Unit 2b

ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
Dr. Vaibhav Sharma

Ph.D. (Geotechnical Engineering)
Assistant Professor
Department of Geotechnical Engineering
School of Civil Engineering
Lovely Professional University, Phagwara
Unit II
• Waste Material Based Concrete
– Mineral Admixtures & its Uses
– Recycled Aggregates
– Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag
Waste material based Concrete
• Mineral Admixtures & its Uses
• Recycled Aggregates
• Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag
Mineral Admixtures
• Admixtures are those ingredients in concrete other than

Portland cement, water, and aggregates that are added to the
mixture immediately before or during mixing.
• Purpose
– To reduce the cost of concrete construction
– To achieve certain properties in concrete more effectively than by other
means
– To maintain the quality of concrete during the stages of mixing, transporting,
placing, and curing in adverse weather conditions.
– To overcome certain emergencies during concreting operations.
Mineral Admixtures - Classification
• Admixtures can be classified by function as follows:

– Air-entraining admixtures
– Water-reducing admixtures
– Plasticizers
– Accelerating admixtures
– Retarding admixtures
– Hydration-control admixtures
– Corrosion inhibitors
– Shrinkage reducers
– Alkali-silica reactivity inhibitors
– Colouring admixtures
– Miscellaneous admixtures such workability, bonding, damp proofing, permeability
reducing, grouting, gas-forming, and pumping admixtures
Mineral Admixtures
Mineral Admixtures
Mineral Admixtures – Air-enteraining
• Used to purposely introduce and stabilize

microscopic air bubbles in concrete.
• Air-entrainment will dramatically improve
the durability of concrete exposed to cycles
of freezing and thawing.
• Entrained air greatly improves concrete's
resistance to surface scaling caused by
chemicals.
• Scaled concrete surface resulting from lack
of air entrainment, use of deicers, and poor
finishing and curing practices.
• The primary ingredients used in air-
entraining admixtures are salts of wood
resin (Vinsol resin), synthetic detergents,
salts of petroleum acids, etc
Mineral Admixtures – Water-Reducing Admixtures
• Used to reduce the quantity of mixing
water required to produce concrete of a
certain slump, reduce water-cementing
materials ratio, reduce cement content,
or increase slump.
• Typical water reducers reduce the water
content by approximately 5% to 10%.
• The effectiveness of water reducers on
concrete is a function of their chemical
composition, concrete temperature,
cement composition and fineness,
cement content, and the presence of
other admixtures.
• Materials:
– Lignosulfonates.
– Carbohydrates.
– Hydroxylated carboxylic acids.
Mineral Admixtures – Superplasticizers
• High range water reducers.

• These admixtures are added to concrete with a low-to-normal slump and
water-cementing materials 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 while still remaining essentially
free of excessive bleeding or segregation.
Mineral Admixtures – Superplasticizers (Applications)
• Thin-section placements.
• Areas of closely spaced and congested reinforcing steel.
• Pumped concrete to reduce pump pressure, thereby increasing lift and

distance capacity.
• Areas where conventional consolidation methods are impractical or can

not be used, and for reducing handling costs.
• Easily placed
• Easily placed in heavy congested reinforced sections.

• Low water to cement ratio concrete

with low chloride permeability---
easily made with high-range water
reducers- is ideal for bridge decks
Mineral Admixtures – Typical Superplasticizers
• Sulfonated melamine formaldehyde condensates.

• Sulfonated naphthalene formaldehyde condensate.
• Lignosulfonates.
• Polycarboxylates.
Mineral Admixtures –Superplasticizers (Functions)
• Bleed significantly less than control concretes of equally high slump and
higher water content.
• High-slump, low-water-content, plasticized concrete has less drying

shrinkage than a high-slump, high-water-content conventional concrete.
• Has similar or higher drying shrinkage than conventional low-slump, low-

water-content concrete.
• The effectiveness of the plasticizer is increased with an increasing amount

of cement and fines in the concrete.
Mineral Admixtures –Retardars
• Used to retard the rate of setting of concrete at high temperatures of

fresh concrete (30°C or more).
• One of the most practical methods of counteracting this effect is to reduce

the temperature of the concrete by cooling the mixing water or the
aggregates.
• Retarders do not decrease the initial temperature of concrete.
• The bleeding rate and capacity of plastic concrete is increased with

retarders.
Mineral Admixtures –Retardars
• The typical materials used as retarders are:

– Lignin,
– Borax,
– Sugars,
– Tartaric acid and salts.

Mineral Admixtures –Retardars (Functions)
• Offset the accelerating effect of hot weather on the setting of

concrete,
• Delay the initial set of concrete when difficult or unusual

conditions of placement occur,
• Delay the set for special finishing processes such as an

exposed aggregate surface.
Mineral Admixtures –Retardars (Functions)
• Offset the accelerating effect of hot weather on the setting of concrete,
• Delay the initial set of concrete when difficult or unusual conditions of

placement occur,
• Delay the set for special finishing processes such as an exposed aggregate
surface.
• Some reduction in strength at early ages (one to three days) accompanies

the use of retarders.
• The effects of these materials on the other properties of concrete, such as

shrinkage, may not be predictable.
Therefore, acceptance tests of retarders should be made with actual job

materials under anticipated job conditions
Mineral Admixtures – Accelerators
• Used to accelerate strength development of concrete at an

early age.
• Typical Materials are:

– Calcium chloride: most commonly used for plain concrete.
– Triethanolamine.
– Calcium formate.
– Calcium nitrate.
– Calcium nitrite
Mineral Admixtures – Corrosion Inhibitors
• The chlorides can cause corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete.
• Ferrous oxide and ferric oxide form on the surface of reinforcing steel in
concrete.
• Ferrous oxide reacts with chlorides to form complexes that move away
from the steel to form rust.
• The chloride ions continue to attack the steel until the passivating oxide
layer is destroyed.
• Corrosion-inhibiting admixtures chemically arrest the corrosion reaction.

• Commercially available corrosion inhibitors include:

– calcium nitrite,
– sodium nitrite,
– dimethyl ethanolamine,
– amines,
– phosphates,
– ester amines.
Mineral Admixtures – Shrinkage reducers
• Shrinkage cracks, such as shown on this bridge deck, can be

reduced with the use of good concreting practices and
shrinkage reducing admixtures.
Mineral Admixtures – Alkali-aggregate reactivity (ASR) inhibitors
• Expansion of specimens made with lithium carbonate

admixture
Mineral Admixtures – Coloring admixtures (Pigments)
• Red and blue pigments were used to color this floor.

Recycled aggregate Concrete (RAC) - Introduction
• To achieve sustainable issue in construction area, researchers

and companies focus on using waste concrete as a new
construction material. It is called recycled aggregate which
can be produced by concrete crusher.
• The aggregates are categorized by size as coarse and fine

aggregate.
• The characteristic of recycled aggregates could be different by

its parent concrete because the parent concrete was designed
for its purposes such as permeable, durable and high strength
concrete.
Recycled aggregate Concrete (RAC) - Introduction
What is RAC
• Its a lower density , elastic modulus, strength and a higher

water absorption capacity.
• Recycled aggregate has a proportional mortar which attached

to aggregate, it gives a higher porosity and a lower strength to
RAC than the normal concrete.
• In addition, since recycled aggregates require a more amount

of water than natural aggregate, shrinkage issue could be a
problematic to use RAC in practically.
What is RAC
• Its a lower density , elastic modulus, strength and a higher

water absorption capacity.
• Recycled aggregate has a proportional mortar which attached

to aggregate, it gives a higher porosity and a lower strength to
RAC than the normal concrete.
• In addition, since recycled aggregates require a more amount

of water than natural aggregate, shrinkage issue could be a
problematic to use RAC in practically.
RAC - Characteristics
• Recycle aggregate concrete has a Crushed sound and clean

waste concrete of at least 95% by weight of concrete with
typical total contamination lower than 1% of the bulk mass.
• Class 1A RCA is a well graded RCA with no more than 0.5%

brick content
RAC - Classification & Properties
• Material composition is the basis

for classification of recycled
concrete aggregate in two main
types
– Crushed concrete (This materials
generally resulted in increased water
demand and decreased workability.)
– Mixed material (These properties are
important because they affect the
quality and in-place cost of the
hardened concrete)
• Each of these types is divided in a
class for bound and a class for
unbound use.
RAC - Process
• Crushing
• Pre-sizing
• Sorting
• Screening
• Contaminant elimination
RAC - Production
• Crushing and screening systems start with
primary jaws, cones and/or large impact or
taking rubble from 30 inches to 4 feet.
• A secondary cone or impact or may or may

not need to be run, and then primary and
secondary screens may or may not be used,
depending upon the project, the equipment
used and the final product desired.
• A scalping screen will remove dirt and foreign

particles. A fine harp deck screen will remove
fine material from coarse aggregate.
• Further cleaning is necessary to ensure the

recycled concrete product is free of dirt, clay,
wood, plastic and organic materials.
• This is done by water floatation, hand picking,

air separators, and electromagnetic
separators.
RAC - Production
RAC - Making Concrete more Green
• In a world that is increasingly emphasizing on sustainable

construction practices; recycled aggregates have a major role
to play.
• Recycled concrete is in fact recognized by the LEED Green

Building Rating System in its credit point system.
• Credit 4 (Materials and Resources) points out that “specify a

minimum of 25% of building materials that contain in
aggregate a minimum weighted average of 20% post-
consumer recycled content material, OR, a minimum
weighted average of 40% post-industrial recycled content
material.”
RAC– Additional benefit
• Apart from the obvious benefits, there is one more aspect

that of carbonation that occurs during the process of concrete
crushing for producing concrete aggregates.
• Certain areas that were earlier not carbonated absorb carbon

dioxide from the immediate environs adding to the already
high sustainability quotient of concrete.
RAC– Challenges in the Indian Context
• For recycled concrete to be used in greater quantities in a

country like India, there are certain aspects that need to be
taken care of initially.
• The setting up of a proper institutional mechanism for taking

care of all the steps, such as collection of the construction and
demolition waste, transportation, and disposal is of key
importance.
• Outsourcing of such functions to private enterprise is an idea

that the concerned authorities could give a though to in this
day and age of open economies.
RAC– Steps to be taken
• Set up of the necessary processing infrastructure.
• Necessary infrastructure should also be available for testing the

quality of recycled aggregates.
• Project developers need to be educated on on-site waste

management plans.
• Concerned authorities need to plan an awareness campaign, using

the electronic and online media to promote the virtues of recycled
aggregates.
• Removing misconceptions about recycled aggregates as being of

inferior quality among the public.
RAC– Application
RAC– Benefits
• There are a variety of benefits in recycling concrete rather

than dumping it or burying it in a landfill.
• Keeping concrete debris out of landfills saves landfill space.
• Using recycled material as gravel reduces the need for gravel

mining.
• Using recycled concrete as the base material for roadways

reduces the pollution involved in trucking material.
RAC– Summary
• The use of recycled aggregate has been found to be better

than that of virgin aggregates for certain applications.
• For example, the physical properties of recycled aggregates

make them ideally suited for road base and sub-base.
• This is because of their physical properties which means less

cement is required making them suited for sub-base use.
• This is in addition to the cost benefits accrued by developers

in the process.
Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBS) Concrete
• Obtained by quenching molten

iron slag from a blast furnace in
water or steam, dried and
ground into a fine powder.
GGBS - Composition
GGBS – Composition comparison with Portland cement
GGBS – Physical properties
• Particle size - 0.1 to 40 microns
• Specific Surface Area – 400-600 m2/kg
• Relative Density – 2.85-2.95
• Bulk density –
– Loose - 1.0–1.1 tonnes/m3
– Vibrated - 1.2–1.3 tonnes/m3
• pH (T = 20 °C in water) – 9 to 11
GGBS – Applications
• Production of quality-improved slag cement, namely Portland

Blast Furnace Cement (PBFC) and High-Slag Blast- Furnace
Cement (HSBFC).
• Production of ready-mixed or site batched durable concrete.

GGBS – Important points
• Sets more slowly than concrete made with OPC, depending on the
amount of GGBS in the cementitious material, but also continues
to gain strength over a longer period of production conditions.
• Results in lower heat of hydration and lower temperature rises,

and makes avoiding cold joints easier, but may also affect
construction schedules where quick setting is required.
• Significantly reduce the risk of damages caused by Alkali-silica

reaction (ASR).
• Provides higher resistance to corrosion ingress – reducing the risk

of corrosion of reinforcement.
• Provides higher resistance to attacks of Sulphate and other

chemicals.
GGBS – Durability
• Provides protection against both sulphate attack and chloride attack.
• Effectively replaced Sulfate-Resisting Portland Cement (SRPC) on the

market for sulfate resistance because of its superior performance and
greatly reduced cost.
• Useful against chloride attack in reinforced concrete in marine

environments and in road bridges where the concrete is exposed to
splashing from road de-icing salts.
• Use of GGBS in such instances will increase the life of the structure by up
to 50% had only Portland cement been used, and precludes the need for
more expensive stainless steel reinforcing.
• Also routinely used to limit the temperature rise in large concrete pours,
which prevents the occurrence of micro cracking.
GGBS – Appearance
• The near-white color of GGBS
cement permits architects to
achieve a lighter colour for
exposed fair-faced concrete
finishes, at no extra cost.
• Also produces a smoother, more

defect free surface, due to the
fineness of the GGBS particles.
• GGBS cement prevents the

occurrence of efflorescence, the
staining of concrete surfaces by
calcium carbonate deposits. GGBS OPC
GGBS – Strength
• GGBS cement has a higher ultimate strength than concrete

made with Portland cement.
• Higher proportion of the strength-enhancing calcium silicate

hydrates (CSH) than concrete made with Portland cement
only, and a reduced content of free lime, which does not
contribute to concrete strength.
• Doubles its 28-day strength over a period of 10 to 12 years.

GGBS – Sustainability
• GGBS is a by-product of steel manufacturing process, its use

in concrete is recognized by Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED), a U. S. Green Building Council
(USGBC).
• It significantly reduces the embodied CO2 of the structure.

GGBS – Placing, Compacting and Pumping
• Easier to place the concrete into formwork and easier to

compact by mechanical vibration.
• Less liable to segregation during transport and handling.
• Pumping is also easier, due to the slightly lower relative

density and better flow characteristics.
GGBS – Temperature effects
• The rate of early age strength gain of GGBS concrete is greatly

improved by higher curing temperatures.
• A temperature increase from 20 to 40°C is sufficient to

increase the early strength GGBS concrete by a factor of two
to four.
GGBS – Curing
• Water in GGBS concrete takes slightly longer to combine

chemically to form hydration products, thus making GGBS
concrete a little more sensitive to poor curing.
• For GGBS contents of up to 60%, curing periods as

recommended in IS 326 and BS 8110 for Portland cement
concretes are sufficient.
• For higher GGBS contents, these periods may need to be

extended.

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Unit 2b

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ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

Dr. Vaibhav Sharma

• Admixtures are those ingredients in concrete other than

• Admixtures can be classified by function as follows:

• Used to purposely introduce and stabilize

• High range water reducers.

• Areas of closely spaced and congested reinforcing steel.

• Pumped concrete to reduce pump pressure, thereby increasing lift and

• Areas where conventional consolidation methods are impractical or can

• Easily placed in heavy congested reinforced sections.

• Low water to cement ratio concrete

• Sulfonated melamine formaldehyde condensates.

• High-slump, low-water-content, plasticized concrete has less drying

• Has similar or higher drying shrinkage than conventional low-slump, low-

• The effectiveness of the plasticizer is increased with an increasing amount

• Used to retard the rate of setting of concrete at high temperatures of

• One of the most practical methods of counteracting this effect is to reduce

• Retarders do not decrease the initial temperature of concrete.

• The bleeding rate and capacity of plastic concrete is increased with

• The typical materials used as retarders are:

– Tartaric acid and salts.

• Offset the accelerating effect of hot weather on the setting of

• Delay the initial set of concrete when difficult or unusual

• Delay the set for special finishing processes such as an

• Delay the initial set of concrete when difficult or unusual conditions of

• Some reduction in strength at early ages (one to three days) accompanies

• The effects of these materials on the other properties of concrete, such as

Therefore, acceptance tests of retarders should be made with actual job

• Used to accelerate strength development of concrete at an

• Typical Materials are:

• The chlorides can cause corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete.

• Corrosion-inhibiting admixtures chemically arrest the corrosion reaction.

• Commercially available corrosion inhibitors include:

• Shrinkage cracks, such as shown on this bridge deck, can be

• Expansion of specimens made with lithium carbonate

• Red and blue pigments were used to color this floor.

• To achieve sustainable issue in construction area, researchers

• The aggregates are categorized by size as coarse and fine

• The characteristic of recycled aggregates could be different by

• Its a lower density , elastic modulus, strength and a higher

• Recycled aggregate has a proportional mortar which attached

• In addition, since recycled aggregates require a more amount

• Its a lower density , elastic modulus, strength and a higher

• Recycled aggregate has a proportional mortar which attached

• In addition, since recycled aggregates require a more amount

• Recycle aggregate concrete has a Crushed sound and clean

• Class 1A RCA is a well graded RCA with no more than 0.5%

• Material composition is the basis

• A secondary cone or impact or may or may

• A scalping screen will remove dirt and foreign

• Further cleaning is necessary to ensure the

• This is done by water floatation, hand picking,

• In a world that is increasingly emphasizing on sustainable

• Recycled concrete is in fact recognized by the LEED Green

• Credit 4 (Materials and Resources) points out that “specify a

• Apart from the obvious benefits, there is one more aspect

• Certain areas that were earlier not carbonated absorb carbon

• For recycled concrete to be used in greater quantities in a

• The setting up of a proper institutional mechanism for taking

• Outsourcing of such functions to private enterprise is an idea

• Set up of the necessary processing infrastructure.

• Necessary infrastructure should also be available for testing the

• Project developers need to be educated on on-site waste