ADMIXTURES AND AGGREGATES: KEY ELEMENTS IN "ATHLETIC CONCRETE" REVISITED

This paper describes athletic concrete, which is increasingly being used as a high-performance concrete. Athletic concrete has been used for projects such as a distribution center floor, a 6-ft thick mat and an elevated airport road. It offers significantly increased hardened concrete quality for a lower cost compared with conventional concrete. Athletic concrete is proportioned with a high content of maximum-size coarse aggregate, a combined aggregate gradation meeting ACI guidelines for maximum density, and a low water content. Its durability, impermeability and long-term strength are enhanced by supplementary cementitious materials. High-range and mid-range water-reducing admixtures are used to lower its water content and increase its slump and cement efficiency. Although athletic concrete cannot be used to the fullest extent as a self-consolidating concrete (SCC), viscosity-modifying admixtures in the concrete can help provide a robust mixture that offers SCC qualities.