Publication

Abstract : Cement grout is commonly used in construction practices for connecting sections and embedding rebar in masonry walls. The present study explains the laboratory investigations undertaken to develop cement-based grouts incorporating silica fume, fly ash and fine sand. In mixes which showed stiff nature at lower water cement ratios (W/C), superplasticizer is added and the optimum dosage is fixed. Silica fume is used as mineral admixture to replace cement by a mass percentage of 10. The filler used is fine sand and fly ash (class F) and cement to filler ratio is maintained as 1. Preliminary study which included trials for compressive strength and mini slump flow spread of various grouts with varying water cement ratios and superplasticizer dosage was done. After eliminating the unstable mixes, rheological studies were conducted for the stable mixes. All mixes showed poor workability at low W/C but increased superplasticizer dosage improved workability. Fineness of constituent materials governed the viscosity of grout samples to a great extent. The mixes incorporated with fillers were more viscous compared to those without fillers. By increasing W/C, viscosity of grouts can be lowered but it paves way for other problems such as excessive bleeding or grout instability.