UNIT-

1 BUILDING
TRADITIONAL
MATERIALS
CONCRET
E
INTRODUCTIO
•NComposite man made material.
• Most widely used.
• Consists of rationally chosen mixture of binding material such as
lime or cement,
well graded fine & coarse aggregates, water.
• Mix of sand water & cement called as matrix in concrete.
• Freshly mixed concrete is called as green concrete.
• After setting is called as set or hardened concrete.
• Major factors responsible for using cement concrete are
mouldability, early hardening, high early compressive
strength, pumpability & durability.
• Versatile in nature.
• Homogenous mixture.
• The coarse aggregate acts as filler.
• The fine aggregate fills up the voids between the paste &
coarse aggregate.
• The cement in conjunction with water acts as a binder.
• The mobility of mixture is aided by the cement paste, fines &
now a days by use of admixtures.
• The aim of quality control is to ensure the production of
concrete of uniform
strength from batch to batch.
CLASSIFICATION ON THE
BASIS OF:-
 Cementing
material
• Lime concrete
• Gypsum
concrete
• Cement
concrete
 Perspective
specifications
• Mix
proportion
s
 Performance oriented
specifications
• Design mix concrete
 Grade of cement concrete
• Compressive strength of concrete cubes (150 mm )at 28 days
• Also classified as low strength (<20 N/mm2), medium strength (20-
40 N/mm2), high strength concrete (>40 N/mm2)

 Bulk density
• Heavy
• Dense
• Lightweight
• Extra
lightweight
 Place of casting
• In situ
• precast
PRODUCTIO
• NThe stages of concrete production
are:-
 Batching or measurement of
materials.
 Mixing
 Transporting
 Placing
 Compaction
 Curing
 Finishing
BATCHIN
G
• For good quality concrete, proper & accurate quantity of all ingredients
should be used.
• Two methods of batching:-
 Volume batching
 Small jobs
 Guage box
 Weigh
batching
 Importa
nt
works
 Manual
weighin
g or
weigh
batcher
s
 Automa
MIXIN
• G of mixing is to make concrete mass homogenous & uniform in colour &
Objective
conistency.
• Either by hand or mixer.
 Hand mixing
 Small jobs
 On an impervious floor
 10 % of cement is added more to the mix
 Machine mixing
 Important & quality works
 Batch mixers & continuous mixers
 Batch mixers produce batch by batch with time intervals & used for
small 7 medium sized works.
 Continuous mixers produce concrete continuously & are used for
large works like dams.
MIXER
S
TRANSPORTI
 NG
Should be transported at the earliest without the loss of homogeneity
obtained at the time of mixing.
 Segregation should not take place during transportation & placement.
 Methods of transportation:-
• Mortar pan
• Wheel barrow
• Chutes
• Dumper
• Bucket & ropeway
• Belt conveyor
• Skip & hoist
• Pumping
PLACIN
G
• Concrete is placed on form works.
• The form works should be cleaned.
• If concrete is to be placed for foundation, the soil bed should
be compacted well & is made free from loose soil.
• Concrete should be dropped on its final position as closely as
possible.
• If dropped from a height, the coarse aggregates fall early
& then mortar matrix.
• This results as segregation into weaker concrete.
COMPACTION
 In the process of placing concrete, air is entrapped.
 The entrapped air reduces the strength of concrete by 30 %.
 Hence it is necessary to remove the air which is achieved by compaction.
 Either by hand or by vibrators.
 In hand compaction method, concrete is compacted by ramming, tamping
or spading.
 Concrete can be compacted by using high frequency vibrators.
Vibration reduces the friction between the particles& set the motion
of particles.
 As a result entrapped air is removed & concrete is compacted. W/C ratio
can be reduced with vibrators.
 Needle or immersion vibrators
 Surface vibrators
 Form or shutter vibrators
 Vibrating tables
VIBRATORS
CURIN
•GCuring may be defined as the process of maintaining satisfactory moisture
& temperature conditions for freshly placed concrete for some specified
time for proper hardening of concrete.
• Curing in the early ages is more important.
• Curing for 14 days is very important.
• If curing is not done properly , strength & durability of concrete reduces.
• Cracks develop due to shrinkage.
• Various methods of curing are:-
 Spraying of water :- walls, columns etc.,
 Gunny bags :- vertical surfaces
 Ponding:- slab & floors by stagnating water.
 Steam curing:- prefabricated units, steam is passed in closed
chambers, accelerates
curing process.
 Curing compounds like calcium chloride is also used.
CURIN
G
FINISHIN
G
To give a uniform
surface.
PROPERTIES OF FRESH
•CONCRETE
Concrete has completely different properties when it is in the plastic
stage & when hardened.
• In plastic stage it is also known as green concrete.
• Properties of green concrete include:-
 Workability:- ease with which concrete can be fully compacted without
segregation & bleeding. Depends on quantity of water, grading, shape
& percentage of aggregates present.
 Segregation:- separation of coarse particles in green concrete is
called segregation. Happens due to deficient quantity of fine
particles or throwing concrete from grater heights. Cohesiveness losts
& honey combing results. Ultimately, loss in strength.
 Bleeding:- appearance of water along with cement particles on the
surface. Happens due to excessive quantity of water or due to
excessive compaction. Results in pores & weak concrete.
 Harshness:- resistance offered by concrete to its surface finish.
Difficult to get a smooth surface finish & concrete becomes porous.
Happens due to poorly graded aggregates or less fine aggregate or
less cement mortar.
PROPERTIES OF HARDENDED
•CONCRETE
Strength:- compressive strength of 150 mm cubes at 28 days.M20 is
minimum grade to be used.
• Resistance to wear:-
• Dimensional changes:- concrete shrinks with age. Approximately 0.0003 of
its original.
Permanent dimension change due to loading over a long period is termed
as creep.
• Durability:- resistance to weathering, chemical attacks, heat, freezing,
thawing.
• Impermeability:- resistance of concrete to the flow of water through its
pores. Excess water results into pores.
WATER CEMENT RATIO (W/C
• RATIO)
The water-cement ratio (w/c) is one of the major factors influencing the
strength of
concrete.
• It is responsible mainly for the porosity of the hardened cement paste.
• Thus theoretically lower the w/c ratio means higher compressive strength as
less voids
are created.
Definition:
• Water-cement ratio is the water used to the quantum of cement in the mixture by
weight.
• For proper workability the w/c ratio varies from 0.4 – 0.6
• However, theoretical maximum strength is derived
at w/c = 0.4 at which minimum capillary cavities are
expected to form.
• It may be noted that for complete hydration of
cement under controlled conditions the water
requirement is about 38 per cent. (i.e. w/c =
0.38)
• When it is decreased to less than 0.4 there is
improper consistency and workability of cement and
honeycombed structure may result.
• Also, at w/c ratio morethan0.6, porosity
increases
and strength
decreases.
Are there any
Exceptions:
ABHRAM
LAW
• Duff Abrahm gave the following equation to estimate the strength of concrete
for a given w/c ratio.

where,
S = Strength of cement at 28 days and A, B are
constants x = Water to cement ratio (w/c)
• According to Abrahm’s law it is evident that strength of concrete depends only
upon w/c ratio provided the mix is workable.
TESTS ON
• CONCRETE
The tests on concrete can be divided on the following lines:
• Tests on Fresh concrete (wet concrete)
• WORKABILITY TEST
• Tests on Hardened concrete
For hardened concrete the most important tests are the assessment of
strength of concrete, which can be assessed by the following tests.
• COMPRESSION TEST
• FLEXURE TEST
• SPLIT TENSILE STRENGTH TEST
• NON DESTRUCTIVE TEST
WORKABILITY
TEST
• Measurement of workability is done by the
following tests:
• Slump cone test
• Compaction factor test
• Vee-Bee Consistometer test
• Kelly ball test
• Flow table test
SLUMP CONE
• TEST
Slump tests in one of the most extensively used test all over the
world.
• Dimensions of the mould are bottom diameter = 200 mm, top diameter =
100 mm and height = 300 mm
• Mould is filled in with fresh concrete in four layers, each layer of
approximately one quarter of the height of the mould and tamped with
25 strokes of the rounded end of the tamping rod.
• Strokes are distributed in a uniform manner over the cross-section
• After the top layer has been rodded, the concrete is struck off level
with a trowel or
the tamping rod, such that the mould is exactly filled.
• Mould is remove immediately by raising it slowly and carefully in a
vertical direction. Then the concrete is allowed to subsidized and the
slump is measured immediately by determining the difference
between the height of the mould and the highest point of the
specimen being tested.
• Slump measured is recorded in terms of millimetres of subsidence of
APPARATUS
TYPES OF
SLUMP
TYPES OF SLUMP FOR VARIOUS
WORKS
COMPACTING FACTOR
TEST
• This test is more accurate and sensitive than the slump
test especially for it is useful for concrete mixes of
medium and low workability.
• Here the workability is measured in terms of
compaction factor (0.4 , 0.8, 0.9)
• Concrete of very low workability (0.7 or below), this
test is NOT
APPLICABLE
• It is primarily designed for laboratory work but can also
be used in the field.
COMPACTING FACTOR
APPARATUS
PROCEDU
• RE
Sample of concrete to be tested is placed gently in the
upper hopper, and levelled.
• Trap-door is then opened to allow the concrete to fall
into the lower
hopper.
• Concrete which has sticked in the
upper hopper at sides is gently pushed
into lower one.
• The trap-door of the lower hopper is opened so that the
concrete falls in the cylinder.
• The excess of concrete remaining
above the level of the top of the
cylinder should be cut and removed.
• Weight of theconcrete in the cylinder is
then determined, which is known as weight
of partially compacted concrete.
• The entire concrete is filled in cylinder and tamped with
tamping rod, and the weight of concrete in the cylinder is
• Thus compacting factor is defined as the ratio of “weight
of partially compacted concrete to the weight of fully
compacted concrete”

• Compacting factor values for concrete are

as follows:

• Higher the compacting factor, Higher

the workability of concrete.
VEE-BEE CONSISTOMETER
• TEST
This test determines the time required for
transforming, by vibration a concrete specimen in the
shape of a conical frustum into a cylinder.
• Apparatus consists of a vibrator table resting upon
elastic supports, a metal pot, a sheet metal cone,
open at both ends, and a standard iron rod.
• Slump test is performed in the cylindrical pot of the
consistometer which is a good laboratory test
[ONLY] to measure indirectly the workability of
concrete.
• The Slump cone is placed in the cylindrical pot, and
slump is noted. Then the electrical vibrator is switched
on and the TIME TAKEN for the concrete to spread out
in the cylindrical pot is noted in seconds and
workability is measured in VEE-BEE degree.
APPARATUS
COMPARISON OF VALUES OF SLUMP CONE,
VEE-BEE, COMPACTION FACTOR
TEST
PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION
OF PROCEDURE FOR FLOW
TABLE TEST

Equipment for the test - The cone filled with concrete,

Flow table, Slump cone prior
to lifting.

The diameter of the resulting

flow
is measured
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
TEST
• Cement, fine aggregate and Coarse aggregate (upto
38mm) to be used for making concrete are weighed in
the required ratio to be used in field and are thoroughly
mixed, by adding requisite amount of water until
the concrete appears homogeneous.
• The test SPCIMENS are cast in the required sizes of
cubes, 150mm x 150mm x 150mm or cylinders of 150mm
diameter and 300mm height. [D/H = 1/2]
• Test specimens are stored at room temperature for 24hrs
from the time of addition of water to dry ingredients.
• After this time specimens are removed from the
moulds and placed in water and kept there until taken
out just before the test.
• Usually specimens are tested for 7 days or 28 days
strength, but IS: 456 suggests only 28 days strength.
• Specimen is placedbetween the plates of
compression
machine,gradually testingis applied at the rate
load
of
14 N/mm2/minute, until the specimen is crushed.
• Average of 3 specimen values is taken
as the compressive strength of concrete,
provided individual variation is not more than
+/- 15% of the average.
• Generally the Cube specimen strength is approximately
equal to
1.25 times the Cylindrical specimen strength. [This is due
to the influence of size of the specimen]
FLEXURAL STRENGTH
TEST
• Flexural tensile strength test is done to determine
the tensile load at which concrete may crack.
• It is an indirect test for assessing the tensile strength
of concrete.
• The size of concrete is 150mm x 150mm x 700mm.
• The specimen is placed in the testing machine on two
38mm diameter rollers with a c/c distance of 600mm.
The load is applied through two similar rollers mounted
at the third points, spaced at 200mm c/c.
• The maximum load at which the specimen fails is noted
and from basics of strength of material, the flexural
strength is estimated.
TENSILE STRENGTH
TEST
• The tensile strength may be determined by by split tensile
strength test.
• As it is practically very difficult to apply uniaxial tensile
load, therefore few indirect methods are developed to
determine tensile strength of concrete. Example is the
split tensile strength test.
• In split tensile strength test a compressive force is applied
to the specimen such that specimen fails due to induced
tensile stresses.
• Specimen is made of cylindrical shape with diameter not
less than 150mm. Length is generally twice the
diameter.
• The maximum load at which the specimen fails is
recorded and from it
NON DESTRUCTIVE
TESTING
• Non destructive testing (NDT) can be done
on both fresh concrete and hardened
concrete.
• On fresh concrete Ultrasonic pulse wave test [PUNDIT]
can be done.
• On hardened concrete Pull Out test, Ultrasonic pulse wave
test [PUNDIT], Schmidt rebound hammer test,
Radioactive Methods.
REBOUND HAMMER
•TEST
It is a surface hardness test for which an empirical
correlation has been established between strength and
rebound number.
• It is based on the principle that the rebound of an elastic
mass depends on the hardness of the surface against
which the mass impinges.
Procedure:
• For this test, a rebound hammer [easily carried] also
called SCHMIDT HAMMER, which weighs about 1.8kg is
required and the test is suitable for both laboratory
and field work.
• The Schmidt hammer has a spring-controlled hammer
mass that
slides on plunger with a tubular casing.
• The hammer is forced against the surface of the
concrete by the spring and the distance of rebound is
measured on a scale of the instrument which gives
indication of concrete strength.
• This test is suitable for the concrete having strength in
the range of 20 – 26 Mpa.
Limitations:
• Results are mostly affected by factors such as
smoothness of surface, size and shape of specimen,
moisture condition of the concrete, type of cement &
coarse aggregate and extent of carbonation of surface.
PICTORIAL
REPRESENTATION OF
SCHMIDT REBOUND
HAMMER
PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION OF
REBOUND HAMMER
TEST
FIGURE OF SCHMIDT
REBOUND HAMMER TEST
BEING CONDUCTED
TYPES OF
CONCRETE
• The conventional cement concretes are commonly
used for structures in normal environmental
conditions. With the advancement of technology
and pressing demands of better mechanical
properties and durability than the conventional ones
as well as improvements in selected properties of
interest has lead to the development of special
cement concretes.

• Following are some of the various types of Concrete

used today in the industrial and residential
construction.
TYPES OF
CONCRETE
• Reinforced cement
concrete
• Prestressed concrete
• Fibre reinforced
concrete [FRC]
• Light Weight concrete
• High strength concrete
• Ready Mix concrete
• Self Compacting
concrete
• Shotcrete
REINFORCED CEMENT CONCRETE
•(RCC)
Reinforced cement concrete is a composite material made up
of cement concrete and reinforcement in which the concrete
resists compression with reinforcement resisting the tension
and shear. It is the most versatile building material
available and is extensively used in the construction
industry ranging from small structural elements such as
beams and columns to massive structures like dams and
bridges.
Why is the purpose of the reinforcement provided in the RCC ?
• The steel bars are embedded in the tensile zone of concrete
to compensate the poor tensile resistance of concrete. The
bond between steel and the surrounding concrete ensures strain
compatibility.
• Moreover, the reinforcing steel imparts ductility to this
composite material.
• The reinforcing steel also supplements concrete in bearing
compressive forces, as in the case of columns.
PRE-STRESSED
CONCRETE
• One of the serious limitation of reinforced cement
concrete is the
cracking which is a natural phenomenon for concrete
constructions.
• Once cracks occur they do not disappear even after
removal of load. Ok,
so what are the issues with the presence of cracks ??
• Presence of cracks lowers the capacity of structure to bear
reversal of stresses, impact vibration and shocks.
• Also, the reinforcing bars may get corroded in due course of time
and the concrete deteriorates.
• Besides these disadvantages, the presence of cracks makes theory
of reinforced concrete quite cumbersome. Efforts were made to
eliminate the cracking of concrete by artificially introducing in it
either before or simultaneously with the application of external
loads, a compressive force of permanent nature. This force is so
• A prestressed concrete may thus be defined as a
concrete in which stresses of suitable magnitude and
distribution are introduced to counteract, to a desired
degree, the stresses resulting from external loads.
OK, the question is can we use the same grade of
Steel and
Concrete as used in RCC ???
• In prestressed concrete high strength concrete and
steel are
desirable. The former is required because of following:
1) The use of high strength concrete results in smaller
cross-section of member and hence smaller self weight;
longer spans become technically and economically
practicable.
2) High bearing stresses are generated in anchorage zones,
thus we need very high grade of concrete to resist
these stresses.
3) The shrinkage cracks are reduced, with higher modulus of
elasticity and smaller creep strain resulting in smaller
• The loss of prestress at the initial stages is very high and for
this reason high strength steel is required. High tensile
strength wires with ultimate tensile strength up to 2010
N/mm2 are the choice. For prestressed concrete members,
the high tensile steel used generally consists of bars or
strands.
• Prestressing is achieved by either pre-tensioning or post-
tensioning.
• In the former the wires or cables are anchored, tensioned and
concrete is cast in the moulds. After the concrete has gained
strength the wires are released. This sets up compression in
concrete which counteracts tension in concrete because of
bending in the member.
• In the post-tensioning prestressing force is applied to the steel
bars or cables, after the concrete has hardened sufficiently.
After applying the full prestress the cable passages are
grouted. The minimum 28-day cube compressive strength for
concrete is 40 N/mm2 [M40 grade] for pre-tensioned members
and 30 N/mm2 [M30 grade] for post-tensioned members.
ADVANTAGES OF PRESTRESSED
CONCRETE
1) The cracking of concrete is eliminated enabling the entire
cross- section of the member to take part in resisting
moment.
2) As dead load moments are neutralized and the shear
stresses are reduced, the sections required are much
smaller than those for reinforced concrete. This reduces
the dead weight of structure.
3) In ordinary reinforced concrete (RCC) the economy
is not as
pronounced as in prestressed concrete (PSC).
USES OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
• It is widely used for construction of precast units such as
beams, floors, roofing systems, bridges, folded plate roofs,
marine structures, towers and railway sleepers.
FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE
• [FRC]
Conventional concrete is modified by random dispersal of
short discrete fine fibers of asbestos, steel, sisal, glass, carbon,
poly- propylene, nylon, natural fibres etc.,.
• The main role of fine fibers is to bridge the cracks that develop in
concrete and increase the ductility of concrete elements. Also imparts
more resistance to impact load.
• The improvement in structural performance depends on the
strength characteristics, volume, spacing, dispersion and
orientation, shape and their aspect ratio (ratio of length to
diameter) of fibres.
• A fibre-reinforced concrete requires a considerably greater
amount of fine aggregate than that for conventional
concrete for convenient handling.
• For FRC to be fully effective, each fibre needs to be fully
embedded in the matrix, thus the cement paste
ADVANTAGES / DIS-ADVANTAGES /
APPLICATIONS
Advantages:
1) Strength of concrete increases.
2) Fibres help to reduce cracking and permit the use of thin concrete sections.
3) Mix becomes cohesive and possibilities of segregation are reduced.
4) Ductility, impact resistance, tensile and bending strength are improved.

Disadvantages:
5) Fibres reduce the workability of a mix and may cause the entrainment of
air.
6) Steel fibres tend to intermesh and form balls during mixing of concrete.

Applications:
Fibre reinforced concrete is useful in hydraulic structures, airfield pavements,
highways, bridge decks, heavy duty floors, and tunnel linings.
ACTION OF
FRC
• The tensile cracking strain of cement matrix is about 1/50 of
that of yield of steel fibres. Consequently when FRC is
loaded, the matrix [CEMENT CONCRETE MATRIX] cracks
long before the fibres are fractured.
• Once the matrix is cracked the composites continue to
carry increasing tensile stress, provided the pullout
resistance of fibres at the first crack is greater than the load
at the first cracking.
• The bond or the pullout resistance of the fibres depends on the average bond strength
between the fibres and the matrix, the number of fibres crossing the crack, the length and
diameter of fibres, and the aspect ratio.

• The first flexural cracking load on a FRC member increases

[COMPARED TO ORDINARY RCC/PCC] due to crack arresting
mechanism of the closely spaced fibres. After the first crack
fibres continue to take load provided the bond is good.
Thereafter the fibres, reaching the breaking strain
fracture.
LIGHT WEIGHT
• CONCRETE
Conventional cement concrete is a heavy building material.
• For structures such as multistorey buildings it is desirable to
reduce the dead loads. Light weight concrete (LWC) is most
suitable for such construction works. Lightweight aggregate
concrete is particularly suitable for use where low density,
good thermal insulation or fire protection are required
• It can be obtained by anyone of the following methods:
• By making concrete with cement and coarse aggregate only.
Sometimes such a concrete is referred to as no-fines concrete.
Suitable aggregates are — natural aggregate, blast furnace
slag, clinker, foamed slag, etc. Since fine aggregates are not used,
voids will be created and the concrete produced will be light weight.
• By replacing coarse aggregate by porous or cellular aggregate.
The concrete thus produced is called CELLULAR
CONCRETE.
• Types of cellular concrete are Foam concrete, gas concrete etc.,.
• Among the main shortcomings of cellular concrete are high
tendency to deformation, shrinkage.
FOAM / GAS
CONCRETE
Foam Concrete:
• It is obtained by mixing cement paste or mortar with
stabilized foam.
After hardening, the foam cells form concrete of a cellular
structure.
• The foam is obtained by stirring a mixture of resin soap and
animal glue. The best foaming agents are alumino sulpho
napthene compounds and hydrolysed slaughter blood.
•This concrete is very suitable for heat insulation
purposes. Gas Concrete:
• It is manufactured by expanding the binding material paste,
which may or may not include aggregates. It is also known
as aerated concrete.
• The approximate relative proportions of gas concrete
ingredients are as follows: 90% Portland cement, 9.75% powdered
lime, 0.25% aluminium power (for a water to cement ratio of
0.55– 0.65). About 2/3 of sand are ground in a wet state.
HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE
(HSC)
• For mix made with normal weight aggregates, high strength
concrete (HSC) is considered to be the one having a
compressive strength in excess of 40 MPa.
• To produce concrete above this strength more stringent
quality control
and more care in selection and proportioning of materials are
needed.
• The tricalcium aluminate component of cement is kept as low
as possible (<8%) [REASON HIGH HEAT OF HYDRATION AND
LATER IT MIGHT LEAD TO SHRINKAGE CRACKS].
• Most cements used to produce HSC have fineness in the
range of 300
– 400 m2/kg. [THAT MEANS WE WANT VERY FINE
CEMENT]
• For HSC a smallermaximum size of coarse aggregate leads
APPLICATIONS OF
HSC
• The use of the highest possible strength concrete and minimum steel offers
the most
economical solution for columns of high rise buildings.
• This clearly demonstrates the economy of using HSC in multistorey buildings.
• So far, for industrial application, HSCs are limited to structural members that
are not exposed to freeze thaw cycles.
• Further, superplasticized, low w/c ratio HSC containing high cement content and a
good quality puzzolana has a great potential of use where impermeability or
durability, not strength, is the main consideration.
• Such applications include floors in the chemical and food industry, and bridge
deck overlays that are subject to severe chemical and physical processes
of degradation.
READY MIX CONCRETE
• (RMC)
Ready mixed concrete (RMC) is a concrete, delivered at site or
into the purchaser’s vehicle, in plastic condition and
requires no further treatment before being placed in a
position in which it is to set and harden.
• It is a high quality concrete of required grade produced
under strictly controlled conditions in a centralized automatic
batching plant and supplied to the customer in a transit mixer
truck for its placement at site. The concrete is mixed at the
batching plant, loaded into agitator truck mixers and water
added during transportation and transported to the site.
• Use of RMC to its full advantage requires more careful planning
on the site as compared to the site mixing. Due to better
quality control measures adopted, RMC can be considered to
be almost a factory-made product.
• It is advantageous not only for mass concreting but
also for small quantities of concrete to be placed at
intervals. RMC is extremely useful on congested sites or
in road construction where limited space is available
for aggregate stock piling and mixing plant.
• The major set back to the use of RMC is its cost.
However, though a little bit expensive, the increasing
emphasis on quality, with skilled labour becoming
expensive, out weigh the cost issue of RMC.
• Quality of RMC is generally specified in terms of
performance parameters, i.e., purchaser specifies the
strength level and intended use.
ADVANTAGES OF
RMC
1) Enhanced quality and durability resulting in lower maintenance costs
and increased speed of construction. Ready mix concrete is
consistently of the same quality and provides a high quality of
construction material; construction time is also reduced.
2) It is an environmentally safer alternative.
3) Convenience — Ready Mix Concrete is delivered at the site with
minimum logistical hassles.
4) Different types of concretes can be made for different
applications.
5) Use of RMC obviates the need to set up the infrastructure required
for site manufactures of concrete [LIKE BATCHING PLANTS]. This
also reduces the working capital to be invested by the
customers, as they will not be required to maintain stock of
aggregates, cement, plant and machinery etc.
SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE
• (SCC)
Self-Compacting concrete (SSC) is a very special type of
concrete which can flow and fill into every corner of formwork,
even in the presence of congested reinforcement, purely by
means of its own weight and without the need of vibrating
compaction, tamping etc.
• Self-Compacting concrete as it sounds is nothing different
from normal concrete. It is just usage of extra admixtures
(super plasticizers and viscosity modifying admixtures) that
makes SSC act different to normal one.
• 70%
In SSC, high
of the totalamount
powder of supplementary
content, are cementitious
materials,Normally
added. up to
supplementary materials are fly ash, silica flume, blast
these
furnace slag etc.
• Since SSC does not require any compaction, it saves time,
labour and energy. Also, good surface finish is
produced.
• Self-Compacting concrete is characterized by high
powder content. The parameter that is important
in SSC is water- powder ratio, water-cement ratio is
completely ignored. Other important parameters are
fly ash content, sand-aggregate ratio, paste
percentage, types content
aggregate of admixture used. etc.
in SSC is The
conventional
smaller thanconcrete
that requiring
for vibration.
• On theother hand, the viscosity
of thepaste in SSC is highest among
the various types ofratio.
water-powder concrete due to This
is lowest
characteristic is important in inhibiting
segregation.
• The method for achieving self-compactability involves not
only high deformability of paste or mortar, but also
resistance to segregation between coarse aggregate and
mortar when the concrete flows through the confined zone
of reinforcing bars.
• To achieve selfcompactability, the aggregate content are
limited, the
water-powder ratio is kept low, and super plasticizers are
used.
Why is it used:
• The main reason for the employment of SCC are the
shortened construction period, assured compaction in the
structural elements; especially in confined zones where
vibrating compaction is difficult and, to eliminate noise due
to vibration; effective especially at products plants.
• SSC does not require any compaction, it saves time, labour
and energy.
Also, good surface finish is produced.
BEAM COLUMN
JOINT
CHARACTERISTICS OF
SCC
• Non-Segregating: The aggregate stay in suspension in the mix as it
flows into the form. [STRENGTH IS SECONDARY IN THIS CASE, BUT
IMPORTANT]
• Non-Bleeding: Water does not rise to the top of the mix or is
observed on the
outer edges of a flow test.
• Vibration: No vibration is required during placement. SCC flows
around rebar and other inclusions in the form under its own
weight.
• Flow spread: Flow spreads of 45 cm diameter or grater are
obtainable.
• Set time: The initial set time in many SCC mixes increase upwards
of 90 minutes, depending on the admixtures used and water
content of the mix.
• Workability: Workability of Self-Compacting concrete is equilibrium
of its fluidity, deformability and resistance to segregation and
SHOTCRE
•
TE
Shotcrete is the concrete conveyed through a hose and
pneumatically projected at a high velocity on a surface. It is
similar to gunite (mortar) but with coarse aggregates.
• The normal specifications with respect to cement, aggregate
and water also apply to shotcrete but the coarse
aggregate used should be harder to account for attrition
and of small size. The w/c ratio is kept quite low. The admixtures
such as accelerators are used to permit quick setting of shotcrete.
• The high cost of shotcrete and the wastage due to rebound
has to be weighed with other techniques before
recommending it. It is also to be remembered that it is not
eco friendly as lot of dusting problem and waste due to
rebound is there.
ADMIXTUR
ES
• Admixtures are additives which are added to concrete mix
at the mixing stage to modify the properties of fresh
and hardened concrete.
• It is either chemical (liquid) or mineral (fine granular)
• However admixtures should never be regarded as a
substitute for good mix design, good workmanship
and use of good materials.
• The uses of admixtures include:
• Increase workability without changing w/c ratio or reduce
w/c ratio without chaning workability.
• To decrease density, reduce segregation and bleeding,
improve pumpability, accelerate initial setting time, increase
strength and rate of gain of strength etc.,.
CLASSIFICATION OF
ADMIXTURES
• Admixtures are normally categorised
according to their effect produced
on concrete:
• Plasticizers (water – reducing agents)
• Super Plasticizers (high range water reducers)
• Air entertainers
• Accelerators
• Retarders
Many admixtures provide for the combination of the
above effects.
PLASTICIZER
S
• Chemicals to improve plasticity in fresh concrete; for
improving workability (for a given w/c ratio) to
facilitate placement of concrete in location that are
not easily accesible or these are mainly for achieving
higher strength by reducing w/c ratio.
 Examples include: Lingnosulphonic acids and their salts (eg. Ca,
Na,
Ammonium salts); Hydroxylated caboxylic acids and their salts.
Uses:
• Plasticizers usually increase the slump of concrete with a
given water content.
• Plasticizers can reduce the water requirement of a
concrete mix for a given workability. (approximatley 10
SUPER
PLASTICIZERS
• These admixtures are chemically distinct from normal
plasticizers and although their action is basically the
same, it is more marked.
• When the are used they produce flowing concrete and a
rapid loss of workability can be expected and therefore
they should be added just prior to placing.
• Finer the cement higher is the super plasticizer dose.
• Examples are sulphonated melamine formaldehyde
condensates, napthalene sulphonate fomaldehyde condensates,
Modified lignosulphonate (MLS) and mixture of saccharates and
acid amines.
• It is capable of reducing water requirement by 20 – 40
%
AIR
• ENTRAINERS
An air entraining agent introduces air in the form of minute bubbles that
occupy upto 5% of
volume of concrete distributed uniformly throughout the cement paste.
• Examples include salts of wood resins, animal or vegetable fats & oils [like stearic
acid and oleic acid] and sulphonated hydrocarbons.
• Air entrainment however may reduce the strength of concrete and
overdosing can cause major loss of strength. [REMEMEBER THE ISSUES OF
VOIDS]
Uses:
• Where improved resistance of hardened concrete to damage from freezing
and thawing is required.
• For improved workability, especially in harsh or lean mixes.
• To reduce bleeding and segregation, especially when a mix lacks fines.
ACCELERATO
RS(notably Calcium chloride) speed up
• These admixtures
the chemical reaction between cement and water,
thus accelerating the setting time or early gain in
strength of concrete.
• Accelerator calcium chloride (CaCl2) can be used upto
amounts of 2% by mass of cement. If used in higher
quantities there is possibility of high shrinkage
leading to cracks in concrete.
Uses:
• Where rapid setting and high early strengths are
required
• Where faster removal of formwork is required.
Practical limitation:
• All chloride based accelerators cause corrosion of steel
RETARDE
• RS
These admixtures slow or prolong the chemical reaction of the cement and
water leading to
longer setting times and slower initial strength gains.
• The most common retarders are hydroxylated carboxylic acids, lignins, sugar
and some phosphates.
Uses:
• When placing concrete in hot weather
• In concrete which has to be transported for a long time.
Practical limitations:
 Retarders often increase plastic shrinkage and plastic settlement
cracking.
 Delayed addition of retarders can result in extended retardation.