Tensile strength and paste–aggregate bonding characteristics of self-consolidating concrete

The main focus of this study was to assess and compare the tensile and compressive strengths of normal and self-consolidating concrete (SCC) through microstructural characteristics such as the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and cracking patterns. These evaluations indicated that the ITZ bond cracks widths of SCC were smaller than those of the normal concrete, a fact that may have contributed to the increased strength of the SCC. It was also observed that splitting tensile fractures generally took place within the ITZ for normal concrete while they more frequently ran through the coarse aggregates in SCC, indicating a stronger ITZ of this type of concrete.