What do supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) do to concrete?
SCMs work with cement to bind the aggregates and other concrete ingredients, and can improve concrete’s fresh properties as well as its strength and durability. Light-colored SCMs, such as white silica fume or metakaolin, are used in architectural-face concretes. Certain SCMs, such as fly ash, may alter the color of the concrete or delay set times, which may be offset by chemical accelerating admixtures. SCMs work through either hydraulic or pozzolanic reactions.
