CONCRETE

What is Concrete?
 Concrete is one of the most commonly
used building materials.
 Concrete is a composite material made
from several readily available constituents
(aggregates, sand, cement, water).
 Concrete is a versatile material that can
easily be mixed to meet a variety of
special needs and formed to virtually any
shape.
Advantages

 Ability to be cast
 Economical
 Durable
 Fire resistant
 Energy efficient
 On-site fabrication
Disadvantages

 Low tensile strength

 Low ductility
 Volume instability
 Low strength to weight ratio
Constituents

Cement
Water
Fine Agg
Coarse Agg
Admixtures
PROPERTIES OF FRESH
CONCRETE
 Workability
 Consistency
 Segregation
 Bleeding
 Setting Time
 Unit Weight
 Uniformity
WORKABILITY

 It is desirable that freshly mixed concrete

be relatively easy to transport, place,
compact and finish without harmful
segregation. A concrete mix satisfying
these conditions is said to be workable.
Factors Affecting Workability

 Method and duration of transportation

 Quantity and characteristics of cementing
materials
 Aggregate grading, shape and surface texture
 Quantity and characteristics of chemical
admixtures
 Amount of water
 Amount of entrained air
 Concrete & ambient air temperature
WORKABILITY
 Workability is the most
important property of freshly
mixed concrete.
 There is no single test
method that can
simultaneously measure all
the properties involved in
workability.
 It is determined to a large
extent by measuring the
“consistency” of the mix.
CONSISTENCY

 Consistency is the fluidity or degree of

wetness of concrete.
 It is generally dependent on the shear
resistance of the mass.
 It is a major factor in indicating the
workability of freshly mixed concrete.
CONSISTENCY

Test methods for measuring consistency are:

 Flow test → measures the amount of flow

 Kelly-Ball test → measures the amount of
penetration
 Slump test (Most widely used test!)
 Slump Test is related with the ease with
which concrete flows during placement
(TS 2871, ASTM C 143)
= 10 cm

= 30 cm

= 20 cm

The slump cone is filled in 3

layers. Every layer is evenly
rodded 25 times.
SEGREGATION
 Segregation refers to the seperation of the
particles of a mix so that there is no uniform
distribution.
 The primary causes of
segregation are
differences in specific Sp.Gr. Size
gravity and size of
Cement 3-3.15 5-80 mm
constituents of concrete.
Moreover, improper C.Agg. 2.4-2.8 5-40 mm
mixing, improper placing
F.Agg. 2.4-2.8 < 5 mm
and improper
consolidation also lead to
segregation.
BLEEDING
 Bleeding is the tendency of water to rise to
the surface of freshly placed concrete.
 It is caused by the inability of solid
constituents of the mix to hold all of the
mixing water as they settle down.
BLEEDING
Undesirable effects of bleeding are:
• With the movement of water towards the top, the
top portion becomes weak & porous (high w/c).
Thus the resistance of concrete to freezing-
thawing decreases.
• Water rising to the surface carry fine particles of
cement which weaken the top portion and form
laitance. This portion is not resistant to abrasion.
• Water may accumulate under the coarse agg. and
reinforcement. These large voids under the
particles may lead to weak zones and reduce the
bond between paste and agg. or paste and
reinforcement.
BLEEDING

The tendency of concrete to bleeding

depends largely on properties of cement.
It is decreased by:
 Increasing the fineness of cement
 Increasing the C3S, C3A and alkalies
 Adding pozzolans
 Reducing water content
MIXING OF CONCRETE
 The aim of mixing is to blend all of the
ingredients of the concrete to form a
uniform mass and to coat the surface of
aggregates with cement paste.

 Two methods:
1. Ready-Mix concrete: In this type
ingredients are introduced into a mixer
truck & mixed during transportation to the
site. Water is added at the very end.
MIXING OF CONCRETE
 Ready-Mix concrete: In this type
ingredients are introduced into a mixer
truck and mixed during transportation to
the site.
• Wet – Water added before transportation
• Dry – Water added at site
 Mixing at the site
• Hand mixed
• Mixer mixed
Ready Mix Concrete
Mixing at Site
MIXING OF CONCRETE

Mixing time should be sufficient to produce

a uniform concrete. The time of mixing
depends on the type of mixer and also to
some properties of fresh concrete.
 Undermixing → not homogeneous
 Overmixing → danger of water loss &
entrapped air.
VIBRATION OF CONCRETE
 The process of compacting concrete
consists essentially of the elimination of
entrapped air. This can be achieved by:
 Tamping or rodding the concrete
 Vibration
1. Internal vibrator: The poker is immersed
into concrete to compact it. The frequency
of vibration is 4000-12000 cycles/min. The
poker is easily removed from point to
point.
Internal
Vibration

Vibrator

1½ R

Radius of Action
Internal Vibrators
Diamet
er Recommend
of ed Approxima Rate of
head, frequency, te radius placemen
mm vibrations of action, t,m3/h
(in.) per minute mm (in.) (yd3/h) Application
Plastic and flowing
20-40 80-150 0.8-4 concrete in thin
9000- members. Also
(3/4- 15,000 (3-6) (1-5)
1½) used for lab test
specimens.
Plastic concrete in
thin walls,
30-60 130-250 2.3-8 columns, beams,
8500- precast piles, thin
(1¼- 12,500 (5-10) (3-10)
2½) slabs, andfrom
Adapted along
ACI 309
Systematic Vibration
of Each New Lift
CORRECT
Vertical penetration a few inches into
previous lift (which should not yet be
rigid) of systematic regular intervals
will give adequate consolidation

INCORRECT
Haphazard random penetration of the
vibrator at all angles and spacings
without sufficient depth will not assure
intimate combination of the two layers
External
Vibration
 Form vibrators
 Vibrating tables
 Surface vibrators
– Vibratory screeds
– Plate vibrators
– Vibratory roller
screeds
– Vibratory hand floats
or trowels
Consolidating
Concrete
Inadequate consolidation
can result in:
– Honeycomb
– Excessive amount of
entrapped air voids
(bugholes)
– Sand streaks
– Cold joints
– Placement lines
– Subsidence cracking
1. Internal Vibrators: Rate of withdrawal of poker
is around 8 cm/sec to prevent air entrance. The
actual completion of vibration is judged by the
appearance of the concrete surface which must
be neither rough nor contain excess cement
paste.
2. External vibrators: are rigidly clamped to the
formwork so that both the form & concrete are
subjected to vibration. A considerable amount
of work is needed to vibrate forms. Forms
must be strong & tied enough to prevent
distortion & leakage of the grout.
3. Vibrating Table: used for small amounts
of concrete (lab. & some precast
elements)
CURING OF CONCRETE
 Properties of concrete can improve with age
as long as conditions are favorable for the
continued hydration of cement. These
improvements are rapid at early ages &
become more slow for an indefinite period
of time.
 Curing is the procedures used for promoting
the hydration of cement and consists of a
control of temperature & of the moisture
movement from & into the concrete.
 The aim of curing is to keep concrete saturated
or as nearly saturated as possible because
hydration reactions can take place in only
saturated water filled capillaries. So, it is
necessary to add some water to replace the
water lost by evaporation.
Curing Methods

1. Methods which supply additional water to

the surface of concrete during early
hardening stages.
– Ponding
– Sprinkling
– Using wet covers
Curing Methods

2. Methods that prevent loss of moisture from

concrete by sealing the surface.
 Water proof papers
 Use liquid membrane-forming compounds
 Forms left in place
Curing Methods

3. Methods that accelerate strength gain by

supplying heat & moisture to the concrete.
 By using live steam (steam curing)
 Heating coils.