1

• Definition and Uses of Concrete

• Composition and Properties of Concrete
• Quality Tests on the Components of Concrete Mix
– Cement
– Fine and Coarse Aggregates
• New Concrete Technology

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 -is a stone-like material obtained by permitting a
carefully proportioned mixture of cement, and
gravel or other aggregate, and water to harden in
forms of the shape and dimensions of the desired
structure.
Design of Concrete Structure 11th Ed. by: Nilson & Winter

-Is a mixture of cement, water and aggregates in

which the cement and water have combined to
bind the aggregate particles together to form a
monolithic whole.
Construction Materials Their Nature and Behaviour 3rd Ed.by: Illston & Domone

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Concrete is a substance used for building
which is made by mixing together cement,
sand, small stones, and water.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictio
nary/english/concrete
• Concrete, in construction, structural material
consisting of a hard, chemically inert
particulate substance, known
as aggregate (usually sand and gravel), that
is bonded together by cement and water.
– https://www.britannica.com/technology/concrete-
building-material

Concrete is a construction
material composed of cement,
fine aggregates (sand) and
coarse aggregates mixed with
water which hardens with time.
Portland cement is the mostly
used type of cement for
production of concrete.

https://theconstructor.org/concrete/

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 Volume of Concrete

Gravel
Sand

Cement & Water

– Paste 30%:
• Cement and water including air

– Aggregates 70%:
• Fine and coarse aggregates

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Definition of Concrete
• Concrete is a mixture of cement (11%), fine
aggregates (26%), coarse aggregates (41%) and
water (16%) and air (6%).

• Cement → Powder
• Cement + Water →→Cement Paste
• Cement Paste + Fine Aggregate (FA) →→→ Mortar
• Mortar + Coarse Aggregate (CA) →→→ Concrete
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USES OF CONCRETE
• Types of Concrete Construction
• Plain concrete construction and reinforced
concrete construction.
• It is used as a construction material for almost all types of
structures such as residential concrete buildings, industrial
structures, dams, roads, tunnels, multi storey buildings,
skyscrapers, bridges, sidewalks and superhighways etc.
• Example of famous and large structures made with concrete
are Hoover Dam, Panama Canal and Roman Pantheon. It is
the largest human made building materials used for
construction.
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• There are endless uses of concrete- from the biggest
of dams to the smallest of back yards or concrete
block walls. Some common forms are:
• Readymixed
• Precast
• Concrete Masonry
• Coloured Concrete
• Small Concrete Jobs
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 Advantages of Concrete
Concrete has many environmental advantages, including
• durability, longevity, heat storage capability, and chemical
• inertness.
• Ability to be Cast
• Fire resistant
• On-site fabrication
• Aesthetic properties.
• The raw materials used in cement production are widely available in great
quantities.
• Needs little or no finish or final treatments.

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Advantages of Concrete
• Chemically inert concrete doesn't require paint to achieve a given colour;
natural -mineral pigments and colouring agents can be added at the
mixing to provide a rainbow of options.
• Low maintenance.
• Can be reused or recycled.
• Concrete can be reused with bituminous asphalt as road base materials,
can be recycled and reused by crushing into aggregates for new
concrete or as fill material for road beds or site works.

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• Limitations of Concrete
• Low tensile strength
• Low ductility
• Volume instability
• Low strength-to-weight ratio

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 Cement Aggregates Chemical Mineral Water
• T1, Portland • Coarse
Admixtures Admixtures
• reasonably
Cement Aggregates (G- • Retarders • Fly Ash
clean and
• T2, Moderate 1, ¾”, 3/8”) • Accelerators • GGBFS
free of oil,
Heat • Fine • Plasticizers • Silica Fumes
salt, acid,
• T5, Sulphate- Aggregates • Super • Fibers
alkali, grass
Resistant (Sand) Plasticizers
or other
• T1P, Blended • Lightweight • AEA
substances
Cement (Perlite, • Poly
• Drinkable
• TP, Pozzolan Cinders) Carboxilates
• Potable
Cement • Limestone
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• An artificial material that sets and hardens while
binding together other materials in the process
• Cement is a pulverized material that develops binding
forces due to a reaction with water.
􀁸 Hydraulic Cement - Stable under water
(Portland Cement)
􀁸 Non-hydraulic Cement - Products of hydration
are not resistant to water (i.e. limestone)
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• Portland cements are hydraulic cements, meaning
they react and harden chemically with the addition of
water. Cement contains limestone, clay , cement rock
and iron ore blended and heated to 1200 to 1500 C°.
The resulting product "clinker" is then ground to the
consistency of powder. Gypsum is added to control
setting time.

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Clinker Gypsum Portland Cement

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• Name derived from its similarity to Portland Cement
Stone – a type of building stone quarried from the Isle
of Portland in Dorset, England
• Most common type of cement for general construction
use around the world
• Consists of at least 67% by mass calcium silicates
(3CaO.SiO2 and 2CaO.SiO2) and the rest being
aluminate (3CaO.Al2O3) and alumino-ferrite (4CaO.
Al2O3.Fe2O3)
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 A hydraulic cement consisting of two or more
inorganic constituents, separately or in combination,
contribute to the strength gaining properties of the
cement.
Cement incorporated with cementitious materials
Pozzolan – naturally occuring mineral
GGBFS (Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag)- By-product of iron
and steel-making
Flyash – by-product of burning coal in power plants
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Portland Cement is a hydraulic cement, that is, it reacts or
combined chemically with water (hydrates), one that will harden
under water. The process is known as Hydration.

The heat generated in the reaction of cement and water is called

Heat of Hydration.
The reaction produce a substance that is durable, resists the
effects of water, and continues to gain strength as long as moisture
is present. It will continue to gain strength even when completely
submerged in water.
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The process in which the cement reacts or combined chemically
with water

 The heat produced by the chemical reaction between cement

and water.

 The amount of heat generated depends on the chemical

composition of the cement.

 The rate of heat generation is affected by: the fineness of the

cement, the chemical composition and the temperature during
hydration.
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• Raw Materials
– Limestone
– Silica
– Shale
– Copper Slag
– Pozzolan
– Gypsum
– Fly Ash
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Portland Cement has the Following Basic
Composition
1. Lime (CaO) = 60 – 65%

2. Silica (SiO2) = 10 – 25% The cement type to be

used should be specified
3. Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) = 2 – 4% and shall conform to the
applicable specifications.
4. Alumina (Al2O3) = 5 – 10%
Type I Portland Cement is
for general use and is the
most preferred type.
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Those materials which contributes Silica (SiO2), Alumina (Al2O3)
and Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) to the clinker, it includes clay, shale, blast
furnace slag, iron ore, sand,etc.

Those material which contributes Lime (CaO) and Magnesia (MgO)

to the clinker, it includes limestone, chalk, marls, marine (oyster
shells), etc.

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A predetermined percentage of gypsum is added to regulate the setting
time that will be required for a particular cement. The addition of small
quantity of gypsum is of great importance because it can stabilize and
control the rate of hydration. Although small in quantity, the addition of
gypsum must be done with some care, as its prime purpose is to react with
the tricalcium aluminate, the quantity added must correspond to the
amount of tricalcium aluminate available. Small amount added will often
increase the strength, too much amount leads to slow expansion of
the set cement and may result in crumbling.

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Portland Cement is Manufactured by Two (2) Basic Processes:

In the wet process proper proportions of raw materials are mixed with enough water to form
a slurry, which is 30 to 35 % water.
In this form the materials are further proportioned, mixed, ground and pulverized and then
pumped to a furnace called a kiln.
It is use for a very friable materials such as chalk and clay, wet process are preferred because
of more accurate control of the raw mix.

The dry process is similar, except that the materials are proportioned, stored, ground, mixed,
pulverized and fed into the kiln in a dry state.

Preferred when raw materials are hard rocks, less fuel is required for burning than in the wet
process.
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 ASTM C 150, Standard Specifications for Portland Cement

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 Aggregates comprise as
much as 60% to 80% of
a typical concrete mix, so
they must be properly
selected to be durable,
blended for optimum
efficiency, and properly
Coarse controlled to produce
consistent concrete
Fine
strength, workability,
finishability, and durability
Size: 4.75 mm Size: <4.75 mm;
(3/16 in.) to 50 mm >75 µm (0.003
(2 in.) (retained on in.) (retained on
No. 4 sieve) No.
200 sieve)
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1. Characteristics controlled by
porosity

A. Density
I) Apparent specific gravity: Density of the material including the
internal pores.

II) Bulk density (dry-rodded unit weight) weight of aggregate that

would fill a unit volume; affects the following concrete behavior: mix design,
workability, and unit weight.

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B. Absorption and Surface Moisture

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2. Characteristics dependent on prior
exposure and processing factors
• A. Aggregate Size distribution

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Fineness Modulus (FM)

􀁸 The fineness modulus of the fine aggregate is

required for mix design since sand gradation has the
largest effect on workability. A fine sand (low FM) has
much higher effect paste requirements for good
workability.

For concrete sand, FM range is 2.3 to 3.1

􀁸 Note: The higher the FM, the coarser the aggregate.
􀁸 It is important to note that the fineness modulus is
just one number which only characterizes the average size
of the aggregate, and different grading may have the same
fineness modulus.

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Maximum Aggregate Size (MSA)
• Definition (ASTM): It is the smallest sieve opening
through which the entire sample passes (or in practice
only 5% retained on this sieve.
• MSA < 1/5 of the narrowest dimension of the form in
which concrete is to be placed.
• Also: MSA < 3/4 of the minimum clear distance
between the re-bars

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• Nominal Max Size
• The largest size particle present significantly to affect
concrete properties.
• It affects the paste requirements, optimum grading
depends on MSA and nominal max. size. The higher
MSA, the lower the paste requirements for the mix.
• Aggregate size affects the following concrete
properties:
– water demand, cement content, microcracking (strength).

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2. Characteristics dependent on prior
exposure and processing factors
B. Shape and Surface Texture
• Shape:
• Round - loosing edges and corners.
• Angular - well defined edges and corners.
• Elongated- when length is considerably larger than the other two
dimensions.
• Flaky or flat- when thickness is small relative to two other dimensions.

• Surface Texture - The degree to which the aggregate surface is

smooth or rough- (based on visual judgement).
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C. Soundness

• Aggregate is considered unsound when volume changes in the

aggregate induced by weather, such as alternate cycles of wetting and
drying or freezing and thawing, result in concrete deterioration.
• It Depends on: porosity and contaminants.
• Pumice- (10% absorption) - no problem with freezing and thawing.
• Limestone - breaks: use smaller aggregates (critical size) (critical
aggregate size: size below which high internal stresses capable of
cracking the particle will not occur)

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Durability of Aggregates
• Any lack of durability of the aggregate will have
disastrous consequences for the concrete.

– Physical durability – exposure to freezing and thawing,

wetting and drying, physical wear.
– Chemical durability –various forms of cement -
aggregate reactions (alkali –silica attack).

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• Almost any natural water that is drinkable and has no
pronounced taste or odor can be used as mixing water
for making concrete.
• Drinkable Water is good for making concrete
• Some waters that are not fit for drinking may be
suitable for concrete making provided that they satisfy
the acceptance criteria laid by ASTM C 94 (Tables 3.1)
• Table 3.1 Acceptance Criteria for Questionable Water
Supplies (ASTM C 94)
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Effects of Impurities in Mixing
Water
• Excessive impurities in mixing water affect setting
time and concrete strength and also cause
efflorescence (deposits of white salts on the surface
• of concrete), staining, corrosion of reinforcement,
volume changes, and reduced durability

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49
Use of Questionable Waters as
Mixing Water
Sea Water
• Seawater containing up to 35,000 ppm of dissolved salts is generally
suitable as mixing water for plain concrete
• Seawater is not suitable for use in making steel reinforced concrete and
prestressed concrete due to high risk of steel corrosion
Acid Waters
• Acid waters may be accepted as mixing water on the basis of their pH
values.
• Use of acid waters with pH values less than 3.0 should be avoided.
• Organic acids, such as tannic acid can have significant effect on strength
at higher concentrations.
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Alkaline Waters
• Waters with sodium hydroxide concentrations up to 0.5 %
and potassium hydroxide in concentrations up to 1.2 % by
weight of cement has no significant effect on strength.
• The possibility for increased alkali-aggregate reactivity should
be considered before using the alkaline water as mixing
water.
• Tannic acid can have significant effect on strength at higher
concentrations.
Wash Waters
• Wash waters may be reused as mixing water in concrete if
they satisfy the limits in Tables 3.1 and 3.2
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Industrial Wastewaters
• Industrial wastewaters may be used as mixing water in concrete as long
as they only cause a very small reduction in compressive strength,
generally not greater than 10 % to 15 %.
• Wastewaters from paint factories, coke plants, and chemical and
galvanizing plants may contain harmful impurities. Thus such
wastewaters should not be used as mixing water without testing.
Sanitary Sewage
• The sanitary sewage may be safely used as mixing water after treatment
or dilution of the organic matter.

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• Materials added to alter the properties of concrete including:
• Air entrainment
• Set accelerators
• Set retarders
• Water reducers

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Reasons for using Admixtures
􀁸 reduce cost of concrete construction.
􀁸 Achieve certain properties more effectively than by other
means.
􀁸 Ensure quality of concrete during stages of mixing,
transporting, placing and curing in adverse conditions.
􀁸 Overcome certain emergencies during concreting.
􀁸 Improve or modify some or several properties of portland
cement concrete.
􀁸 Compensate for some deficiencies.

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• Chemical Admixtures
• 􀁸 Type A: Water-reducing (WR)
• 􀁸 Type B: Set retarding (SR)
• 􀁸 Type C: Set accelerating (SA)
• 􀁸 Type D: WR + SR
• 􀁸 Type E: WR + SA
• 􀁸 Type F: High-range water-reducing (HRWR)
• 􀁸 Type G: HRWR + SR

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• Mineral admixtures include fly ash, hydrated lime, silica fume and
ground blast furnace slag. Many of these materials have cement-like
properties, augmenting the strength and density of the finished
concrete. They generally improve the workability, density and long-term
strength of concrete, at the expense of set time and early strengths.

– Raw or calcined pozzolans

– Fly ash produced from burning bituminous coal
– Fly ash normally produced from burning lignite (subbituminous) coal
(both pozzolanic and cementatious).

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 THANK YOU!!!

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 Properties of Concrete

Engr. JOEL D. BOSI

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• Fresh concrete: from time of mixing to end of time
concrete surface finished in its final location in the
• structure
• Operations: batching, mixing, transporting, placing,
compacting, surface finishing Treatment (curing) of
in-placed concrete 6-10 hours after casting (placing)
and during first few days of hardening is important.

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Main properties of fresh concrete during mixing, transporting,
placing and compacting.

• Fluidity or consistency: capability of being handled and of flowing

into formwork and around any reinforcement, with assistance of
compacting equipment.
• Compactability: air entrapped during mixing and handling should be
easily removed by compaction equipment, such as vibrators.
• Stability or cohesiveness: fresh concrete should remain homogenous
and uniform. No segregation of cement paste from aggregates
(especially coarse ones)

• Fluidity & compactability known as workability

-Higher workability concretes are easier to place and handle but
obtaining higher workability by increasing water content decreases
strength
61 and durability
• Effort required to manipulate a concrete
mixture with a minimum of segregation.
• The amount of mechanical work or energy
required to produce full compaction of the
concrete without segregation or bleeding.

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Workability measurement methods
• 1. Slump test
• 2. Compacting factor test
• 3. Vebe test
• 4. Flow table test

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The slump test is
simple, but very
important, since it
is an indicator of
water content, or
water-cement
ratio.

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Segregation and Bleeding
• From placing to final set, concrete is in a plastic,
semi-fluid state. Heavier particles (aggregates)
have tendency to move down (SEGREGATION).
Mix water has a tendency to move up
(BLEEDING)

• BLEEDING
• A layer of water (~ 2 % or more of total depth
of concrete) accumulates on surface, later this
water evaporates or re-absorbed into concrete.

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Methods of reducing segregation
and bleed and their effects

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Factors affecting workability
• Water content of the mix.
• Mix proportions.
• Aggregate properties (Max. aggregate size)
• Time and temperature.
• Cement characteristics.
• Admixtures.

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Water content of the mix
• Increasing water increase the ease of flows and compaction.
• Reduce strength and durability.
• May lead to segregation and bleeding.
• - mixing water is divided into three parts
• 1- adsorbed on the particle surfaces
• 2- filled the spaces between the particles.
• 3 - lubricates the particles by separating them with a film of
water finer particles require more water.
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Aggregate properties
• 1- amount of aggregates.
• 2- the relative proportions of fine to coarse aggregates.
• - increase of aggregate/cement ratio decreases
workability more cement is needed when finer aggregate
grading are used.

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Time and temperature.
• Considerable evidence that temperature increase will
decrease workability as higher temperatures will
increase both the evaporation rate and hydration rate.
• Very warm weather will require more water to
maintain the same workability.

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Cement characteristics.
• Less important factor in determining workability than
the aggregate properties.
• However, increased fineness of type III (rapid –
• hardening of cements will reduce workability at a
given w/c ratio.

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Progress in Concrete Technology
• 􀁸 Lightweight Concrete
• 􀁸 High-Strength Concrete
• 􀁸 High Workability or Flowing Concrete
• 􀁸 Shrinkage Compensating Concrete
• 􀁸 Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
• 􀁸 Concrete Containing polymers
• 􀁸 Heavyweight Concrete
• 􀁸 Mass Concrete
• 􀁸
78 Roller-Compacted Concrete
Progress in Concrete Technology
• Self-Curing Concrete
• Self-Compacting Concrete
• One-day Concrete
• Use of GGBFS as partial substitute to Cement in
Concrete
• Use of Limestone as coarse aggregates
• Use of Limestone as Fine aggregates
• Air entrained Concrete
• Using
79 Fibrin and Durus in Concrete
 Hardened Properties of Concrete

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 *For the method of making and curing concrete specimens in the
laboratory (AASHTO Designation T126)
1. Molding of (cylindrical specimens) compression test specimens
3 layers
25 blows/layer

24” 12”

1 set (3 cylinders) for every 75 m3

or
fraction thereof, each day of pouring
6”

5/8”
Rammer
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83
2. Molding of (Beam) Flexure Test Specimens Beam Specimens
For Concrete Pavement A= L x W
= 21” x 6”
= 126 sq. in.
1 Blow per 2 sq. in.
6”
126 blows
=
2 63 layer
6”

21” 2 layers
63 blows / layer using the
same rammer as in
84 concrete cylinder sample
1. Flexural Strength of Beam Specimens
a. Third Point Loading Method
////////////// PL P 18 P in #
R = =
= bd2 6” x 6” x 12 in2
1 in Min. 6”
Where:

D= Specimen
R = Modulus of rupture, psi or Mpa
L/3
P = Load in lbs. or in tons
L/3 L/3 L = Span length in inches
L/3

b = base in inches
Span
Length
d = depth
L

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 1. If the fracture occurs in the tension surface within
the middle third of the span length.
R = PL
bd2
2. If the fracture occurs in the tension surface
outside of the middle third of the span length by
not more than 5 percent of the span length.
R = 3 Pa
bd2
Where:
a = average distance between line of fracture and
the
nearest support measured on the tension
surface of the beam.
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Example: Flexural Strength using the third point
loading
Method, FS
1
FS = 2.40 tons 2204.6
lbs X = 440.92 psi
12 in2
x
tons
Mpa
FS = 440.92 psi x = 3.04 MPa
psi
.006895
DPWH Spec’s. – Blue Book
For Third Point Loading method:
FS requirement = 3.8 MPa (550 psi) Min.

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 b. Center Point Loading Method:
1 in. min.
(25 mm)

L/3

L/2
L/2
Span Length, L

3 PL
R=
2 bd2 DPWH Spec’s (Blue Book)
R = Modulus of Rupture
Where:
For Center Point Loading Method, FS
P = Load
L = Span length requirement
b – base
d = depth = 4.5 MPa (650 psi) Min.

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89
Rate of Loading for Compressive Strength test:
Load applied at a constant rate within range 20 to 50 psi /
sec.
6”
For Cylinder:
IID
2
Cross Sectional Area =
4 2
Ac=3.1416 (6”)= 2
28.27 in.
4
12” Compressive Strength
64,000 lbs X .006895 Mpa
= 28.27 in.2 psi
CS = 15.6 MPa

DPWH Spec’s (Blue Book)

Compressive Strength requirement = 24.1
90
MPa (3,500 psi) Min. at 28 days
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