Building and Finish

Material

Lecture 04, 05
(Concrete)
BRICK
CEMENT
PLASTER
CONCRETE
SAND
STONE
Concrete
Concrete is an artificial stone, manufactured from a mixture of binding materials
and inert materials with water.

CONCRETE : BINDING MATERIALS + INERT MATERIALS + WATER

Concrete is considered as a chemically combined mass where the inert materials

acts as a filler and the binding materials act as a binder.
• Binding materials : Most important binding materials are cement and lime.
• Inert materials : Inert materials used in concrete are termed as ‘aggregate’ which
are of two types: Fine aggregate and Coarse aggregate.

Concrete is one of the most commonly used building materials that can easily be
mixed to meet a variety of special needs and formed to virtually any shape.
Cement

Sand Water
Gravel
Preparation of concrete
Aggregate
Aggregates are inert granular materials such as sand, gravel, or crushed stone
that, along with water and cement, are an essential ingredient in concrete.

Fine aggregate:
• The aggregate used in concrete that is not larger than about ³/₁₆ inch in
diameter is known as fine aggregate.
• Sand and surkhi are commonly used fine aggregate in Bangladesh.
• Stone screenings, burnt clays, cinders and fly-ash are sometime used as a
substitute of sand in making concrete
Coarse aggregate:
• The aggregate used in concrete that is larger than about ³/₁₆ inch in diameter is
known as coarse aggregate.
• Brick khoa( broken bricks), broken stones, gravels, pebbles, clinkers, cinders etc
of ³/₁₆ inch to 2 inch size are commonly used as coarse aggregate in
Bangladesh.
Function of Aggregate in concrete

• Aggregates give volume to the concrete.

• Around the surface of aggregate , the binding materials adheres in the form of a
thin film.
• The voids of the coarse aggregate are filled up with fine aggregates and the voids
of the fine aggregates are filled up with binding materials.
• The binding materials binds the individual units of aggregates into a solid mass with
the help of water.

Gravel pit 0.8 inch coarse aggregate Stone crusher

Function of Water in concrete

• To wet the surface of aggregates to develop adhesion because the cement

paste adheres quickly and satisfactorily to the wet surface of the aggregates
than to a dry surface.
• To prepare a plastic mixture of the various ingredients and to impart workability
to concrete to facilitate placing in the desired position.
• Water is also needed for the hydration of the cementing materials to set and
harden during the period of curing.
Advantages of concrete over other materials of
construction.

The followings are main advantages of concrete construction.

• Concrete is free from defects and flaws which are associated with natural
stones .
• It can be manufactured to desired strength and durability with economy.
• It can be cast to any desired shape.
• Maintenance cost of concrete structure is negligible.
• Concrete does not deteriorate appreciably with age.
• Fire safe and able to withstand high temperature.
• Casting can be occurred on the work-site which reduces cost.
Disadvantages
• Low tensile strength
• Low ductility
• Susceptible to cracking

Cracking may be caused by internal and Ductility can be defined as the “ability of
external mechanisms, such as thermal material to undergo large deformations
expansion, overloading, restraint, and without rupture before failure”
chemical reactions.
CLASSIFICATION OF CONCRETE
1) Lime Concrete = Lime + Surkhi + Khoa/Stone + Water
2) Cement Concrete = Cement + Sand + Khoa /Stone + Water

Lime Concrete
• It consists of lime, surkhi & khoa or stone in the proportion 1:2:5, unless otherwise
specified.
• The khoa or stones should be soaked thoroughly in water before mixing.
• Required proportion of lime and surkhi are first to be mixed dry by volume on a clean
watertight platform till the color is uniform.
• The requisite quantity of thoroughly soaked khoa or stones is then added and mixed
well again.
• Water is then added gradually and mixing is continued till a workable mixture is
obtained.
• Concrete should be mixed in such a quantity that it can be utilized during the day it is
mixed and the concrete which is left overnight should not be used.
• Lime concrete is mainly used in foundation and terrace roofing.
Cement Concrete
• This concrete is widely used in all important engineering constructions.
• It consists of cement, sand & khoa or stones of required size in the proportion 1:2:4or
1:3:6, unless otherwise specified.
• The ingredients are measured dry separately by volume according to required
proportion.
• The khoa or stones should be soaked thoroughly in water before mixing.
• The fine and coarse aggregates are first to be mixed dry by volume on a clean
watertight platform .
• The cement is then added and mixed thoroughly once again till the color is uniform.
• The required quantity of water is then added gradually and mixing is continued till a
workable mixture is obtained.
• Concrete should be mixed in such a quantity that it can be utilized within 45 minutes
and the unused concrete after that time should not be used.
• Cement concrete is mainly used in foundation work and reinforcement.
Special terms to understand properties of concrete

1) Segregation
2) Bleeding
3) Laitance

Segregation
• Segregation refers to a separation of the components of fresh concrete,
resulting in a non-uniform mix .
• The primary causes of segregation are differences in specific gravity and size of
constituents of concrete.
• Moreover, improper mixing, improper placing and improper consolidation also
lead to segregation.
• Some of the factors affecting segregation:
― Larger maximum particle size (25mm) and proportion of the larger particles.
― High specific gravity of coarse aggregate.
― Decrease in the amount of fine particles.
― Particle shape and texture.
― Water/cement ratio.
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.
• A special case of segregation.
• 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.
• The tendency of concrete to bleeding depends largely on properties of cement. It
is decreased by:
― Increasing the fineness of cement
― Increasing the rate of hydration
― Adding pozzolanas
― Reducing water content
Laitance
• Laitance is the formation of a crust of squeezed out mortar on the surface of
concrete.
• It occurs due to bleeding and hard workmanship
• This produce bad and week concrete.
• For preparing water-tight concrete Segregation, bleeding and laitance
should be very carefully avoided.
PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

1) Workability
2) Strength
3) Durability
4) Permeability
5) Elastic properties
6) Fatigue

1) 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
• Amount of water : For a given type and grading of aggregates and workability
of concrete , the water content is independent of the aggregate cement ratio.
• Maximum size of aggregate, their grading, shape and surface texture: Grading
and water-cement ratio have to be considered together. As a grading
producing most workable concrete for one particular value of water-cement
ratio may not be the best for another value of the ratio.
• Quantity and characteristics of different materials : The higher the water-cement
ratio, the finer the grading required for the highest workability. In actual fact, for
a given value of water-cement ratio, there is only one value of fine and coarse
aggregates ratio that gives the highest workability.
• Air entrainment: It reduces segregation, bleeding and increases workability .
• Concrete & ambient air temperature
• Method and duration of transportation
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. The
most commonly used test method for measuring consistency is ‘Slump test’. It
can be employed either in laboratory or at site of work.

Slump Cone Apparatus:

This is the standard apparatus used to
determine the slump of the given fresh
concrete. This is a conical shaped metallic
mould of bottom diameter 20 cm, top
diameter 10 cm and height 30 cm. This is
provided with two handles to lift it above the
base. It is placed on a steel plate to have a
smooth surface with the smaller opening at
the top .
Procedure:

• The internal surface of the mould is thoroughly cleaned and freed from
superfluous moisture and adherence of any old set concrete before
commencing the test.
• The mould is placed on a smooth, horizontal and nonabsorbent surface.
• The mould is filled with concrete in 3 equal layers. Each layer is tamped with
25 strokes of tamping rod.
• The extra concrete overflowing from the top edge of the cone is removed
with the help of a strike.
• Then, the mould is removed by lifting it slowly and carefully in a vertical
direction. This allows the concrete to subside. This subsidence is referred as
slump of concrete.
Types of Slump
1) True slump
2) Shear slump
3) Collapse slump

True slump : If concrete subsides evenly it is called true slump.

Shear slump : If one half of the concrete cone slides down, it is called shear slump. The
shear slump is measured as a difference in height between the height of the mould and
the average value of subsidence.
Collapse slump : The collapse indicates a leaner mix.
Only true slump indicates the workability of concrete. If shear or collapse slump is found
to take place, the test should be repeated.
Importance of slump test
• Slump test is very useful on the site as a check on the day to day and hour to
hour variation of the materials being fed into the concrete mixer.
• An increase in slump may indicate that the moisture content of the aggregates
has unexpectedly increased. Another cause would be a change in the
grading of the aggregates, such as deficiency of sand.
• Too high or too low slump gives immediate warning and enables the engineer
in charge to correct it by
1) Checking the grading of the ingredients
2) Proportioning the water-cement ratio
2) Strength of concrete
Strength is usually the basis for acceptance or rejection of the concrete in the
structure. The specifications or code designate the strength (nearly always
compressive) required of the concrete in the several parts of the structure. In those
cases in which strength specimens fail to reach the required value, further testing
of the concrete in place is usually specified. Strength of concrete are of following
type:
Compressive Strength: As concrete is an excellent material for resisting
compressive loading, it is used in dams, foundations, columns, arches and tunnel
linings where the principal loading is in compression.

Tunnel linings Foundation work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=jsQNIkWWug4

Tensile Strength: Concrete is very weak in tension. The tensile strength of ordinary
concrete ranges from about 7 to 10 percent of the compressive strength.
Flexural Strength: This strength pays very important role in the design of concrete
pavement.
Shear Strength: The average strength of concrete in direct shear varies from
about 0.5 of the compressive strength for rich mixture to about 0.8 of the
compressive strength for lean mixture.
Compressive Strength Test:
3) Durability
A durable concrete is the one which will withstand in a satisfactory degree, the
effects of service conditions to which it will be subjected.
Factors Affecting Durability:
❑ External →Physical, chemical, mechanical . These can occur due to weathering,
extreme temperature changes, abrasion, electrolytic action and attack by
natural or industrial liquids or gases.
❑ Internal → Permeability, volume changes, alkali-aggregate reaction( reaction
between alkali in cement and silica constituents of aggregate), differences in
thermal properties of aggregates and cement paste.
4) Impermeability
• Permeability is defined as the property that
governs the rate of flow of a fluid into a porous
solid
• The impermeability can be expressed
by impermeable level which is represented by
the maximum water pressure resisted by
materials. The smaller the porosity is and the
more the closed pores are, the stronger
the impermeability is.
• For completing hydration of cement about 38 %
of water by weight of cement is required to fill
the gel pores. If more than 38 % of water is used,
than excess water will cause undesirable
capillary cavities and the concrete becomes
porous. Porous concrete has a higher
permeability.
5)Elastic properties
the elasticity of concrete is a way to
characterize the mechanical response of
the material body for applied stresses that
stay within the linear regime. Very large
stresses, which are high enough to fracture
the material, cause non-linear
deformations. These values vary greatly
Ecu= strain at rapture point
depending on the overall makeup of the Fc’= Peak compressive strength which is typically used in
design.
concrete mixture.

6) Fatigue of concrete
Concrete fatigue refers to the phenomenon of rupture under repeated loadings,
each of which is smaller than a single static load that exceeds the strength of the
material. Fatigue is exhibited when a material fails under stress applied by direct
tension or compression, flexural , shear, or a combination of these actions.
FACTORS CONTROLLING PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

1) Grading of aggregates
2) Moisture content of aggregates
3) Water-Cement ratio
4) Proportioning of various ingredients of concrete.
5) Method of mixing
6) Placing and compaction of concrete
7) Curing of concrete.
1) Grading of aggregates
The term ‘grading’ indicates the art of combining various sizes of the particles
composing the aggregate to produce a dense and economic concrete using
minimum amount of cement per unit volume for a desired strength.
The fundamental principle of grading is that the smaller particles fills up the empty
spaces in between larger particles.

2) Moisture content of aggregates:

• It’s important to determine the moisture content of aggregate prior to mixing,
because it affects the proportion of mix water needed to achieve the desired
water/ cementitious materials ratio.
• Generally concrete mixes are designed on the basis of dry volumes of aggregates.
The ratios used are called the “real mix ratios”.
• But in field, the aggregates are generally wet particularly when they are washed
for clearing. So the moisture content must be determined and due allowance must
be made in their volumetric measurement in the field. The correct ratio is then
termed as “field mix ratios”.
3) Water-Cement ratio

• Concrete contains ingredients such as cement, sand, coarse aggregates and water
in properly designed proportions.
• All the materials have their specific properties and importance to contribute to the
strength of concrete.
• Cement is used as a binding material of concrete due to the best adhesive and
cohesive property while water is the cheapest and most important ingredient of
concrete. When these two materials are mixed, a chemical reaction takes places
names hydration.
• Hydration reaction produces a sticky and thick gel which has a binding property .
Thus water and cement both are responsible for binding all elements of concrete
together. Cement and water are used as per their ratio called water-cement ratio.
• Water- cement ratio is defined as the ratio of the weight of water to the weight of
cement.
• Technically as per studies, cement requires 23% of water for the hydration process
and 15% for expansion of pores and volume increment. Therefore 38% of water by
weight of cement is minimum and must. So the minimum water –cement ratio is 0.38.
• Thus if the water –cement ratio is less than 0.38, complete hydration is not possible,
concrete become dry and harsh and may not bind and develop full strength.
• It it is more than 0.38 concrete mass become porous and permeable .
• For workability consideration this water-cement ratio is found 0.4. But it’s selection
depends on the requirement of workability in different exposure conditions and
nature of work.
• If we need to calculate the required quantity of water for a concrete mix, First we
have to know the cement content for the volume and specified w/c ratio. If we
assume 80 kg of cement for a concrete mix and w/c ratio is 0.45, Then
The required water quantity = cement volume X w/c ratio
= 80 Kg X 0.45
= 36 litre

4) Proportioning of various ingredients of concrete.

The objective of proportioning various ingredients (cement, fine aggregates, coarse
aggregates, water) of concrete is to obtain a strong and durable concrete to suit all
requirements.
5) Method of mixing
• 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.
• There are mainly two methods of mixing: Hand mixing and machine mixing .
• Hand mixing : Does not generally produce good concrete unless proper care is
taken.
• Machine mixing : Produces good concrete.
• On the site there is often a tendency to mix concrete as rapidly as possible and it
is therefore necessary to know the minimum mixing time required for producing
a good concrete which can provide satisfactory strength.
• The time of mixing depends on the type of mixer and also to some properties of
fresh concrete.
❑ Undermixing → non-homogeneity
❑ Overmixing → danger of water loss, breakage of aggregate particles .
6) Placing and compaction of concrete
• Concrete must be transported from the place of mixing
to the place of placing as quickly as practicable.
• Placing of concrete must be done in one continuous
operation. As far as possible to avoid joints.
• Concrete should not be thrown or dumped from a
distance. Rather it should be deposited firmly to prevent
segregation.
• After placing, the concrete should be compacted or
consolidated to eliminate entrapped air . The
compaction is done by a standard steel rod of
Inadequate consolidation
recommended size to fill up the spaces between
reinforcing bars ( in use of R.C.C) with concrete
completely.
• The most modern method of compaction is vibration.
Mechanical vibrators allow the particles to be drawn
into a compact mass and produce strong concrete.
Using vibrators
7) Curing of concrete.

• Curing is the procedures used for promoting the hydration of cement and consists of a
control of temperature and the moisture movement from and into the concrete.
• The primary objective of curing is to keep concrete saturated so that hydration of
cement can take place in a suitable environment.
• Methods which supply additional water to the surface of concrete during early
hardening stages.
– Using wet covers
– Sprinkling
– Ponding
DEFECTS( Chemical attack of concrete)

1. Leaching & Efflorescence

2. Sulphate Attack
3. Sea-water attack
4. Acid attack

Leaching & Efflorescence

• Leaching of lime compounds may under some circumstance lead to formation

of salt deposit on the surface of the concrete, known as efflorescence.
• It is found when water percolates through poorly compacted concrete or cracks
or along badly made joints and evaporation take place at the surface of the
concrete.
• It can also be caused by the use of unwashed seashore aggregates. The salt
coating on the surface of aggregate particles may lead to white deposit on
concrete surface.
Sulphate Attack

• Ground water in clayey soils containing alkali, magnesium, calcium sulfates may
produce a sulphate solution.
• Attack on concrete can thus take place by reacting these solutions with Ca(OH)2 and
other calcium aluminate hydrate.
• The products of the reaction have a considerably greater volume than the compounds
they replace which leads to expansion and disruption of concrete.
• The damage generally starts at the edges and corner and is followed by progressive
cracking and spalling.
Sea water Attack

• Sea water contains sulphates and hence attacks concrete in a manner similar to
the sulphate attack.
• The deterioration of concrete in sea water is often is not characterized by the
expansion, as found in concrete exposed to sulphate attack. Attack of sea water
causes errosion or loss of constituents of concrete without undue expansion.
Calcium hydroxide and calcium sulphate (gypsum) are considerable soluble in
sea water, and this will increase the leaching action.
Acid Attack

• In dump condition SO2, CO2 and other acid fumes present in the atmosphere
attack concrete by dissolving and removing part of the set cement, a soft and
mushy mass being ultimately left behind.
• This form of attack occurs in chimneys and steam railway tunnels. It is encountered
also under industrial conditions.
Reinforced Cement Concrete:

Concrete is very strong in compression and very weak in tension. On the other
hand, Steel is very strong in tension. Therefore, steel rods of recommended size are
embedded in concrete to take care of the tension. This kind of cement concrete
which is strengthened or reinforced by using steel rods is termed as “Reinforced
Cement Concrete”(RCC).
There are many reasons of superiority of steel over other materials for
reinforcement. The most important three reasons are as follows:
1) Steel is very strong in tension.
2) Co-efficient of thermal expansions of concrete and steel are approximately
same.
3) Bond between concrete and steel is very strong.
The strength of bond between concrete and steel depends not only on the
properties of concrete but also the mechanical properties of steel and its position
in the concrete member.
Different Grades of Concrete
• Concrete contains ingredients such as cement, sand, coarse aggregates and
water in properly designed proportions. When we change the proportion of
these components , the strength of concrete changes accordingly .
• Depending on type and height of building, the strength of concrete for
constructing different elements( foundation, slab, column, beam, etc) changes.
• Grade of concrete defines the strength of concrete of a particular mix in 28
days. It is denoted by ‘M’ which stands for ‘mix’. For example: “M5 grade”
denotes the proportion of cement: sand: coarse aggregate is 1:5:10 based on
volume and weight of material.
At least 3 concrete cube of
150mmX150mmX150mm are
casted for each mix at 27ºC
and their strength is tested in
a laboratory at 28th day. And
that is the strength of that
particular concrete mix.
Different Grades of Concrete and their Uses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a8yDZx87Ww

Importance of water cement ratio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwfXkQMW8uo
Thank You