SCC contains larger quantities of mineral fillers, such as finely crushed limestone or fly ash, higher quantities of superplasticizers, and the maximum size of the coarse aggregate is smaller.
These modifications in the composition of the mixture affect the behavior of the concrete in its hardened state, including the shrinkage deformations. It is of general acceptance that shrinkage depends mainly on the characteristics of the paste and the aggregates volume. It is considered that concretes with a higher paste volume and a lower aggregate volume exhibit greater shrinkage deformations.