Abstract
Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is a special type of concrete able to flow and compact under its self-weight. The SCC requires high powder content (mainly of cement) up to 600kg/m3 to achieve its properties. This will be problematic if all cement content in the powder exceeded 400 kg/m3used in hot weather of Sudan. This paper investigates addition of Sudanese limestone powder (LSP) to reduce cement content. The LSP dosages between 20% and 28 % (by cement weight) are used in six mixes having maximum cement content 380kg/m3. Results show that five trial mixes achieved the self-compactibility tested by slump flow, sieve segregation, V-funnel and U-box tests. Compressive strength of these mixes show that the LSP increases strength with dosage. Therefore, further investigations of hardened concrete properties are recommended for the successful mixes to be applied in real projects in the Sudan. Also, it has been found that dry batching and forced-action pan mixers are the most suitable for producing SCC with high homogeneity compared to commercial tilted-drum mixers.