4. Conclusion

European standardization has made it possible to draw up a large body of standards for the characterization and control of concrete in the fresh state, both in terms of the definition of consistency classes and the development of proven test methodologies. As a result, concretes can be produced and tested with a rigorous approach to the criteria for determining conformity. While common properties such as slump, spreadability and the suitability of concrete for placing can be easily understood in this way, it should be noted that the characterization of bleeding and segregation of common concretes remains to be perfected.

A significant effort has been made to characterize self-placing concretes, enabling the entire body of specifications and associated test methods to be upgraded from recommendations to standards. As a result, these concretes are now easier to use...