The good filling performance of self-compacting concrete (SCC) to pre-placed assembly of rocks is essential for quality of rock-filled concrete (RFC). In this study, a theoretical model is proposed to evaluate the filling capacity of SCC in porous media that is simplified to approximate the assembly of rocks. Numerical simulation of SCC flow in the porous media is carried out based on the computational fluid dynamics. The effects of yield stress of SCC and size and shape of grains in the porous media on the filling capacity of SCC are considered. The inclination of the free surface of the distribution of SCC at flow stoppage is defined to evaluate the filling capacity of SCC in the porous media. According to the theoretical model, the inclination is directly proportional to the yield stress of the SCC and the blocking effect of grains, while inversely proportional to the grain size. The numerical simulation provides consistent results with the theoretical model. The results suggest the use of rounded large rocks and SCC with low yield stress to ensure good quality of RFC.
Keywords: filling capacity; grain shape; rock-filled concrete; self-compacting concrete.