This is our civil engineering project regarding increasing the strength of concrete which is successfully proved with references and literature reviews

1. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON
CONCRETE USING MICRO
SILICA AND NANO SILICA
Guided by
Ms.Rajasundari.R.Y
Prepared By
S.Manju
V.Muthu Selvi
J.Armstra Junoly

2. Introduction
 In the present era very vast development occurred in the field of
construction specially in concrete technology.
 Concrete is the most versatile material due to its continuous
demand. Engineers are continuously pushing the limits to improve
the performance with the help of supplementary cementitious
material like blast furnace slag, Fly ash, steel slag, silica fume etc.
 The present research work focused on one of such product . In this,
we will study the effect of MS and NS in the concrete properties
with their different percentages.
 Nano technology is most promising area of science.
 Nano silica and micro silica particles sizes are very very small so
they can fill the pores or small spaces of concrete easily and
effectively.

3. Aim
To study the mechanical properties of
concrete using micro silica and nano silica as a
partial replacement of cement to increase
strength.

4. Objective
 To study the compressive and split tensile strength
of concrete.
 To study the properties of concrete.
 To study the performance of concrete by
replacing the cement using micro silica and
nanosilica partially.
 To study the cost effectiveness of concrete.

5. METHODOLOGY
LITERATURE SURVEY
MATERIAL COLLECTION
TESTING OF MATERIALS
MIX DESIGN
CASTING & CURING OF
SPECIMEN
TESTING OF SPECIMEN
DETERMINATION OF
OPTIMUM VALUES

7. S.No Author Title Year Result
1 PingDuan,Chunje
Yan, Wei Zhou
Compressive strength and
microstructure of fly ash
based geopolymer blended
with silica fume under
thermal cycle
2016 The partial replacement
of fly ash by 10%, 20%
and 30% of silica fume
increases the compressive
strength over the
reference sample by
8.7%, 26.6% and 50.2%
respectively. Compressive
strength of geopolymer
increases with increasing
content of silica fume

8. S.No Author Title Year Result
2 A.Ranjani,
K.Keerthana,
N.K.Amudhavalli
Study on effect of micro
silica and nano silica in
polyester fibre reinforced
concrete
2016 This study is mainly
concentrated on the
mechanical
characteristics of FRC
with partial
replacement of cement
by micro silica (2%, 4%,
6%, 8 % and 10%) and
nano silica (0.5%, 1.5%,
1%, 2%, and 2.5%). the
compressive strength is
higher in the above
three cases, addition of
polyester fibre to the
combination increases
the compressive, split
tensile and flexural
strength upto 13.05%,
19.74%and 17.85%
respectively.

9. S.No Author Title Year Result
3 P.Janani,
S.Ganeshkumar,
M.Harihananth
Mechanical Properties of
Nano Silica Concrete
2016 The compressive strength
of using 23% replacement
of nano silica to cement
increases 32.69%
compared to conventional
mix, the tensile strength
of using 23% replacement
of nano silica to cement
increases 24.6% compared
to conventional mix, and
the flexural strength of
using 23% replacement of
nano silica to cement
increases 22% compared
to conventional mix.

10. S.No Author Title Year Result
4 Thushara
Priyadarshana ,
Ranjith
Dissanayake and
Priyan Mendis
Effects of Nano Silica,
Micro Silica, Fly Ash and
Bottom Ash on
Compressive Strength
of Concrete
2015 Test results obtained in
this study indicate that up
to 5% nano silica, 10%
micro silica, 20~30% fly
ash and 5% bottom ash
could be advantageously
blended with cement
without adversely affecting
the strength. optimum
levels of these materials
are 1~3% nano silica, 3~8%
of micro silica, 10% fly ash
and 5% bottom ash in the
compressive strengths of
Grade-35 concrete mix.

11. S.No Author Title Year Result
5 Mohamed Amin ,
Khaled Abu el-
hassan
Effect of using
different types of
nano materials on
mechanical properties
of high strength
concrete
2014 The optimum dose of
nano-silica is 3% by weight
and the optimum dose of
Ni ferrite and Cu-Zn ferrite
was 2% by weight. The
compressive strength of
concrete when nano silica
and nano ferrite was
added reaches 21% and
17%

12. S.No Author Title Year Result
6 M.Iyappan Properties of High
strength self compact
concrete with addition
of NS
2014 The addition of nano silica
is 0, 5 & 10 %. The
maximum increase in
compressive strength with
nanosilica was at 10% both
on 7th And 28th days. On
7th day at 10% the
strength was 38.7 MPa and
28th day it was 58.5 MPa.
Flexural strength of
concrete with the
replacement of cement
with nano silica in varying
percentage of 0, 5 & 10%
respectively. The maximum
strength was obtained
with 10% addition of NS.
After 7 day at 10% the
strength was 6.9 MPa & at
28th day it was 8.3 MPa.

13. S.No Author Title Year Result
7 S.Subbu raj Experimental study on
concrete by using
nano silica
2014 In the present study
strength properties such as
compressive strength, split
tensile strength and
flexural strength of M20
grade of concrete with the
use of nano silica (2%, 4%,
6%, 8%, 10%) as partial
replacement of cement
were studied. The
optimum strength was
attained when 6% of nano
silica was added to the
concrete with the
compressive strength of
35.64MPa at 28 days and it
leads to increase in 30% of
compression strength
11.7% of tensile strength
and 13% of flexural
strength.

14. S.No Author Title Year Result
8 S.Tanveen hussian study on strength
properties of concrete
using Micro silica and
nano silica
2013 Mix design of M40 and
M50 grades of concrete
with the use of micro
silica (5%, 7.5%, 10%,
15%) and nano silica (1%,
1.5%, 2%, 2.5%) as partial
replacement of cement
were studied. Optimum
strength were obtain in
7.5%of micro silica and
2% nano silica optimum
strength were 62.35MPa
and 71.5MPa for M40
and M50 grades
respectively .Further
addition of micro silica
and nano silica leads to
decrease in compression
strength.

15. S.No Author Title Year Result
9 Sakshi Gupta Application of silica
fume and nanosilica in
cement and concrete
2013 Limited work is done on use
of nano-silica and micro silica
in paste, mortar and concrete
and whatever work is
available is highly
contradictory about their
influence on mechanical
strength development and
durability properties. , the
simultaneous and also
separate optimal use of
micro-silica and nano-silica
will create a new concrete
mixture that will result in long
lasting concrete structures in
the future

16. S.No Author Title Year Result
10 M.Nilia
A.Ehsania
Influence of Nano-
SiO2 and Micro
silica on Concrete
Performance
2013 . It was concluded that 6%
micro silica and 1.5%
nanosilica as partial
replacements of cement,
improved compressive
strength and electrical
resistance and also
diminished capillary
absorption of the concrete
specimens seriously. The
optimum compression
strength was found as
64MPa at 28 days and
48MPa at 7 days.

17. MATERIALS
• Coarse Aggregate
• Fine Aggregate
• Cement
• Water
• Micro silica
• Nano silica
• Super plasticizer

18. Microsilica
Silica fume, also known as microsilica . It is an amorphous (non-
crystalline) polymorph of silicon dioxide, silica. It is an ultrafine powder
collected as a by-product of the silicon and ferrosilicon alloy production
and consists of spherical particles with an average particle diameter of 150 nm.
The main field of application is as pozzolanic material for high performance
concrete.
Silicon dioxide, also known as nanosilica. It is a chemical compound that
is an oxide of silicon. It has been known since ancient times. Silica is most commonly
found in nature as quartz, as well as in various living organisms. In many parts of the
world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and
most abundant families of materials, existing both as several minerals and being
produced synthetically.
Nanosilica

19. Mix Ratio
• We use M20 grade
• Ratio is 1:1.5:3
• The factor of safety is taken between 1.54-1.57
• For 1 cube materials required
– Cement =1.473kg
– Sand =2.21 kg
– Aggregate=4.418kg
– Microsilica
• For 5.5% =0.2475 kg
• 6% =0.27 kg
• 7.5% =0.3375 kg
– Nanosilica
• For 1% =0.09 kg
• 1.5% =0.0675kg
• 2% =0.045 kg

20. Ratio
Mix Name C:S:A Nanosilica
(% of cement)
Microsilica
(%of cement)
Superplasticizer
(% of
cementitious
materials)
Control
Concrete
(Cc)
1:1.5:3 0 0 0
Mix 1
(M1)
1:1.88:3.55 1 5 2
Mix 2
(M2)
1:1.88:3.55 2 5 2
Mix 3
(M3)
1:1.88:3.55 1 7.5 2
Mix 4
(M4)
1:1.88:3.55 2 7.5 2

21. Quantities for mix
Mix
Name
Cement
(Kg)
Sand
(Kg)
Aggregate
(Kg)
Water
(liters)
Nanoslica
(Kg)
Microsilica
(Kg)
Super
Plasticizer
(liters)
Control
Concrete
(Cc)
1.473 2.21 4.418 0.663 0 0 0
Mix 1
(M1)
1.08 2.16 4.1 0.486 0.0115 0.0573 0.061
Mix 2
(M2)
1.07 2.16 4.1 0.4818 0.023 0.0573 0.061
Mix 3
(M3)
1.05 2.16 4.1 0.4725 0.0115 0.086 0.061
Mix 4
(M4)
1.04 2.16 4.1 0.468 0.023 0.086 0.061

22. Test on aggregate
• Crushing test
• Abrasion test
• Impact test
• Soundness test
• Shape test
• Specific gravity and water absorption test

23. Crushing test
• Aggregate crushing value = (W1/W2)*100
• A value less than 10 signifies an
exceptionally strong aggregate
• We obtain crushing value as 9.5

24. Impact test
• Aggregate impact value = (W1/W2)*100
• Aggregates to be used for wearing course,
the impact value shouldn’t exceed 30
percent.
• We got result as 23%

25. Specific Gravity of Aggregate
• Specific gravity of aggregate
= (W2- W1)/[(W2- W1)-(W3-W4)]
Specific gravity of aggregate =2.78
• The specific gravity of aggregates normally used in road
construction ranges from about 2.5 to 2.9
Water Absorption
•The difference between the apparent and bulk specific gravities
is nothing but the water permeable voids of the aggregates.
•Water Absorption = (MW/MD)*100
•Water absorption values ranges from 0.1 to about 2.0 percent
for aggregates normally used in road surfacing.
•Water absorption =1.6%

26. Lab Test On Cement
1. Fineness
2. Consistency
The viscosity of which will be such that the Vicat’s
plunger penetrates up to a point 5 to 7 mm from the bottom of
the Vicat’s mould.
3. Initial and final setting time of cement

27. Test On Cement(specific gravity)
SI.No Description Trial No.1 Trial No.2 Trial No.3
1 Weight of empty bottle
(W1) gm
68 68 68
2 Weight of bottle +
cement (W2) gm
178 170 180
3 Weight of bottle +
kerosene + cement(W3)
gm
240 230 248
4 Weight of bottle +
kerosene (W4) gm
168 168 168
5 Specific gravity of
cement
2.89 2.9 3.5

28. Test Results
• Specific gravity of cement
= (W2- W1)/[(W2- W1)-(W3-W4)].
• Specific gravity of kerosene=0.8
• Specific gravity of cement =3.15

29. Specific Gravity of Sand
• Dry weight of pycnometer W1 =0.620kg.
• Wt. of pycnometer +sand W2 =0.874kg.
• Wt. of pycnometer +sand +water W3
=1.592kg.
• Wt. of pycnometer +water W4 =1.448kg.
Specific gravity of sand
= (W2- W1)/[(W2- W1)-(W3-W4)].
Specific gravity of sand=2.3

30. Slump value of concrete using
microsilica and nanosilica
SI.No Specimen Slump value(mm)
1. Cc 35
2. M1 38
3. M2 43
4. M3 52
5. M4 60

31. Test on concrete
• Compression test
A compression test is any test in which a material
experiences opposing forces that push inward upon the
specimen from opposite sides or is otherwise compressed,
“squashed”, crushed, or flattened.
• Split tensile test
Splitting tensile strength test on concrete cylinder is a
method to determine the tensile strength of concrete.
The concrete is very weak in tension due to its brittle nature
and is not expected to resist the direct tension. The concrete
develops cracks when subjected to tensile forces. Thus, it is
necessary to determine the tensile strength of concrete
to determine the load at which the concrete members may
crack.

32. Name of mix
Compression value
N/mm2
Split tensile
value
N/mm2
7th day 28th day 28th day
Cc 12.42 19.11 1.84
M1 12.92 20 1.74
M2 13.23 20.33 2.26
M3 15.29 23.52 2.69
M4 12.7 19.55 1.87

33. Properties of sand
Property Fine aggregate
• Specific gravity 2.652
• Water absorption 0.50 %
• Fineness modulus 2.44
• Bulk density 1550 kg/m3
• Source River bed
Properties of Portland Cement (OPC).
Descriptions OPC
•Fineness (cm2/gm) 3350
•Normal Consistency (%) 313
•Initial Setting Time (minutes) 55
•Final Setting Time (minutes) 100
• Specific gravity 3.159

34. Properties of superplasticisers
• Chemical base Carbolic acid ester (CAE)
• Density 1130 kg/m3
• Colour Colourless Nature Free flowing liquid
• Recommended dosage for
Portland cement 0.1 – 1.0 kg/100 kg
• Solid content 40%Chloride
• Content Nil
• pH 7.2
Specifications of Silica Fume
• SiO2 content >90%
• Particle Size 100 times finer than cement
• Colour Whitish
• Specific Gravity 2.2
• Bulk density 540 kg/m
• Surface area 20,000 m2/kg
• Average diameter about 0.1 mm
• pH 6.7
• Crystallinity Essentially amorphous (XRD)

35. Properties of nano-Silica Solution (nSS)
• Properties Value
• SiO2 100%min
• Nature Amorphous
• Form Colloidal transparent solution
• Density (liquid) 1.1
• nS solid content
in the solution 30%
• Sizes of nS solid particles
in nSS solution 30%
• Active Nano Content 30- 32%
• Particle Size 5- 40 nm
• pH 9- 10.0
• Specific Gravity 1.20

36. Application of silica fume
• Because of its extreme fineness and high silica content, silica
fume is a very effective pozzolanic material. Standard
specifications for silica fume used in cementations mixtures are
ASTM C1240, EN 13263.
• Reduces the permeability of concrete to chloride ions, which
protects the reinforcing steel of concrete from corrosion,
especially in chloride-rich environments such as coastal regions
and those of humid continental roadways and runways (because
of the use of dicing salts) and saltwater bridges.
• In particular high-performance concrete.Effects of silica fume on
different properties of fresh and hardened concrete include
• Silica fume also blocks the pores in the fresh concrete so water
within the concrete is not allowed to come to the surface

37. Application of Nano silica
• Nano silica is applied in HPC and SCC concrete mainly as an anti bleeding
agent
• Increase cohesiveness of concrete and segregation tendency
• Used as additive in eco-concrete mixture
• Also, some explorative applications of nS in high performance well
cementing slurries
• specialized mortars for rock-matching grouting and gypsum particleboard
can be found, but nS is not used in practice yet. The application of these
concretes can be anywhere, both in infrastructure and in buildings.
• It is also added to increase the cohesiveness of concrete and to reduce the
segregation tendency.
• One of the problems of these mixtures is their low compressive strength
and long setting period. This disadvantage is solved by adding nS to eco-
concrete mixes to obtain an accelerated setting and higher compressive
strength
• applied particulate nS in oil well

38. WORKABILITY OF CONCRETE
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
CC M1 M2 M3 M4
Slumpvaluesinmm
Description of Mix

39. Compressive strength of concrete
using SF & NS at 7 & 28 days
0
5
10
15
20
25
CC M1 M2 M3 M4
Compressivestrength(N/mm2)
Description of mix
7 day
28 day

40. Split tensile strength of concrete
using SF & NS at 28 days
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
CC M1 M2 M3 M4
Splittensilestress(N/mm2)
Description of Mix
28 day

41. CONCLUSION
• Test results obtained in this study indicate that up to 1% nano silica and
7.5% micro silica, could be advantageously blended with cement without
adversely affecting the strength. However, optimum levels of these
materials are 1~3% nano silica, 3~8% of micro silica in concrete mixes.
• Based on experimental results, following conclusion are drawn. It was
found that the maximum compressive strength achieved is 23.52 N/mm2
at 7.5% of silica fume and 1% of nanosilica replacement combination. So
this strength is greater than the control mix and those achieved for
concrete mix name of CC, M1, M2, M3 and M4 is 23 N/mm2,20
N/mm2,20.33 N/mm2,23.52 N/mm2 ,19.55 N/mm2 respectively as compare
to strength of plain cement concrete for 28 days .
• The optimum split tension strength was obtained at 7.5% of silica fume
and 1% of nanosilica in the replacement of cement as 2.69 N/mm2 which
ismuch greater than the control mix and those achieved for concrete mix
name as CM, M1, M2, M3 and M4 is 1.84 N/mm2, 1.74 N/mm2, 2.26
N/mm2, 2.69 N/mm2, 1.83 N/mm2 respectively as compare to strength of
plain cement concrete for 28 days.

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