Concrete

Lecture on Construction Materials And Testing

Table of contents
 Concrete
 Types of Concrete
 Cement
 Types of cement
 Aggregates
 Types
 Test
 Additives
 Types
 Purpose
 Mixture
What is a Concrete?
 Concrete, usually Portland cement concrete, is a composite
material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a
fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens over time—most frequently a lime-
based cement binder, such as Portland cement, but sometimes with
other hydraulic cements, such as a calcium aluminate cement. It is
distinguished from other, non-cementitious types of concrete all binding some
form of aggregate together, including asphalt concrete with a bitumen binder,
which is frequently used for road surfaces, and polymer concretes that use
polymers as a binder.
 Wiki
 Water
 Cement
 Fine aggregates (sand)
 Course aggregates (gravel)
 Additives
Types of Concrete
 MODERN CONCRETE
 Most commonly, regular concrete is created by mixing Portland cement with both
an aggregate and water-chemical mixtures. Often times, cement and concrete are
incorrectly interchanged: concrete is the hard, rock-like substance that is so
frequently seen in urbanized areas. Cement is an ingredient, the powder, used in
the creation of concrete. It is the most-produced material on Earth and will
continue to be so long as there is a need to create, rebuild, or improve
infrastructure.
 HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE
 High-strength concrete is different from normal-strength concrete in the amount of
force it can resist without breaking. The American Concrete Institute differentiates
high-strength from normal-strength at a compressive strength of over 6,000 psi
(pounds square inch). In addition to varying the proportions of the materials used
in normal-strength concrete, silica fume is added to the mixture to strengthen the
bond between the cement and the aggregate. However, this admixture causes the
cement to hydrate much faster, meaning that it dries quicker than usual. In order
to keep consistent, the balance between workability and strength, a
superplasticizer is added to high-strength concrete. This slows down the chemical
reaction between the cement and water, allowing for workers to place the
concrete at a more effective pace
 HIGH-PERFORMANCE CONCRETE (HPC)
 High-performance concrete, in contrast to high-strength concrete, is not
necessarily known for its compressive resistance. While high-performance concrete
can include a high compressive strength, other characteristics used to define “high
performance” are the ease of placement without affecting strength, long-term
mechanical properties, toughness, and longevity in various weather conditions
among others
 ULTRA HIGH-PERFORMANCE CONCRETE
 This type of concrete is more often than not pre-mixed in bags because of the
numerous ingredients needed to make it. It includes Portland cement, silica fume,
quartz flour, and fine silica sand. However, high-range water reducers, water, and
other steel or organic fibers are used to increase the strength of the mixture.
Ultra-high performance concrete is particularly durable because of the
combination of fine powders. Other types of concrete normally need a steel rebar
or reinforcing to retain the intended structure, but UHPC is generally self-placing
in addition to its incredible compressive strength of up to 29,000 psi. Its post-
cracking longevity is one of UHPC’s strong points because even after this concrete
cracks, it still is able to maintain structural integrity with an impressive tensile
strength of 725 psi.
 STAMPED CONCRETE
 Stamped concrete is another type of concrete that is very commonly used. Often
seen in parking lots, pavements, or other like high-traffic areas, stamped concrete
has more of an architectural application. Once concrete has been laid, a kind of
mold can be placed on top of, or stamped, onto the hardening concrete to create
the appearance of natural stone. Once the floor has been hardened, it will likely
be sealed to increase the longevity of the dried mixture.
 SELF-CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE
 Normally, concrete requires a mechanical vibration while being set in order to
release excess air that may be in the mixture. Self-consolidating concrete
eliminates the need for mechanical consolidation (the vibrations) mainly through
its malleable viscosity. Being able to control the flowability and stability, as
achieved by using high-range-water-reducing admixtures, allows concrete to be
placed quicker. Not only does this save time, but because there is no need for the
mechanical consolidation, self-consolidating concrete saves labor, saves money,
and makes it easier for workers to fill restricted or hard-to-reach areas.
 SHOTCRETE
 Invented by taxidermist, Carl Akeley in 1907, the initial dry method for placing
shotcrete was by using a compressed air nozzle to shoot dry mix and injecting
water through a separate hose at the head of the nozzle while the dry material is
hurled toward the wall. The wet-mix shotcrete was developed later in the 1950’s
and is only slightly different than the dry-mix shotcrete wherein dry-mix shotcrete
involves the continuous feeding of a hopper through which dry mix would shoot
through a nozzle and mix at the point of exit. Wet-mix shotcrete, however,
involves the use of pre-mixed concrete. The concrete has already been prepared
and therefore only involves one pump. The upside to using wet-mix shotcrete is
that dry-mix shotcrete creates more waste (excess powder that falls to the floor),
more rebound off the wall, and wet-mix shotcrete can place a larger quantity in a
smaller amount of time.
 LIMECRETE
 Also known as lime concrete, limecrete is a type of concrete where instead of using
cement in the mix, lime is replaced. Doing so has certain benefits environmentally and
health-wise. Environmentally, lime absorbs carbon dioxide as it sets and allows natural
products like wood, straw, and hemp to be used as fibers without fear of composting or
deterioration since limecrete controls moisture. In terms of health, lime plaster draws
moisture out from inside which means that humidity control is more regulated, resulting
in mold growth prevention. Furthermore, limewash and lime plasters are non-toxic so
they do not contribute to air pollution inside like other paints would.
 Prestressed Concrete
 Most of the mega concrete projects are carried out through prestressed concrete units.
This is a special technique in which the bars or the tendons used in the concrete is
stressed before the actual service load application.
 During the mixing and the placing of the concrete, these tensioned bars placed firmly
and held from each end of the structural unit. Once the concrete sets and harden, the
structural unit will be put in compression.
 This phenomenon of prestressing will make the lower section of the concrete member to
be stronger against the tension.
 The process of prestressing will require heavy equipment and labor skill (jacks and
equipment for tensioning). Hence the prestressing units are made at site and assembled
at site. These are used in the application of bridges, heavy loaded structures, and roof
with longer spans.
 Precast Concrete
 Various structural elements can be made and cast in the factory as per the
specifications and bought to the site at the time of assembly. Such concrete units
are called as the precast concrete.
 The examples of precast concrete units are concrete blocks, the staircase units,
precast walls and poles, concrete lintels and many other elements. These units
have the advantage of acquiring speedy construction as only assemblage is
necessary. As the manufacturing is done at site, quality is assured. The only
precaution taken is for their transportation.
 Lightweight Concrete
 Concrete that have a density lesser than 1920kg/m3 will be categorized as
lightweight concrete. The use of lightweight aggregates in concrete design will
give us lightweight aggregates.
 Aggregates are the important element that contributes to the density of the
concrete. The examples of light weight aggregates are the pumice, perlites, and
scoria.
 The light weight concrete is applied for the protection of the steel structures and
are also used for the construction of the long span bridge decks. These are also
used for the construction of the building blocks.
 Polymer Concrete
 When compared with the conventional concrete, in polymer concrete the
aggregates will be bound with the polymer instead of cement. The production of
polymer concrete will help in the reduction of volume of voids in the aggregate.
This will hence reduce the amount of polymer that is necessary to bind the
aggregates used.
 Hence the aggregates are graded and mixed accordingly to achieve minimum voids
hence maximum density.
 This type of concrete has different categories:
1. Polymer Impregnated Concrete
2. Polymer cement concrete
3. Partially Impregnated
 Pumped Concrete
 One of the main property of the concrete used in large mega construction
especially for the high-rise construction is the conveyance of the concrete to
heights. Hence one such property of concrete to easily pump will result in the
design of pumpable concrete.
 The concrete that is used for pumping must be of adequate workability so that it is
easily conveyed through the pipe. The pipe used will be rigid or a flexible hose
that will discharge the concrete to the desired area.
 The concrete used must be fluid in nature with enough fine material as well as
water to fill up the voids. The more the finer material used, greater will be control
achieved on the mix. The grading of the coarse aggregate used must be continuous
in nature.
 Asphalt Concrete
 Asphalt concrete is a composite material, mixture of aggregates and asphalts
commonly used to surface roads, parking lots, airports, as well as the core of
embankment dams. Asphalt concrete is also called as asphalt, blacktop or
pavement in North America, and tarmac or bitumen macadam or rolled asphalt in
the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
 Rapid Strength Concrete
 As the name implies these concretes will acquire strength with few hours after its
manufacture. Hence the formwork removal is made easy and hence the building
construction is covered fastly. These have a wide spread application in the road
repairs as they can be reused after few hours.
 Glass Concrete
 The recycled glass can be used as aggregates in concrete. Thus, we get a concrete
of modern times, the glass concrete. This concrete will increase the aesthetic
appeal of the concrete. They also provide long-term strength and better thermal
insulation also.

 And A lot more

Example

Limecrete Shotcrete
Example

Shotcrete

Light weight
Example

Reinforced Concrete

Pre-Stress
Example

SELF-CONSOLIDATING
Example

STAMPED CONCRETE
Example

ULTRA HIGH-PERFORMANCE
CONCRETE
Cement
 A cement is a binder, a substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and
adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its
own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixed with
fine aggregate produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel,
produces concrete.
 Cements used in construction are usually inorganic, often lime or calcium
silicate based, and can be characterized as either hydraulic or non-hydraulic,
depending on the ability of the cement to set in the presence of water
(see hydraulic and non-hydraulic lime plaster).
 Non-hydraulic cement does not set in wet conditions or under water. Rather, it sets as it
dries and reacts with carbon dioxide in the air. It is resistant to attack by chemicals after
setting.
 Hydraulic cements (e.g., Portland cement) set and become adhesive due to a chemical
reaction between the dry ingredients and water. The chemical reaction results in
mineral hydrates that are not very water-soluble and so are quite durable in water and
safe from chemical attack. This allows setting in wet conditions or under water and
further protects the hardened material from chemical attack. The chemical process for
hydraulic cement found by ancient Romans used volcanic ash (pozzolana) with added
lime (calcium oxide).
Types of Cement
 Rapid Hardening Cement:
 Rapid hardening cement is very similar to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). It
contains higher c3s content and finer grinding. Therefore, it gives greater strength
development at an early stage than OPC. The strength of this cement at the age of
3 days is almost same as the 7 days strength of OPC with the same water-cement
ratio.
 The main advantage of using rapid hardening cement is that the formwork can be
removed earlier and reused in other areas which save the cost of formwork. This
cement can be used in prefabricated concrete construction, road works, etc.
 Low Heat Cement:
 Low heat cement is manufactured by increasing the proportion of C2S and by
decreasing the C3S and C3A content. This cement is less reactive, and its initial
setting time is greater than OPC. This cement is mostly used in mass concrete
construction.
 Sulfate Resisting Cement:
 Sulfate resisting cement is made by reducing C3A and C4AF content. Cement with
such composition has excellent resistance to sulfate attack. This type of cement is
used in the construction of foundation in soil where subsoil contains very high
proportions of sulfate.
 White Cement:
 White cement is a type of ordinary Portland Cement which is pure white in color
and has practically the same composition and same strength as OPC. To obtain the
white color the iron oxide content is considerably reduced. The raw materials used
in this cement are limestone and china clay.
 This cement, due to its white color, is mainly used for interior and exterior
decorative work like external renderings of buildings, facing slabs, floorings,
ornamental concrete products, paths of gardens, swimming pools etc.
 Portland Pozzolana Cement:
 Portland pozzolana cement is produced either by grinding together, Portland
cement clinkers and pozzolana with the addition of gypsum or calcium sulfate or
by intimately and uniformly blending Portland cement and fine pozzolana.
 It produces lower heat of hydration and has greater resistance to attack of
chemical agencies than OPC. Concrete made with PPC is thus considered
particularly suitable for construction in sea water, hydraulic works and for mass
concrete works.
 Hydrophobic Cement:
 Hydrophobic cement is manufactured by adding water repellant chemicals to
ordinary Portland cement in the process of grinding. Hence the cement stored does
not spoiled even during monsoon. This cement is claimed to remain unaffected
when transported during rains also. Hydrophobic cement is mainly used for the
construction of water structures such dams, water tanks, spillways, water retaining
structures etc.
 Colored Cement:
 This Cement is produced by adding 5- 10% mineral pigments with Portland cement
during the time of grinding. Due to the various color combinations this cement is
mainly used for interior and exterior decorative works.
 Waterproof Portland Cement:
 Waterproof cement is prepared by mixing with ordinary or rapid hardening cement,
a small percentage of some metal stearates (Ca, Al, etc) at the time of grinding.
This cement is used for the construction of water-retaining structure like tanks,
reservoirs, retaining walls, swimming pools, dams, bridges, piers etc.
 Portland Blast Furnace Cement:
 In this case, the normal cement clinkers are mixed with up to 65% of the blast
furnace slag for the final grinding. This type of cement can be used with advantage
in mass concrete work such as dams, foundations, and abutments of bridges,
retaining walls, construction in sea water.
 Air Entraining Cement:
 It is produced by air entraining agents such as resins, glues, sodium salts of sulfate
with ordinary Portland cement.
 High Alumina Cement:
 High alumina cement (HAC) is a special cement, manufactured by mixing of bauxite
(aluminum ore) and lime at a certain temperature. This cement is also known as
calcium aluminum cement (CAC). The compressive strength of this cement is very
high and more workable than ordinary Portland cement.
 Expansive Cement:
 The cement which does not shrink during and after the time of hardening but
expands slightly with time is called expansive cement. This type of cement is
mainly used for grouting anchor bolts and prestressed concrete ducts
Aggregates
 Is a broad category of coarse to medium grained particulate material used
in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and
geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined materials in the world.
Aggregates are a component of composite materials such as concrete and asphalt
concrete; the aggregate serves as reinforcement to add strength to the overall
composite material. Due to the relatively high hydraulic conductivity value as
compared to most soils, aggregates are widely used in drainage applications such
as foundation and French drains, septic drain fields, retaining wall drains, and
road side edge drains. Aggregates are also used as base material under
foundations, roads, and railroads. In other words, aggregates are used as a stable
foundation or road/rail base with predictable, uniform properties (e.g. to help
prevent differential settling under the road or building), or as a low-cost extender
that binds with more expensive cement or asphalt to form concrete.
 Preferred bituminous aggregate sizes for road construction are given in EN 13043
as d/D (where the range shows the smallest and largest square mesh grating that
the particles can pass). The same classification sizing is used for larger armour
stone sizes in EN 13383, EN 12620 for concrete aggregate, EN 13242 for base
layers of road construction and EN 13450 for railway ballast.
Production Methods
 Natural Aggregates:
 Taken from native deposits without any change in their natural
states during production except for crushing, grading or washing. –
Example: sand, gravel, crushed stone, lime rock.
 By-Product Aggregates:
 Comprise blast-furnace slags and cinders, fly ash, etc. Cinders are
residue of coal or wood after burning.
Example
Aggregates
 Coarse Aggregate  Impact value
 Gravel  Impact value of aggregates
 Grading size measures the toughness of
particles by impact.
 Sieve Analysis
 Abrasion
 75mm, 38mm, 20mm, 10mm
 Abrasion of aggregates measures
 Moisture content
the resistance of aggregates
 Compaction against wearing. • It is an
important property of concrete in
 Density Test roads and in floor surfaces
 Specific gravity subjected to heavy traffic. The
most frequently used test method
 Soundness of Aggregate is the Los Angeles Abrasion Test.
 Aggregate is said to be unsound
when volume changes, induced by
the freezing and thawing result in
deterioration of the concrete
Example

Abrasion Impact value

Grading of Aggregates
1. Uniform size
 Friction at few points of contact
 Poor interlocking
 High percentage of voids
2. Well-Graded
 Friction at many points of
contact
 Excellent interlocking
 Very few voids
3. Mixed
 Friction at many points of
contact
 Good interlocking
 Few voids
 Economical preparation
Deleterious Substances in Aggregates
 Organic Impurities:
 Consists of products of decay of vegetable matter. The organic impurities
may interfere with the process of hydration of cement. This affects the
rate of gaining strength.
 Clay and Other Fine Materials:
 Found as surface coatings which interfere with the bond between
aggregate and the cement paste. Affects the strength and durability of
concrete.
 Salt Contamination:
 Aggregates from the seashore contain salt and have to be washed with
fresh water. The aggregate washed even with the sea water do not
contain harmful quantities of salts.
 Alkalinity of Aggregates:
 Reactive forms of silica such as opal may occur in some types of rocks,
like siliceous limestone.
 Fine Aggregate
 Sand
 Grading size
 4.75mm, 2.36mm, 1.18mm,
0.600mm, 0.300mm, 0.150mm

 Volcanic sand
Chemical Admixtures
 Chemical admixtures are the ingredients in concrete other than portland cement,
water, and aggregate that are added to the mix immediately before or during
mixing. Producers use admixtures primarily to reduce the cost of concrete
construction; to modify the properties of hardened concrete; to ensure the quality
of concrete during mixing, transporting, placing, and curing; and to overcome
certain emergencies during concrete operations.

Successful use of admixtures depends on the use of appropriate methods of

batching and concreting. Most admixtures are supplied in ready-to-use liquid form
and are added to the concrete at the plant or at the jobsite. Certain admixtures,
such as pigments, expansive agents, and pumping aids are used only in extremely
small amounts and are usually batched by hand from premeasured containers.

The effectiveness of an admixture depends on several factors including: type and

amount of cement, water content, mixing time, slump, and temperatures of the
concrete and air. Sometimes, effects similar to those achieved through the
addition of admixtures can be achieved by altering the concrete mixture-reducing
the water-cement ratio, adding additional cement, using a different type of
cement, or changing the aggregate and aggregate gradation.
Chemical Admixtures Uses
 Air-entraining admixtures
 Water-reducing admixtures
 Plasticizers
 Accelerating admixtures
 Retarding admixtures
 Hydration-control admixtures
 Corrosion inhibitors
 Shrinkage reducers
 Alkali-silica reactivity inhibitors
 Coloring admixtures
 Miscellaneous admixtures such as workability, bonding, damp
proofing, permeability reducing, grouting, gas-forming, ant washout,
foaming, and pumping admixtures
Air Entraining Admixture
 Air Entraining Admixture
 These are generally used to improve workability, ease of placing, increased durability, better resistance to frost
action and reduction in bleeding. The common Air-Entraining agents are natural wood resins, neutralized vinsol
resins, polyethylene oxide polymers and sulfonated compounds.
 Mechanism of Air Entraining Concrete Admixtures
 These are anionic, because the hydrocarbon structures contain negatively charged hydrophilic groups, such as
COO, SO3 and OSO so that large anions are released in water. Conversely, if the hydrocarbon ion is positively
charged, the compound is cation active or cationic.
 In other words, anionic surface active agents produce bubbles that are negatively charged, cationic charged
cause bubbles to be positively charged, surface active agents of all classes can cause air entrainment in
concrete, but their efficiency and characteristics of air-void system vary widely.
 Properties of Air entraining Admixtures
 These are foaming agents, gas producing chemicals. It introduces millions of tiny, stable bubbles of uniform size
that are uniformly distributed throughout the mix (usually about 5% of the volume).
 Improves properties of fresh concrete such as workability, cohesion and reduces segregation and bleeding.
 Improves properties of hardened concrete – For every 1% of air there is a 4% loss in strength which is minimized
by the reduction in water content. It improves durability of hardened concrete.
Accelerating admixtures
 Accelerating admixtures
 increase the rate of early strength development, reduce the time required for proper curing
and protection, and speed up the start of finishing operations. Accelerating admixtures are
especially useful for modifying the properties of concrete in cold weather.

 Accelerating Admixtures
 Accelerating admixtures are used for quicker setting times of concrete. It provides higher early
strength development in freshly cast concrete.
 Main uses of Accelerating Concrete Admixtures
 These admixtures are suitable for concreting in winter conditions
 During any emergency repair work
 In case of early removal of formwork
 Disadvantages of Accelerating Concrete Admixtures
 It has increased drying shrinkage
 It offers reduced resistance to sulphate attack
 CaCl2 high risk of corrosion of steel – not permitted in reinforced concrete
 It is more expensive and less effective
Water-reducing admixtures
 Water-reducing admixtures
 usually reduce the required water content for a concrete mixture by about 5 to 10
percent. Consequently, concrete containing a water-reducing admixture needs less water
to reach a required slump than untreated concrete. The treated concrete can have a
lower water-cement ratio. This usually indicates that a higher strength concrete can be
produced without increasing the amount of cement. Recent advancements in admixture
technology have led to the development of mid-range water reducers. These admixtures
reduce water content by at least 8 percent and tend to be more stable over a wider
range of temperatures. Mid-range water reducers provide more consistent setting times
than standard water reducers.
 The presence of water reducing admixture in a fresh concrete results in:
 a reduction of the interfacial tension.
 an increase in the electro kinetic potentials and
 protection sheath of water dipoles around each particle i.e. mobility of fresh mix
becomes greater, partly because of reduction in inter-particle forces and partly because
of water freed from the restraining influence of the highly flocculated system which is
now available to lubricate the mixture. Hence less water is required to achieve given
consistency.
Water-reducing admixtures
 Why Water Reducing Admixtures are used?
 a) Concrete having greater workability be made without the need for more water and so
strength losses are not encountered
 b) By maintaining some workability, but at a lower water content, concrete strengths may be
increased without the need for further cement addition
 c) While maintaining the same w/c ratio and workability concrete can be made to a given
strength as in the reference concrete at lower cement content.

 Applications of Water Reducing Concrete Admixtures

 The application of the type of admixtures are as follows —
 a) When concrete pours are restricted due to either congested reinforcement or this sections.

 b) When harsh mixes are experienced such as those produced with aggregates (crushed). Then considerable
improvement in the plastic properties of concrete can be obtained.

 c) When required strengths are difficult to obtain within specified maximum cement content and where early
lifting strengths are required.

 d) By addition of this admixture in concrete cement economics of about 10% can be obtained.
Water-reducing admixtures
 Effect on durability
 The straight addition of admixtures of this type does not came any increase in
permeability and indeed where the admixture is used to reduce the w/c, then
permeability is considerably reduced.
 Effect on shrinkage
 Admixture of this type when used as workability aids on water reducers do not
adversely effect the shrinkage.
 Effect on creep
 Materials of this type of admixture have no deleterious effect on the creep of concrete.
 Detrimental effect
 a) While using water reducing agent. Care must be taken in controlling the air content
in the mix. Most water-reducing agent entrain air due to their surfactant properties.
 b) At high dosages of lignosulphonate material, retardation of the mix occurs.
Retarding admixtures
 Retarding admixtures
 which slow the setting rate of concrete, are used to counteract the accelerating effect
of hot weather on concrete setting. High temperatures often cause an increased rate of
hardening which makes placing and finishing difficult. Retarders keep concrete workable
during placement and delay the initial set of concrete. Most retarders also function as
water reducers and may entrain some air in concrete.
 The function of retarding concrete admixture is to delay or extend the setting time of
cement paste in concrete. These are helpful for concrete that has to be transported to
long distance in transit mixers and helpful in placing the concrete at high temperatures,
specially used as grouting admixture and water reducers results in increase of strength
and durability.
 Chemical type for Retarding Concrete Admixture
 a) Unrefined lignosulphonates containing sugar, which of course the component
responsible for retardation.
 b) Hydroxyl carboxylic acid and their salts
 c) Carbohydrates including sugar
 d) Soluble zinc
 e) Soluble borates etc.
Retarding admixtures
 Mode of action
 It is thought that retarding admixtures are absorbed on to the C3A phase in cement forming a film
around the cement grains and presenting or reducing the reaction with water. After a while thus film
breaks down and normal hydration proceeds. This a simple mixture and there is a reason to believe
that retards also interact with C3S since retardation can be extended to a period of many days.
 Why Retarding Concrete Admixtures are used?
 To delay in the setting time of concrete without adversely effecting the subsequent strength
development.
 Advantage of Retarding Concrete Admixture
 a) The hydroxyl carboxylic acid type admixture normally produces concrete having a slightly lower
aim content them that of a control mix.
 b) Materials of this class (lignosulphonate containing sugar and derivatives of hydroxyl carboxylic
acid) in some cases have a much higher dispersing effect and hence water reducing capacity.
 c) Durability increases.
 Detrimental effect
 a) When lignosulphonate based material used, then the air content might be 0.2 to 0.3% higher
unless materials of the tributyl phosphate type are added.
 b) As the water content increases, so there is a tendency for drying shrinkage.
Retarding admixtures
 Applications of Retarding Concrete Admixture
 Retarding admixtures are used
 a) Where long transportation of ready mixed concrete is required
then premature setting can be usefully avoided by this type
admixture.
 b) When concrete is being placed or transported under conditions
of high ambient temperature.
 c) In case of large concrete pours
 d) Concrete construction involving sliding formwork
Superplasticizers
 Superplasticizers
 also known as plasticizers or high-range water reducers (HRWR), reduce water content
by 12 to 30 percent and can be added to concrete with a low-to-normal slump and
water-cement ratio to make high-slump flowing concrete. Flowing concrete is a highly
fluid but workable concrete that can be placed with little or no vibration or compaction.
The effect of superplasticizers lasts only 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the brand and
dosage rate, and is followed by a rapid loss in workability. As a result of the slump loss,
superplasticizers are usually added to concrete at the jobsite.
 Super Plasticizers or High Range Water-Reducing Admixtures in Concrete
 These are the second generation admixture and also called as Superplasticizers. These
are synthetic chemical products made from organic sulphonates of type RSO3, where R is
complex organic group of higher molecular weight produced under carefully controlled
condition.
 The commonly used superplasticizer are as follows:
 Sulphonated melamine formaldehyde condensate (S M F C)
 Sulphonated napthalene formaldehyde condensate (S N F C)
 Modified ligno-sulphonates and other sulphonic esters, acids etc.,
Superplasticizers
 Chemical type
 formaldehyde derivatives such as melamine formaldehyde and napthalene
sulphurated formaldehyde.
 Mode of action of Super Plasticizer Admixtures
 This admixture acts as the same way as that of a water reducing admixture acts. It
disperses the cement agglomerates when cement is suspended in water and
adsorbed on to the surface of cement, causing them mutually repulsive as a result
of the anionic nature of super plasticizers.
 Why Super Plasticizer Admixtures are used?
 a) At a given w/c ratio, this admixture increases the workability, typically by
raising the slump from 75 mm to 200 mm.
 b) The second use of this admixtures is in the production of concrete of normal
workability but with an extreme high strength (super plasticizer can reduce the
water content for a given workability by 25 – 35 percent compared with half that
value in the case of conventional water reducing admixtures).
Superplasticizers
 Advantages of Super Plasticizer Admixtures
 a) The concrete using this admixture can be placed with little or no compaction
and is not subject to excessive bleeding or segregation.
 b) They can be used as high dosages became they do not markedly change the
surface tension of water.
 c) It does not significantly affect the setting of concrete except that when used the
cements having a very low C3A content.
 d) They do not influence shrinkage, creep modulus of elasticity or resistance to
freeing to thawing.
 Disadvantage
 The only real disadvantage of superplasticizer is their relatively high cost.
 Applications of Super Plasticizer Admixtures
 a) In very heavily reinforced sections, in inaccessible areas in floor or road slabs.
 b) Where very rapid placing is desired.
Corrosion-inhibiting admixtures
 Corrosion-inhibiting admixtures
 Fall into the specialty admixture category and are used to slow corrosion of
reinforcing steel in concrete. Corrosion inhibitors can be used as a defensive
strategy for concrete structures, such as marine facilities, highway bridges, and
parking garages, that will be exposed to high concentrations of chloride. Other
specialty admixtures include shrinkage-reducing admixtures and alkali-silica
reactivity inhibitors. The shrinkage reducers are used to control drying shrinkage
and minimize cracking, while ASR inhibitors control durability problems associated
with alkali-silica reactivity.
HYDRATION-CONTROL ADMIXTURES
 Hydration controlling admixtures became available in the late 1980s. They
consist of a two-part chemical system:
 (1) a stabilizer or retarder that essentially stops the hydration of cementing
materials
 (2) an activator that reestablishes normal hydration and setting when added
to the stabilized concrete. The stabilizer can suspend hydration for 72 hours
and the activator is added to the mixture just before the concrete is used.
These admixtures make it possible to reuse concrete returned in a ready-mix
truck by suspending setting overnight. The admixture is also useful in
maintaining concrete in a stabilized non-hardened state during long hauls.
The concrete is reactivated when it arrives at the project. This admixture
presently does not have a standard specification (Kinney 1989).
Example
Mixture
Method of mixing
 Hand mixing
 (Mixing Concrete without a Mixer)
 Machine Mixing
 (Mixing Concrete with a Mixer):
 Ready Mix Concrete:
Ratio
MIX RATIO COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
CONCRETE
(CEMENT : SAND
GRADE MPA (N/MM2) PSI
: AGGREGATES)
GRADES OF CONCRETE
M5 1 : 5 : 10 5 MPa 725 psi
M7.5 1:4:8 7.5 MPa 1087 psi
M10 1:3:6 10 MPa 1450 psi
M15 1:2:4 15 MPa 2175 psi
M20 1 : 1.5 : 3 20 MPa 2900 psi
STANDARD GRADE OF CONCRETE
M25 1:1:2 25 MPa 3625 psi
M30 Design Mix 30 MPa 4350 psi
M35 Design Mix 35 MPa 5075 psi
M40 Design Mix 40 MPa 5800 psi
M45 Design Mix 45 MPa 6525 psi
HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE GRADES
M50 Design Mix 50 MPa 7250 psi
M55 Design Mix 55 MPa 7975 psi
M60 Design Mix 60 MPa 8700 psi
M65 Design Mix 65 MPa 9425 psi
M70 Design Mix 70 MPa 10150 psi
Ratio
Test Conducted
On fresh Concrete and solid Concrete
Slump test (Fresh Concrete)
 Slump test before leaving the batching plant and on
arrival on site
 This is to determine the workability of concrete in terms
of slump test. After batching the concrete, a sample of
fresh concrete shall be taken to test for slump tests and
the samples for compressive strength test be taken too.
This is to make sure that the batched concrete is
complying with the mix design before it’s released from
the batching plant.
Temperature test (Fresh Concrete)
 ASTM C 1064-86
 Temperature range 0-50C°
 ASTM C94
 90minutes rule
Compressive test
 C39 ASTM
 Compressive
 Block
 Cylinder
 C78 ASTM
 Flexural strength
 Beam
 Days
 7,14,21,28
Water Permeability test
 Water Permeability test
 A water permeability test is one of the tests to determine the durability of
concrete. Three cubes shall be taken from fresh concrete and tested in
accordance to the German Standard DIN 1048 at 28 days age. This kind of test
shall be taken from substructures concrete elements like foundations,
concrete water tank, retaining wall etc.
Rapid Chloride Ion Penetration Test
 Rapid Chloride Ion Penetration Test
 Like water permeability test, this is also one of the tests to determine the
durability of concrete. Three cubes shall be taken from fresh concrete
delivered on site and tested at 28 days age. The test shall be done in
accordance to ASTM C1202-97.
Water Absorption Test
 Water Absorption Test
 Here is the other test that would determine the durability of concrete. The
three cube sample shall be taken from the delivered fresh concrete and kept
it in the curing tank for 28 days or after 24 hours the concrete sample would
be demolded and it will be sent directly to the approved third party
laboratory to ensure its curing. The size of cube sample is 150 mm and tested
in accordance to BS 1881-122.
Initial Surface Absorption Test
 Initial Surface Absorption Test
 Three cubes samples shall be taken from the fresh concrete delivered on site.
It shall be cured and placed inside the curing tank for 28 days prior to testing.
The sample is to be tested in accordance to BS 1881-208.
 The water permeability test, Rapid Chloride Ion Penetration test, water
absorption test, and the initial surface absorption test are tests to determine
the durability of concrete. To determine its ability to resist weathering
action, chemical attack and any process of deterioration.
Curing stage
 ASTM C192 / C192M - 16a
 Days
 7,14,21,28

 Temperature
 32°F to 50°F
 Controlled temperature
 Labeling
 24hrs before demolding
 Should not be disturbed
 Water should not be salt
Transportation
 ASTM C31