Class note – Lecture 1

 Beams are associated with the stress condition

 Materials added to concrete during or before mixing are referred to as admixtures.

 Retarding admixtures are used to slow the setting of the concrete and to retard
temperature increases. They consist of various acids or sugars or sugar derivatives.
Some concrete truck drivers keep sacks of sugar on hand to throw into the concrete
in case they get 10 CHAPTER 1 Introduction caught in traffic jams or are otherwise
delayed. Retarding admixtures are particularly useful for large pours where
significant temperature increases may occur. They also prolong the plasticity of the
concrete, enabling better blending or bonding of successive pours. Retarders can also
slow the hydration of cement on exposed concrete surfaces or formed surfaces to
produce attractive exposed aggregate finishes.

 Superplasticizers are admixtures made from organic sulfonates. Their use enables
engineers to reduce the water content in concretes substantially while at the same
time increasing their slumps. Although superplasticizers can also be used to keep
water–cement ratios constant while using less cement, they are more commonly
used to produce workable concretes with considerably higher strengths while using
the same amount of cement. (See Section 1.13.) A relatively new product, self-
consolidating concrete, uses superplasticizers and modifications in mix designs to
produce an extremely workable mix that requires no vibration, even for the most
congested placement situations.