Concrete Technology

Presented by
M. Arun Pandiyan,
B.E., M.Tech.,
WHAT IS CONCRETE ?
•
Concrete is a mixture of cement (11%),
•
fine aggregates (26%),
•
coarse aggregates (41%),
•
water (16%) and
•
air (6%).

•
Cement - Powder
•
Cement + Water - Cement Paste
Introduction

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

It spans over 5,000 years, from the time of

the Egyptian Pyramids to present day decorative
concrete developments.

Concrete has been used for many amazing

things throughout history, including architecture,
infrastructure and more. 
3000 BC - Egyptian Pyramids

The Egyptians were using early forms of

concrete over 5000 years ago to build pyramids.
They mixed mud and straw to form bricks and used
gypsum and lime to make mortars.
300 BC - 476 AD-Roman Architecture

The ancient Romans used a material that is

remarkably close to modern cement to build many
of their architectural marvels, such as the
Colosseum, and the Pantheon. The Romans also
used animal products in their cement as an early
form of admixtures.
1824-Portland Cement Invented

Joseph Aspdin of England is credited with

the invention of modern Portland cement. He
named his cement Portland, after a rock quarry
that produced very strong stone.
Types of Concrete Mix Ratio
Design and their Strengths
Concrete mix ratios are the proportions of
concrete components such as cement, sand,
aggregates and water. These mix ratios are decided
based on type of construction and mix designs.
Indian Building codes provides nominal and
standard concrete mix ratios for various
construction works based on experience and
testing. These types of concrete mix ratios are
1. Nominal Concrete Mix Ratios
Nominal Concrete Mix Ratios

Nominal mixes offer simplicity and 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.

Nominal mix ratios for concrete are 1:2:4

for M15, 1:1.5:3 for M20 etc.
Standard Mixes or Ratio
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.
Cont…

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 to the
specified 28 day cube strength of mix in N/mm2.
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.
Designed Mix Ratio of Concrete
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.
The approach results in the production of
concrete with the appropriate properties most
economically. 
Grades of Concrete
Concrete is generally graded according to its
compressive strength. The various grades of
concrete as stipulated in IS456-2000 and IS 1343
– 1980 are given in table.
The concrete of M5 and M7.5 is suitable for
lean concrete bases, simple foundations,
foundation for masonry walls and other simple and
temporary reinforced concrete constructions.
Cont..
•
M10
▫ Used for: Patio slabs, pathways and non-structural
work
▫ Type: Domestic & commercial use

•
M15
▫ Used for: Pavement kerbs and floor blinding
▫ Type: Domestic & Commercial 
 Pathways

Patio slabs
Cont..
•
M20
▫ Used for: Domestic floors and foundations
(where the weight of structure will be lighter).
Also good for workshop bases, garages, driveways
and internal floor slabs.
▫ Type: Domestic

•
M25
▫ Used for: Construction in all areas. Multi-
purpose concrete mix, usually used for
 Foundations

Domestic floors

Workshop Bases
Cont..

•
M30
▫ Used for: Pathways and roadways (this is the lowest
grade concrete mix that can be used for this purpose).
More durable than the grades that have come before,
and thus is much more weather-resistant and can take
heavy road traffic.
▫ Type: Commercial
 Compressive Strength
Concrete Grade Mix Ratio
MPa (N/mm2) psi
Normal Grade 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
Advantages of Concrete
ü
Ingredients of concrete are easily available in
most of the places.

ü
Unlike natural stones, concrete is free from
defects and flaws.

ü
Concrete can be manufactured to desired
strength with an economy.

ü
The durability of concrete is very high.
Durability of concrete
Concrete resists weathering action, chemical
attack, and abrasion while maintaining its desired
engineering properties. Different concretes require
different degrees of durability depending on the
exposure environment and the properties desired.

The design service life of most buildings is

often 30 years, although buildings often last 50 to
100 years or longer, because of their durability.
Cont..
ü
The casting of concrete can be done in the
working site which makes it economical.

ü
Maintenance cost of concrete is almost
negligible.

ü
The deterioration of concrete is not appreciable
with age.

ü
Concrete makes a building fire-safe due to its
Cont..

ü
Concrete can withstand high temperatures.

ü
Concrete is resistant to wind and water. Therefore, it
is very useful in storm shelters.

ü
As a soundproofing material cinder concrete could
be used.
Disadvantages of Concrete
ü
Compared to other binding materials, the tensile
strength of concrete is relatively low.

ü
Concrete is less ductile.

ü
The weight of concrete is high compared to its
strength.

ü
Concrete may contains soluble salts. Soluble
salts cause efflorescence.
Concrete
There areMaking Materials
three basic ingredients in the
concrete mix:

Ø Portland Cement

Ø Water

Ø Aggregates 
ü Coarse Aggregates (Rock)

ü Fine Aggregates (Sand)

CEMENT
CHEMICAL

Approx. Amount
Oxide Common Name Abbreviation
(%)
CaO Lime C 60-67
SiO2 Silica S 17-25
Al2O3 Alumina A 3-8
Fe2O3 Iron-oxide F 0.5-6
MgO Magnesia M 0.1-4
Na2O Soda N
0.2-1.3
K2O Potassa K
S
SO3 Sulfuric Anhydride 1-3
Chemical Composition
Ø
Lime (CaO) : Lime is calcium oxide or calcium
hydroxide.
ü Presence of lime in a sufficient quantity is
required to form silicates and aluminates of
calcium.
ü Deficiency in lime reduces the strength
of property to the cement.
ü Deficiency in lime causes cement to set quickly.
ü Excess lime makes cement unsound.
ü
Cont..
ü
Silica:Silicon dioxide is known as silica,
chemical formula SiO2.
ü Sufficient
quantity of silica should be present in
cement to dicalcium and tricalcium silicate.
ü Silica imparts strength to cement.
ü Silica
usually present to the extent of about 30
percent cement.

ü
Alumina: Alumina is Aluminium oxide. The
Cont..
ü
Magnesia: Magnesium Oxide. Chemical
formula is MgO.
ü Magnesia should not be present more than 2% in
cement.
ü Excess magnesia will reduce the strength of the
cement.

ü
Iron oxide: Chemical formula is Fe2O3.
ü Iron oxide imparts colour to cement.
ü It acts as a flux.
Cont..
ü
Calcium Sulfate: Chemical formula is
CaSO4.This is present in cement in the form of
gypsum (CaSO4 2H2O)
ü It slows down or retards the setting action of
cement.

ü
Sulfur Trioxide: Chemical formula is SO3.
ü Should not be present more than 2%.
ü Excess Sulfur Trioxide causes cement to unsound.
Compound Composition
Basic Classification of Cement
Types & Compositions of
cement
Hydration
Heat of hydration is the heat generated when cement
and water react (exothermic chemical reaction between
cement and water).The amount of heat generated is
dependent upon the chemical composition of the cement.

The most important hydraulic constituents are

the calcium silicates, C2S and C3S. Upon mixing
with water, the calcium silicates react with water molecules
to form calcium silicate hydrate (3CaO · 2SiO2 · 3H2O)
and calcium hydroxide (Ca[OH]2).
Cont…
Each compound produces different products
when it hydrates.

Tricalcium silicate (C3S). Hydrates and

hardens rapidly and is largely responsible for
initial set and early strength. Portland cements
with higher percentages of C3S will exhibit higher
early strength.

Tricalcium aluminate (C3A). Hydrates and

Cont…
These compounds are given the shorthand
notations C–S–H (represented by the average formula
C3S2H3) and CH, and the hydration reaction can be
crudely represented by the following reactions:

2C3S + 6H = C3S2H3 + 3CH

2C2S + 4H = C3S2H3 + CH
Manufacturing of Cement
Manufacturing of cement involves various
raw materials and processes. Each process is
explained chemical reactions for manufacture of
Portland Cement.

ü
The manufacture procedures of Portland cement
is described below.
ü Mixing of raw material
ü Burning
1. Mixing of raw material
The major raw materials used in the manufacture of
cement are Calcium, Silicon, Iron and Aluminum. These
minerals are used in different form as per the availability of
the minerals.
Cont…

ü
The mixing procedure of the manufacture of
cement is done in 2 methods,
ü Dry process
ü Wet process
a) Dry Process
The both calcareous and argillaceous raw
materials are firstly crushed in the gyratory crushers to
get 2-5cm size pieces separately. The crushed materials
are again grinded to get fine particles into ball or tube
mill.

Each finely grinded material is stored in hopper

after screening. Now these powdered minerals are
mixed in required proportion to get dry raw mix which
is then stored in silos and kept ready to be sent into
b) Wet Process

The raw materials are firstly crushed and made into

powdered form and stored in silos. The clay is then washed
in washing mills to remove adhering organic matters found
in clay.

The powdered limestone and water washed clay are

sent to flow in the channels and transfer to grinding mills
where they are completely mixed and the paste is formed,
i.e., known as slurry.
Cont…

The grinding process can be done in ball or tube mill

or even both. Then the slurry is led into collecting basin
where composition can be adjusted. The slurry contains
around 38-40% water that is stored in storage tanks and
kept ready for the rotary kiln.
Comparison of dry process and wet process
of Cement Manufacture
Criteria Dry process Wet process

Hardness of raw
Quite hard Any type of raw material
material

Fuel consumption Low High

Time of process Lesser Higher

Quality Inferior quality Superior quality

Cost of production High Low

Overall cost Costly Cheaper

Physical state Raw mix (solid) Slurry (liquid)

Videos related to Cement Manufacturing
•
Manufacturing of cement in Dry Process

•
Manufacturing of Portland Cement by Dry Process

•
Manufacturing Of Portland cement By Wet Process