52 An Investigative Study on the Effects of Nano-SiO2 on Compressive Strength and Permeability of Concrete

Cement is the substance which holds concrete together, i.e. it is extremely widely used in civil projects. Consequently, application of nano-materials into the production of cement and concrete can lead to improvements in sustainable engineering because the mechanical strength and life of concrete structures are determined by the micro-structure and by the mass transfer in nano-scale. Nano-SiO2 in many countries is produce in industrial scale these days. So, this paper is going to evaluate the compressive strength and the permeability of nano-SiO2 stabilized concrete samples. The Critical Voltage Method (CVM) was used to investigate the later property; So 6 mix designs with different nano-SiO2 percents were tested. The results showed that by increasing the nano-SiO2 content, the electrical resistance of concrete is increased. So, nano-SiO2 can improve the water permeability resistance of concrete. The same concept was occurred for the compressive strength.