CONCRETE

What is Concrete
Concrete is a man made composite construction material.
Concrete solidifies n hardens after mixing with water and placement due to
chemical process known as Hydration. The water reacts with the cement,
which bonds other components together, eventually creating robust stone like
material.

INGRADIENTS OF CONCRETE
Cement + Coarse Aggregate + Fine Aggregate + Water + Chemical Admixture.
Cement and lime are generally used as binding materials,
Whereas sand cinder is used as fine aggregates,
Crushed stones, gravels, broken bricks, clinkers are used as coarse aggregates.
In a simple form, Concrete is a mixture of pastes n aggregates.
Admixtures _

Chemical admixtures are the ingredients in concrete other than Cement,

water n aggregates that are added to the mix immediately before or during
mixing.

Admixtures are primarily used__

To reduce the cost of concrete construction

To modify properties of hardened concrete
To ensure quality of concrete during mixing, transporting, placing, and
curing; and
To overcome certain emergencies during concrete operations.

Most admixtures are supplied in ready to use liquid form and are added at
the plant or at the job site.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE

1. Concrete can handle the compression stresses 10 times more than the
tension.
 2. Easy to handle over; especially now there are ready mix Concrete plants .

Disadvantages:
1. Concrete is weak in handling tension
and is a brittle material , Needs another material to reinforce it against
excessive shear and tension.

TYPES OF CONCRETE
Some common and main types of concrete are:

1. Normal concrete
2. High Strength Concrete
3. High Performance Concrete
4. Air Entrained Concrete
5. Light Weight Concrete
6. Self Compacting Concrete
7. Shotcrete
8. Pervious Concrete
9. Roller Compacted Concrete

1. Normal Concrete

 The concrete in which common ingredients i.e. aggregate, water,

cement are used is known as normal concrete. It is also called normal
weight concrete or normal strength concrete.
 It has a setting time of 30 - 90 minutes depending upon moisture in
atmosphere, fineness of cement etc.
 The development of the strength starts after 7 days; the common
strength values is 10 MPa (1450 psi) to 40 MPa (5800 psi). At about 28
days 75 - 80% of the total strength is attained.
 Almost at 90 days 95% of the strength is achieved.

Properties of Normal Concrete

 Its slump varies from 1 - 4 inches.

 Density ranges from 140 pcf to 175 pcf.
 It is strong in compression and weak in tension.
 Air content 1 - 2 %.
 Normal concrete is not durable against severe conditions e.g. freezing
and thawing.
 2. High strength concrete

 Compressive strength of high strength concrete mix is usually greater

than 6,000 pounds per square inch.
 High strength concrete is made by lowering the water cement (W/C)
ratio to 0.35 or lower.
 Often silica fume is added to prevent the formation of free calcium
hydroxide crystals in the cement, which might reduce the strength at the
cement aggregate bond.
 Low w/c ratios and the use of silica fume make concrete mixes
significantly less workable, which is particularly likely to be a problem in
high-strength concrete applications where dense rebar cages are likely
to be used. To compensate for the reduced workability in the high
strength concrete mix, super plasticizers are commonly added to high-
strength mixtures.
 Aggregate must be selected carefully for high strength mixes, as weaker
aggregates may not be strong enough to resist the loads imposed on the
concrete and cause failure to start in the aggregate.

3. High Performance Concrete

This mix has the following main properties:

 High strength.
 High workability.
 High durability.
 Ease of placement.
 Compaction without segregation.
 Early age strength.
 Long-term mechanical properties.
 Permeability.
 Density.
 Heat of hydration.
 Toughness.
 Volume stability.
 Long life in severe environments.
 Strength of high performance concrete ranges from 10000 psi - 15000
psi
Preparation

High strength concrete mix can be prepared with careful selection of

ingredients and optimization of mix design.

 High workability is attained by super plasticizers, they lower the water

cement ratio to 0.25 which is the amount required only for hydration
process.
 High durability is attributed to fly ash and silica fume which modify the
mineralogy of the cement; it enhances the compatibility of ingredients in
concrete mass and reduces the CH amount. Fly ash also causes ball
bearing effect increasing workability.
 The admixtures are 20-25% fly ash of partial replacement of cement and
rest 70% is Ordinary Portland Cement.
 As it is not usually durable against freezing and thawing so air entrained
agents can also be utilized.

4. Air Entrained Concrete

 One of the greatest achievements in field of concrete technology is

development of air entrained concrete. It is used where the concrete is
vulnerable to freezing and thawing action.
 It is prepared by adding the air entraining admixture.

The air entrainment in concrete does the following functions:.

1. It lowers the surface tension of water and thus bubbles are created.
2. Secondly the air entraining agents prevents coalescing i.e. the combining
of bubbles. The diameter of these bubbles ranges form 10 micrometer
to 1000 micrometer and in entrapped air the diameter of bubble is
greater than 1mm.

Air entraining agents OR admixtures are used for the purpose of making
entrained air in concrete.

FREEZING AND THAWING:

There are two phenomenon regarding the freezing and thawing action on
concrete.

1. when water inside concrete mass freezes it expands 9-10% due to this
increase in the size it exerts pressure on its surrounding and thus
 creating a tensile force due to which micro cracks appear in the
concrete. Due to freezing these micro cracks develop into fissures which
results in disruption of concrete.

When the air entrained agents are present, extra amount of air is there
as water expands these air bubble provide them thin space and the
exertion of pressure is prevented.

2. Second is of osmotic pressure: In a concrete structure there are two

parts, frozen and unfrozen. As the water content is higher in the frozen
part, the osmotic pressure is developed and water tends to flow towards
the low water concentration part. If capillaries are not available, the
water develops cracks.

 Normal concrete cannot sustain 3-4 cycles of freezing and thawing

where as the AEA concrete can sustain 100 cycles of it.

DRAW BACKS of Air Entrained Concrete:

 It has low strength as compare to normal concrete.

5. LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE

 The concrete which has substantially lower mass per unit volume then
the concrete made of ordinary ingredients is called lightweight concrete.
The aggregates used are lighter in weight.
 Density of light weight concrete is 240 kg/m³ (15pcf) -1850 kg/m³ (115
pcf).
 Strength of light weight concrete blocks varies from 7 MPa (1000 psi) -
40 MPa (5800 psi).
 Sometimes Air Entrained Admixtures are also added to it ; giving
resistance to freezing and thawing along with strength.

Uses of Light weight concrete:

 Used where extra load is not applied e.g. parapet wall, road lining etc. or
to reduce dead load.

6. SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE

The concrete where no vibration is required. The concrete is compacted due to
its own weight. It is also called self consolidated concrete or flowing concrete.
It can be also categorized as high performance concrete as the ingredients are
the same, but in this type of concrete workability is increased. This self-
consolidating concrete is characterized by:

 Extreme fluidity as measured by flow, typically between 650-750 mm on

a flow table, rather than slump (height).
 No need for vibrators to compact the concrete.
 Placement being easier.
 No bleed water, or aggregate segregation.

Uses and Applications of Self Compacting Concrete:

1. It is used in location unreachable for vibrations. e.g. underground

structure, deep wells or at bottom of deep sea.
2. SCC can save up to 50% in labour costs due to 80% faster pouring and
reduced wear and tear on formwork.

7. Shotcrete

 Shotcrete concrete uses compressed air to shoot concrete onto (or into)
a frame or structure.
 Shotcrete is mortar or (usually) concrete conveyed through a hose and
pneumatically projected at through a shortcrete nozzle with high
velocity onto a surface. Shotcrete undergoes placement and compaction
at the same time due to the force with which it is projected from the
nozzle.
 It can be impacted onto any type or shape of surface, including vertical
or overhead areas.
 Shotcrete is frequently used against vertical soil or rock surfaces, as it
eliminates the need for formwork.
 It is sometimes used for rock support, especially in tunnelling.
 Shotcrete is also used for applications where seepage is an issue to limit
the amount of water entering a construction site due to a high water
table or other subterranean sources.
 This type of concrete is often used as a quick fix for weathering for loose
soil types in construction zones.

8. Pervious concrete
  Pervious concrete contains a network of holes or voids, to allow air or
water to move through the concrete. This allows water to drain naturally
through it, and can both remove the normal surface water drainage
infrastructure, and allow replenishment of groundwater when
conventional concrete does not.
 It is formed by leaving out some or the entire fine aggregate (fines), the
remaining large aggregate then is bound by a relatively small amount of
Portland cement.
 When set, typically between 15% and 25% of the concrete volumes are
voids, allowing water to drain.
 The majority of pervious concrete pavements function well with little or
no maintenance. Maintenance of pervious concrete pavement consists
primarily of prevention of clogging of the void structure.
 In preparing the site prior to construction, drainage of surrounding
landscaping should be designed to prevent flow of materials onto
pavement surfaces. Soil, rock, leaves, and other debris may infiltrate the
voids and hinder the flow of water, decreasing the utility of the pervious
concrete pavement.

9. Roller compacted concrete

 Roller compacted concrete, sometimes called rollcrete, is a low-cement-

content stiff concrete placed using techniques borrowed from
earthmoving and paving work.
 The concrete is placed on the surface to be covered, and is compacted in
place using large heavy rollers typically used in earthwork.
 The concrete mix achieves a high density and cures over time into a
strong monolithic block.
 Roller compacted concrete is typically used for concrete pavement.
Roller compacted concrete dams can also be built, as the low cement
content causes less heat to be generated while curing than typical for
conventionally placed massive concrete pours.

Concrete Mix Design

The process of selecting suitable ingredients of concrete and determining their

relative amounts with the objective of producing a concrete of the required,
strength, durability, and workability as economically as possible, is termed the
concrete mix design.

Types of Mixes
1. Nominal Mixes
In the past the specifications for concrete prescribed the proportions of
cement, fine and coarse aggregates. These mixes of fixed cement-
aggregate ratio which ensures adequate strength are termed nominal
mixes. These offer simplicity under normal circumstances, have a margin
of strength above that specified. However, due to the variability of mix
ingredients the nominal concrete for a given workability varies widely in
strength.

2. Standard mixes
The nominal mixes of fixed cement-aggregate ratio (by volume) vary widely in
strength and may result in under- or over-rich mixes. For this reason, the
minimum compressive strength has been included in many specifications.
These mixes are termed standard mixes.

IS 456-2000 has designated the concrete mixes into a number of grades as

M10, M15, M20, M25, M30, M35 and M40.

In this designation the letter M refers to the mix and the number refers to the
specified strength of mix cube in N/mm2 in 28 days.

The mixes of grades M10, M15, M20 and M25 correspond approximately to
the mix proportions (1:3:6), (1:2:4), (1:1.5:3) and (1:1:2) respectively.

3.Designed Mixes
In these mixes the performance of the concrete is specified by the designer but
the mix proportions are determined by the producer of concrete, except that
the minimum cement content can be laid down. This is most rational approach
to the selection of mix proportions with specific materials in mind possessing
more or less unique characteristics. The approach results in the production of
concrete with the appropriate properties most economically.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK GRADE OF CONCRETE

 Concrete in columns, beams 1:1:2

 Water retaining structures,

Piles, precast work or dense 1:1.5:3
Concrete.
  RCC beams, slabs, columns 1:2:4

 Foundations for buildings, 1:3:6

Mass reinforced works.

 For mass concrete work. 1:4:8

WATER CEMENT RATIO

In the preparation of concrete the water cement ratio is very important

For normal construction the water cement ratio is usually 0.5
Adding to much water will reduce the strength of concrete and can cause
segregation.

Properties of good concrete mix __

1.Compressive strength

It is one of the most important properties of concrete and influences many

other describable properties of the hardened concrete. The mean compressive
strength required at a specific age, usually 28 days, determines the nominal
water-cement ratio of the mix.

The other factor affecting the strength of concrete at a given age and cured at
a prescribed temperature is the degree of compaction.

According to Abraham’s law the strength of fully compacted concrete is

inversely proportional to the water-cement ratio.

2. Workability

Workability is often referred to as the ease with which a concrete can be

transported, placed and consolidated without excessive bleeding or
segregation.
Factors affecting concrete workability:

i. Water-Cement ratio
ii. Amount and type of Aggregate
iii. Amount and type of Cement
iv. Weather conditions
1. Temperature
2. Wind
v. Chemical Admixtures
vi. Sand to Aggregate ratio

3. Durability
The durability of concrete is its resistance to the aggressive environmental
conditions. High strength concrete is generally more durable than low
strength concrete.
when used in floors and in the construction of roads the concrete should be
able to withstand abrasive forces.

4.DENSITY:

The concrete should be well compacted so that there are no voids or

hollows left. It should weigh 3000 kg/cu.m

5.WATER TIGHTNESS:

When used for construction of water retaining structures such as dams,

elevated tanks and water reservoirs then this property of concrete becomes
very important. Otherwise the moisture inside the RCC would corrode steel
and leakage would start resulting in the ultimate failure of the structure.

Tests on Concrete

SAMPLING The first step is to take a test sample from the large batch of
concrete. This should be done as soon as discharge of the concrete
commences. The sample should be representative of the concrete supplied.
The sample is taken in one of two ways:

For purposes of accepting or rejecting the load: Sampling after 0.2 m3 of the
load has been poured.
For routine quality checks: Sampling from three places in the load.

a) Concrete Slump Test

This test is performed to check the consistency of freshly made concrete. The
slump test is done to make sure a concrete mix is workable. The measured
slump must be within a set range, or tolerance, from the target slump.

Workability of concrete is mainly affected by consistency i.e. wetter mixes will

be more workable than drier mixes, but concrete of the same consistency may
vary in workability. It can also be defined as the relative plasticity of freshly
mixed concrete as indicative of its workability.

Tools and apparatus used for slump test (equipment):

1. Standard slump cone (100 mm top diameter x 200 mm bottom

diameter x 300 mm high)
2. Small scoop
1. Bullet-nosed rod (600 mm long x 16 mm diameter)
3. Rule
1. Slump plate (500 mm x 500 mm)

Procedure of slump test for concrete:

1. Clean the cone. Dampen with water and place on the slump plate. The
slump plate should be clean, firm, level and non-absorbent. Collect a
sample of concrete to perform the slum test.
2. Stand firmly on the footpieces and fill 1/3 the volume of the cone with
the sample. Compact the concrete by 'rodding' 25 times. Rodding means
to push a steel rod in and out of the concrete to compact it into the
cylinder, or slump cone. Always rod in a definite pattern, working from
outside into the middle.
3. Now fill to 2/3 and again rod 25 times, just into the top of the first layer.
4. Fill to overflowing, rodding again this time just into the top of the second
layer. Top up the cone till it overflows.
5. Level off the surface with the steel rod using a rolling action. Clean any
concrete from around the base and top of the cone, push down on the
handles and step off the footpieces.
6. Carefully lift the cone straight up making sure not to move the sample.
7. Turn the cone upside down and place the rod across the up-turned cone.
 8. Take several measurements and report the average distance to the top
of the sample.If the sample fails by being outside the tolerance (ie the
slump is too high or too low), another must be taken. If this also fails the
remainder of the batch should be rejected.

b) The Compression Test

The compression test shows the compressive strength of hardened concrete.

The compression test shows the best possible strength concrete can reach in
perfect conditions. The compression test measures concrete strength in the
hardened state. Testing should always be done carefully. Wrong test results
can be costly.

The testing is done in a laboratory off-site. The only work done on-site is to
make a concrete cylinder for the compression test. The strength is measured in
Megapascals (MPa) and is commonly specified as a characteristic strength of
concrete measured at 28 days after mixing. The compressive strength is a
measure of the concrete’s ability to resist loads which tend to crush it.

Apparatus for compression test

Cylinders (100 mm diameter x 200 mm high or 150 mm diameter x 300 mm

high) (The small cylinders are normally used for most testing due to their
lighter weight)

1. Small scoop
2. Bullet-nosed rod (600 mm x 16 mm)
3. Steel float
4. Steel plate

Procedure for compression test of concrete

1. Clean the cylinder mould and coat the inside lightly with form oil, then
place on a clean, level and firm surface, ie the steel plate. Collect a
sample.
2. Fill 1/2 the volume of the mould with concrete then compact by rodding
25 times. Cylinders may also be compacted by vibrating using a vibrating
table.
3. Fill the cone to overflowing and rod 25 times into the top of the first
layer, then top up the mould till overflowing.
4. Level off the top with the steel float and clean any concrete from around
the mould.
5. Cap, clearly tag the cylinder and put it in a cool dry place to set for at
least 24 hours.
6. After the mould is removed the cylinder is sent to the laboratory where
it is cured and crushed to test compressive strength.

WORKABILITY OF CONCRETE
 It is the amount of work required to place concrete and to compact it
thoroughly.
 Workability of concrete increases with the addition of water but it
reduces the strength that’s why it is not a desirable way of increasing
the workability.
 Use of aggregates which are round and have smooth surfaces increases
the workability.
 Workability could also be improved by adding air entraining agent such
as vinsol resin or Darex.
 Use of Lisapole liquid at 30 cubic centimeters per bag of cement
improves not only the workability but also the water tightness of
concrete.
 Workability of concrete is better determined by compaction factor test.

COMPACTION OF CONCRETE
 Compaction of concrete is very important in developing qualities like
strength, durability, imperviousness by making the concrete dense and
free from voids.
 In case of RCC compaction is done by pinning with an iron rod or even
with trowel blade.
 Excess temping should be avoided as otherwise water, cement and finer
particles would come to the surface and results in non uniform
concreting.
 In case of important and big works, compaction of concrete is done with
vibrator.
 Use of vibrator is best and the most efficient way of compacting
concrete. It gives very dense concrete.
 Care should be taken not to make excessive use of vibrators otherwise
the concrete becomes non homogeneous

CURING OF CONCRETE
 The process of keeping concrete wet to enable it to attain full strength is
known as curing.
 The objective of curing is to prevent loss of moisture from concrete due
to evaporation or because of any other reasons.
 Curing should be done for a period of three weeks but not less than 10
To do curing, any one of the following method can be used:
 The surface of concrete is coated with a layer of bitumen or similar other
waterproofing compound which gets into the pores of concrete and
prevent loss of water from concrete.
 Concrete surface is covered with waterproof paper or with a layer of wet
sand. It could also be covered with gunny bags.