LA 3621 Lecture 2 PART 2

Concrete’s Four Basic Ingredients

● Cement
○ Type 1
■ This is the general purpose cement.
■ This is seldom used in Southern California due to the lack of sulfate
resistance and high heat of hydration rate.
■ This has a lot of resistance to salt.
○ Type 2
■ This is a moderate sulfate resistance cement.
■ This is the common type in Southern California.
■ It has less need for heat.
■ It has a lower hydration rate.
■ It takes less water.
○ Type 3
■ This is high-early cement.
■ This is used when concrete needs to be put in quickly.
■ It is usually light-colored.
■ This is what some of you purchase in some improvement stores.
○ Type 4
■ This is a low-heat hydration cement.
■ You will have experience with this when you are doing some giant
structural projects and engineering projects like dams.
■ This is not used in architectural concrete.
■ This is extremely expensive.
○ Type 5
■ This is a high-sulfate cement.
■ This is used when sulfate is high which can damage concrete.
● Fine Aggregate
○ These are washed sand for concrete use.
● Coarse Aggregate
○ These are the larger pieces that you see on some concrete mix.
● Water

Calculating the Amount of Concrete to Use

● Concrete is measured in cubic feet and yards, bagged concrete is solid by weight and
cubic feet.
○ 1 cubic foot of concrete weighs 150 pounds.
○ This is considered in projects when you have to move the concrete to the site.
● Converting Measurements in Inches
○ 1 cubic foot converted to inches is 1,728
○ A lot of landscape architects have to memorize this.
 ○ 1 cubic foot is 1,728 cubic inches and is then multiplied by the inches of length,
width and depth and then divided by 1,728
○ A 4-foot, by 4-foot and 4 inches pad of concrete is converted to inches.
■ That would be 4 feet one way, 4 feet in another direction and it is going to
be 4 inches thick.
■ Then It is converted to inches which become 48 inches by 48
inches and the 4 inches
■ When we multiply this all together, we would get 9,216
cubic inches.
■ Then we divided it by 1,728 to find 5.33 cubic feet
■ Sometimes if you are responsible for ordering the material or listing the
material, you would need to keep this equation in mind.
■ Landscape architects typically know this equation.
■ When paving is going to be on the site, we're referring to it in square feet.
■ Then the contractor is responsible for the conversion depending
on the details that we supply.

Admixtures
● These are chemicals that we add in.
● Admixtures that are put in concrete are color pigments that are mixed with concrete
while being poured.
○ An example problem is that when concrete is delivered and poured into the site,
they usually already add the admixtures.
■ When you are dealing with additives such as color pigment, separate
pours can appear differently.
○ There is a cheaper alternative where the colors are applied only to the top of the
surface.
■ Color Fades
■ Durability Fades
■ Cracking
■ Concrete will be worn at that top layer.
○ If you want to color your concrete, do it as an additive and have it mixed in.
● This is used in concrete when desiring a change in its properties.
● This would reduce construction costs.
● Ensure quality.
● This also overcomes certain emergencies.
● Synthetic Fibers
○ This adds reinforcement
○ A fiberglass additive is put in.
○ Sometimes you can use recycled materials.
● Retarders
○ This slows the concrete setting for quick use.
○ The faster the concrete cures, the weaker it is.
● Accelerator
 ○ This speeds up the concrete setting.
● Fly Ash
○ Aids in pump ability, finishing and reduces Alkali-Silica reaction.
○ Disadvantages
■ Discoloration between adjacent pours and surface crackings.

Concrete Installation Process

● Sub-grade Preparation
○ This makes sure it’s compacted and leveled.
○ That base should be solidly built.
○ When we show our section details on how that sub-grade is constructed, We will
also show the specifications which are required on larger projects.
■ Written details or documents
■ This shows a lot of details about the sub-grade preparations.
○ The site must be properly prepared.
○ Materials must be graded and compacted by the soil report.
○ Pipes and conduits should be placed in the sub-grade and appropriately
backfilled and compacted before concrete installation.
■ We should find out where all of the drainage pipes are going.
■ Find out where all of the pipes for the stormwater and sanitary are.
■ This is to avoid breaking a line where you can see water running around
the street.
○ Concrete flatwork should be placed over a minimum of dry, compacted and
screeded-washed concrete sand.
■ Inversion could happen.
■ When water runs through that area and it creates an erosion.
● Formwork
○ This is the frame for concrete work.
○ This has reinforcement bars set.
○ Curve formwork should be called to the contractor for precision to the details.
○ This is a process of creating a frame in which concrete will be poured.
○ Precise formwork is needed since concrete is fluid and conforms to its confining
formwork when its poured.
○ The result of precise formwork is crisp and precise edges, smooth grades and
transitions.
○ Use a flexible bender for curves.
○ Rigid 2 by 4 for straight lines.
○ Use straight-form lumber that should be S4S (surface four sides) number 2 grade
Douglas fir or better.
○ Use a 2 by 4 for 4 inches thick and 2 by 6 for 6 inches thick concrete.
○ This means setting a grid of rebar (reinforcement bars) with rebar chairs.
● Concrete Delivery
○ Before the delivery of the concrete, you should first make sure the sub-grade is
prepared along with the formwork.
 ● Placing Concrete
● Finishing Concrete
● Curing Concrete
○ The concrete that is cured longer ends up being stronger.
■ An example illustration is clay and when it dries out fast, It cracks.

Site Preparation
● Install Underground Utilities
● Tractor with Grader
○ The grader creates a smooth surface for the tractor to follow the information on
the elevations.
● Concrete Mock-ups
○ This evaluates specified colors and finishes.
○ This should be required in all projects.
● Reinforcement
○ Without slab reinforcing, concrete may not be structural enough to support heavy
loads or prevent slab displacement if settlement occurs.
○ Reinforcing Steel Bars
■ Numbers are in one-eight-inch sizes tied together to form a grid pattern.
■ Common sizes are number 3 which is three-eight and number 4 being
one-half of an inch.
■ This is great for pedestrian concrete.
■ Spacing is notated as eighteen inches horizontally and vertically.
■ When you see O.C.E.W that means On-Center-Each-Way.
■ Rebar ensures that when the slab cracks, the differential settlement
should not occur.
○ Reinforcement Types Beyond Repair
■ Welded Wire Mesh or Fabric
■ Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC)
■ This is used as an admixture.
■ Improves tensile strength, and reduces plastic shrinkage cracking
and aggregate segregation.
■ Fibers can be produced from:
■ Steel
■ Glass
■ Organic Polymers
■ Synthetic Fibers
○ Supports for Rebar
■ Chairs or Dobies
■ This holds the rebar up inside the slab.
■ This is fastened on before concrete is poured.
○ Concrete failure due to lack of reinforcement.