ORIGINAL ARTICLE Mechanical properties of prestressed self-consolidating concrete Wu-Jian Long • Kamal H. Khayat • Soo-Duck Hwang Received: 18 July 2012 / Accepted: 19 November 2012 / Published online: 27 November 2012 Ó RILEM 2012 Abstract Since the mix design of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) differs from that of conventional concrete, mechanical properties of SCC may differ from those of vibrated concrete. An experimental program was performed to evaluate mechanical prop- erties of SCC used for precast, prestressed applica- tions. Sixteen SCC mixtures with a fixed slump flow of 680 ± 20 mm were prepared with different mixture parameters, including binder content and binder type, w/cm, dosage of viscosity-modifying admixture, and sand-to-total aggregate volume ratio. Two high- performance concrete mixtures that represent typi- cally concrete used for precast, prestressed applica- tions were investigated for the control mixtures. They were proportioned with 0.34 and 0.38 w/cm and had slump values of 150 mm. Mechanical properties of SCC were compared to code provisions to estimate compressive strength, elastic modulus, and flexural strength. The modified ACI 209-90 and CEB-FIP MC90 codes are found to provide good estimate for compressive strength prediction. The AASHTO 2007 model can provide good prediction of the elastic modulus and flexural strength of SCC. Keywords Compressive strength  Flexural strength  Mechanical codes  Modulus of elasticity  Self-consolidating concrete 1 Introduction SCC is highly flowable, non-segregating concrete that can spread into place, fill the formwork, and encap- sulate the reinforcement without any mechanical consolidation [1]. In understanding the behavior of SCC used in precast, prestressed applications, it is important to understand the material properties that can influence the design, constructability, and perfor- mance of precast, prestressed structural elements. Knowledge of compressive strength, elastic modu- lus, and flexural strength of concrete is important to estimate camber of prestressed members at the release of the prestressing load, as well as to determine elastic deflection caused by dead and live loads, axial short- ening and elongation, and prestress losses. The inten- sive publications on properties of hardened SCC have been observed in the last 12 years [2–4]. It is considered that the mechanical properties of SCC and conventional vibrated concrete are similar [5]. However, the opinions on this subject are various, and further research is still needed. Domone [6] stated that future studies need be W.-J. Long (&) Department of Civil Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Durability for Marine Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, 3688 Nanhai Ave, Guangdong, Shenzhen 518060, China e-mail: longwj@szu.edu.cn; alainens@hotmail.com K. H. Khayat  S.-D. Hwang Universite ´ de Sherbrooke, 2500 Blvd. Universite ´, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada e-mail: Kamal.Khayat@USherbrooke.ca Materials and Structures (2013) 46:1473–1487 DOI 10.1617/s11527-012-9989-9