C H A P TE R

CONCRETING OPERATIONS
~ OUTLINE '- - - -
----- ---------
1.1 Introduction. 9.2 Storage of Ingredie
nt of Concrete, 9.3 Batching, 9.4 Mixi
Concrete, 9.6 Placing of Concrete, 9.7 ng, 9.5 Transportation~
Compaction of Concrete, 9.8 Finishin
1.9 Curing of Concrete, 9.10 Construction g of Concrete Surface
Joints, 9.11 Defects in Concrete • Obje
with Answers • Exercises. ctive Type Questions

9.1 INTRODUCTION
The per form anc e of var iou s concrete
ope rati ons gre atly affect the qua lity
fres h and har den ed stage. It also govern of concrete in
s the suit abi lity of concrete to be use d und
circ um stan ces . All the ope rati ons inv er various
olved in the pro duc tion of con cre te
imp ort ant and con trib ute a lot in stre ngt are equally
h and dur abi lity of the con cre te mix. Stri
control at eve ry stag e is the only key to ct quality
var iou s purposes. obt ain des ired goo d qua lity concrete to be used for
The pro ces s whi ch are involved in the
pro duc tion of con cre te, in improving
ma inta inin g the qua lity of concrete are and
ope rati ons are involved in concrete mak kno wn as con cre ting ope rati ons . The follo
ing. wing
1. Sto rag e of ma teri als.
2. Bat chi ng of ma teri als
3. Mixing of var iou s ingredients.
5. Pla cin g of concrete. 4. Tra nsp orta tion of concrete mix.
7. Fin ishi ng of concrete surface. 6. Compaction of concrete.
8. Cur ing of concrete.
9. Joi nts in concrete.

9.2 STORAGE OF INGREDIENT

OF CONCRETE
It is imp orta nt to store the ingredient of con
crete at site properly The process of kee
the ing red ien t of concrete in the ir pro ping
per place and to protect the m from the
wea the ring is called storing. effect of

160
 of Cement
cob~si~o material used_ to ~ind tlw other ingredionts in the mix. It abRorbs
frOtll air. Jf wato~ nb~orptJOn is upto 2% then it docs not affect the qualit,y of
ifwate~ abAorption 18 more than 5% then the cement becomes unfit for use. The
cement 1e aR fol lows:
jtorage of cement in n warehouse
Storage of cement at site.

, _ , , . of Cement In s Warehouse
1
~ cement ut proper places whcro effects of moisture can be minimized. Warehouse
-••tber proof building for storage of cement.
...,_,.,, of a Warehouse
A ~ must fulfill the following requirement.
(I) Walls should be constructed of water proof material e.g., brick masonry in cement
mortar with plaster on both sides.
Ul) The roof should be made ofRCC with proper drainage.
(lli) It should have few windows of small si~bc:1.
(iv) Windows should be constructed as near to the ceiling as possible.
'
(v) The floor should be of aileast 15 cm thick concrete.
(vi) The floor should be at such a height that it should be at the same level as the truck
height. This will help in easy loading and unloading of cement bags.
(,ii.) The ground surrounding the wall should be sloping always from the wall so that
water is drained away properly.

Precaution• in Storing Cement

The cement in a warehouse should be stored according to guidelines mentioned below.
(i) The cement bags should be placed on a raised platform made of wooden planks.
(il) Cement bags should be stored in piles. A group of numbers ofbags arranged together
closely is called a pile.
(iii) Bags should be placed closely in different piles so that free circulation of air is
prevented.
Uv) The height of pile should not be more that 2.7 m i.e., not more than 15 bags. The
width of the pile should not be more than 3 m.
(v) Cement bags should not touch the walls of the building. It should have a minimum
apace of 30 cm from walls.
(vi) The cement bags should not be removed ~om one tier only but should be removed
from two or three tiers to avoid overtoppmg of cement bags. .
 Concrete Tech
no10g,
first out 80 t
(vii) Ceme nt bags should be moved out on the princi ple of first in and
old stock gets cleare d first.
hat
(viii) Each consig nment should be piled separa tely and data plates
should be ke
Pt f0t
showi ng date of arriva l.
(ix) The piles of cemen t bags should be covere d with plastic sheets
so as to hav
additi onal protec tive cover agains t moistu re.
e an
ed alternate!
(x) If more that 7 bags are to be put in a stack, then they should be arrang
Y
as heade r and stretch er.
(xi) Due to the weigh t on the lower layer of bags, the cemen t becom
es some what had
which ~ known as wareh ouse pack. This can be remov ed by rolling the
bags wh:n
cemen t 1s taken out.

Deter minat ion of Capa city of a Wareh ouse

d.
For calcul ating the capaci ty of a wareh ouse the follow ing should be adopte
2
(i) Floor area covere d by one bag of cemen t= 0.3 m .
(ii) Avera ge heigh t of the bag= 0.18 m.
(iii) Maxim um width of each pile = 3.0 m.
2.70 m)
(iv) Maxim um heigh t of each pile= 2.7 m. (With 15 bags= 15 x 0.18 =
(v) The passag e (clear distan ce) betwe en two piles= 102 m.
(vi) Clear distan ce betwe en exteri or wall and pile = 0.30 m.
(vii) Head room (distan ce betwe en top of pile to bottom of ceilin g= 1 m.

of cement.
Exam ple 9.1 Find out the size of a wareh ouse to accom modat es 1000 bags
Solut ion: No. of bags to be accom modat ed= 1000
2
Floor area covere d by one bag= 0.3 m
Avera ge heigh t of one bag= 0.18 m
3
Volum e occupi ed by one bag of cemen t= 0.3 x 0.18 = 0.054 m
3
Total volum e occupi ed by 1000 bags= 0.054 x 1000 = 54 m
Let the no. of bags in each pile = 15
heigh t of each pile = 15 x 0.18 = 2. 7 m
54
Area occupi ed by cemen t bags = = 20 m 2
2.7
20
Assum e two rows of= = 10 m 2 floor area.
2
10m2 f 1·1 -311l
Lengt h of each pile = - - = 3.33 m [Width o P e -
3cm
Dist.a.nee betwe en piles and outsid e wall = 0.30 m
Passa ge betwe en two piles= 1.2 m
 ~ OpttaUons

Tothl inside length of ware

Total inside width of wareho
the bead.room between top of pile and ceiling ==4
Height of warehouse - 2. 7 -+- I :;- a 7
1be inner dimensions of the warehouCJe for stormg 1000 hngR nr<!
Length - 4 m, width - 7.8 m, hdght • ~i.7 m
a. Storage of Cement st Site

Storage of cement is necessary for uninterrupted progr<?ss of work At site the cornout
should be stored properly c;o that it should not get in contact with dnrnpnof.lH. Conmnt h11ga
mould be stored on a dry platform made of
,,ooden planks reBting on a brick masonry, sand,
aggregate platform about 15 cm above tho
ground. 100

(i} Fresh cement Rhou)d not be piled over

the previous lot.
(ii) Cement should be USl'A on first como first,
usedbasiJs.
lili} Number of bags storQd Hhou)d l)q
sufficient for 1-2 day11 consumption.
liv} 'l'he pil~ of ccrnont lihould hfl propnrly
rovured with tarpaulin ahoots. 'l1hq110
0
,beet. muat b,• prof,llrly ovorln.pp,•d oncl
anchored. n '
Otiirnun c,t CQmoni 1n rnon11 ,1
lv) Temp<>rary H11,thod of,., or11u9 Jn wol,
Pip. D, 1 etr~ot of 1tornu@ on 1tumoth or
weather 11h<JuJ<l not bo 11<l,>pl.od, oemont

lff-, ot Btor•11• on Strongth of Com11nt

r..,,,, llor!ijjq will ,·,.,lveo u,o •I rnnut h ol' ,mm,m I' 'l'ho •tr.,,,u, I. 01 Iho oom1•111 ,, hi Ph h ,
-.ti ltm-ed fnr 11 l1mu Lim{) 11ho111d l,1 1•l1t l'lt,1d ln I ho lnl1111 fHo,y hUl,triJ ii la lltt(u) Otl In t• l
•~, · ,t1J•Of1ct\l\t
Hthlo 0, I
1',,IWJlfon of1-,•1nt111I R14lflllttM ,,,,.,.,,,, r,f
1lpr111'4 ,..,,,n;ml 111 -II tl1tti•

I,
.,
4, ll m1m, I,.
•~ ,n,11111!1

g wtt 3n
~ Concrett TE'Cfil!oloo,I
9.2.2 Storage of Aggregates
Hand ling and stock pilin g of coars e aggr egate
can easily lead _to segre gatio n, more ~P<'t'ia
when the aggre gate has to roll down a slope. Aggr
egate s of diffe rent grad es and sizes need
caref ul stori ng at site.
Stori ng of aggre gates shou ld be done in such
a way as to:
(i) Main tain the unifo rmity of gradi ng.
(ii) Main tain unifo rm surfa ce wate r cond ition.
(iii) Prev ent segre gatio n.
(iv) Avoid mixin g of harm ful mate rial in the
aggr egate s.
Precaution in Storing Aggregates
(i) The coars e as well as fine aggre gates
shou ld be store d on a hard and dry ground.
(ii) It shou ld neve r be dump ed on loam or
grass .
(iii) If hard surfa ce is not avail able, a platf
orm of plank s, or old corru gated iron or floor
of brick or a thin layer of weak concrete or so
shou ld be produ ced.
(iv) Duri ng stock piling successive consi gnme
nts shou ld not be drop ped on the same.
(v) The aggre gates shou ld not fall from a heigh
t while being trans porte d and dumped.
(vi) The pile shou ld be as near as possi
ble to the mixe r to avoid grea ter distance of
trans port.
(vii) The area occupied by each pile shou ld be
as large as possible. The heigh t of pile
shou ld be from 1.25 m to 1.75 m.
(viii) The pile shou ld be allowed to stand
for 24 hour s atlea st before being used so that
the mois ture has time to settle .
(ix) In the case of sand , the bottom layer (last 300
mm) shou ld not be used as the bottom
layer becomes satur ated with wate r.
(x) Leaves, vegetables debris and anim al refus
e shou ld not get mixe d in the aggregates .
(xi) The wet aggre gates shou ld be frequ
ently trave lled so that surfa ce mois ture gets
evap orate d.
9.3 BATCHING
The pr~ ss of meas urem ent of ingre dient (cem
ent, fine aggregate, coarsE' aggre gates and
wate r) for maki ng concrete is called batching. It
has been observed that bat<'hing C'rror nre
respo nsibl e for the varia tion in the quali ty of
concrete. Poor batch ing i~ responsible- for
more varia tion than any other factor, but good contr
ol, can reduce this varia tion in important
operations.
1. Volume batching.
2. Weight batching.
 ~r,g operotiqns
_ vo1ume Batching
1
) Botching of Cement: Cement is alwa!s batched by weight not by
{a •ts weight per unit volume varies according to the way container (farnta),.
: 1wne of one bag of cement is taken as 35 litres.
0
(b) Batching of Aggregates: Aggregates can be gauged by volume and for this purpose
wooden batch boxes called farms are used. The size of farmas should be such as to
measure the aggregates for the required mix. They should not be made so large as to be
unwieldy. The farmas should be made of 30 mm thick timber and while filling the
farma the material should be filled loosely and no compaction should be allowed. After
filling aggregates in farma, the top of the farma should be levelled with a straight
edge. Inside dimensions of the farmas depend upon their capacity in litres.
Table 9.2 Inner dimensions of gauge boxes.
Sr.No. Capacity (litres) Length (m) Width (m) Height (m.J
I. 25 0.25 0 .25 0.40
2. 30 0.25 0.25 0.48
3. 35 0 .27 0.27 0.48
4. 40 0.29 0 .29 0.48
5. 45 0.30 0.30 0.50
6. 50 0 .3 1 0 .3 1 0.52
The moisture present in aggregates and bulking of sand must be considered when
batching is done by volume. Volume batching is normally adopted in ordinary concrete.
The joints should be tongued and groove with the tongue on the inside of the box. This
arrangement prevents dirt getting in due to the joint opening either due to shrinkage
or rough handling. The faces of the joint should be painted with red lead linseed oil
before the farma is assembled. The inside face should be lived with sheet metal and the
top edge of the box should be flush with steel metal to keep a clean level edge for
shrinking off. The handles should be shaped to provide an easy grip.
(b) Measurement of Water: Water is usually measured by volume, provided the
equipment is reliable, properly maintained and s ubject to calibration checks. The water
contained in wet sand and coarse aggregates is difficult to measure accurately. The
val~e of this water can be assumed as discussed. So~e of the mixers are equipped will
--
c~hbrated water tank attached permanently to the mixers. For the mixers not provided
With water tank calibrated syphon system can be easily got installed.
E~a =1:-:::------ - ------------:_-----::-----------~ --- - -
inp e 9.2 Calculate the quantity of water to be mixed per bag of cement in a cement
c~n~ete
1 ofratio 1 : 2 : 4 by volume with w/c ratio as 0 .5 by weight. The aggregates nvailabl
:U,: te1.8%
are dry with absorpti?n capacity of fine aggregates and Coarse aggl"'egatos is_1.20~
by volume respectively. -
.
~
:i66·1 Concrete Teet. ; ~
Solution: Date given
Water cement :ratio= 0.5
Ratio of Mix = 1 : 2 .: 4 by volume
Water absorption capacity:
Fin Aggregates (F.A) = 1.2%
Coarse Aggregates (C.A) = 1.8%
We know that, volume of one bag of cement= 35 litres
Volume of F.A required= 35 x 2 = 70 litres
Volume of C.A required= 35 x 4 = 140 litres
Volume of water required= 50 x 0.5 = 25 litres
Hence
Water absorbed by Fine Aggregates = 70 x 1·2 = 0.84 litres
100
W at.er absorbed by Coarse Aggregates= 140 x 1.8 = 2.52 Ii tres
100
Total water absorbed by Aggregate= 0.84 + 2.52 = 3.36 litres
Therefore after correction of water absorption, the actual water to be added
= 25 + 3.36 = 28.36 litres
2. Weight Batching
Now a days for the production of good concrete all material are measured by weigh.. Tbf
mixers are incorporated with weight batching devices.
(a) Batching of Cement: Cement is always batched by weight. Mostly it is batched in
terms of 50 kg bags. Cement should never be batched by volume becau..~ its , .:igtii
per unit volume varies according to compacting effort used to fill the rontamt'f,
(b) Batching of Aggregates : Batching of aggregates by weight is preferable. In weigM
batching no correction is made for bulking of sand but only correction made i.:: for
weight of water contained by wet aggregates.
Weight batching is the correct method of measuring the materials. For all importsn'
concrete works, weight batching system should be adopted.
Different types of weight batchers are:
(i) Spring balance (ii) Batching machines.
(i) Spring Balance
An ordinary balance of capacity 200 kg or 40 kg is mounted on a tripod stand from a h(;.
While batching by weight, it is necessary to deduct the weight of the rontaioer :rclll for
total weight to get the actual weight of the aggregates. '.l'his system of weighing 1s u..~
smaller works.
~ operations

(iiJ JJalching Machines

for large work sites batching machines or batching planls arc'
aggregates.
(a) Manual batching machines
(b) Semi-automatic batching machines
(c) Automatic batching machines.

precautions in Weight Batching

(i) The machine should be kept on a level or firm ground.
(ii) The bucket should be cleaned before filling.
(iii) The weighing machine should be levelled before weighing otherwise it will give
wrong results.
(iv) The chart should be prepared to indicate the weight of each material used per
batch for different strengths of concrete.
(v) The chart should be prepared showing data of weight of each material used per .. .-
batch for different strengths of concrete.
...•
9.4 MIXING
The process of mixing of various materials of concrete in specified proportion is known as
mixing of concrete. Mixing of ingredients is essential for the production of uniform concrete.
A concrete is said to be adequately mixed if the samples taken from different portions of a
batch will have essentially the same unit weight, air content, slump, and coarse-aggregate
content within the permissible errors.

Object of Mixing
The object of mixing is to coat the surface of all aggregate particles with cement-water
matrix and to blend all the ingredients of concrete into a uniform mass. The strength and
quality of concrete can be achieved by proper mixing.

Method of Mixing
There are two methods of mixing
1. Hand mixing
2· Machine Mixing

1. lla-~M· .
•~ IXlng
~e- Process of mixing the ingredients of concrete by manual labour is known ns hnnd
!f~g. This type of mixing is used for small scale and less important concret~ VI. ork~.
ni.=::ll Concrete by Hand: Generally using either a slab of existing concr(lte, or n larl-te
g board, both of which can easily be hosed down and cleaned off nfterwnrd8.

....
 Concrete Tech
r-~.._J noioqv
To get
tach of tl1~ 'ittJrmH<mtH for tM concrP.tc no<~d to be measur ed by volume. th
sharp sand/p-,,
1
it iA b()ttor to mo1111uro the cement and ballast (or "''
ave!
. "
T'lf01'10rtfonH. r.in•ht
1• ,.,, cement !lo. ,
i,ct.uully 1.1111111,J a buck~t, you tr•nd to got m.oro ballast on a shovel than
smaller piles 1:
cotmting t.ho shovol londfi·can be mislcnding, It ia a Jot easier to mix two
just one largo 0110.
(i) Cfoon off the working surface to remove any odd debris and wet the area.
(ii) Carefully mcnsurc out about haJfthe baIJaat (or sand and
gravel) you are goingt-0
mix ~.nnd dump it in the mixing area to form a cone shape.
(ili) Us~ 'a shovel to form a crater in the middle of the heap, then measure out all the
cement required and add this to the crater.
need and add
(iv) Measure out the remainder of the ballast (or sand and gravel) you
I

this to the top forming a cone shape.

ents together, work
(v) Withou t adding any water, use a shovel to mix all the ingredi
until the mixture is
around the heap turning over each part three or four times
evenly coloured (grey).

Fig. 9.2
top of the heap-ad
(vi) Use a shovel to reform a cone shape and make a crater in the
some water to the crater.
around the edges and
(vii) Use a shovel to move the mixtur e into the central crater from
turn it over to distrib ute the water throug hout the mixtur e. Watch for any wate
'escaping', use the shovel to trap any with the mixtur e.
(viii) As all the water becomes absorbe d, reform the heap, make
a crater in the middle
add some more water, and turn the heap
until the whole mixtur e is wetted.
(ix) Be careful not to add too much water, you
can always add some more.
(x) Tµe mixing time should not exceed 3
minuw s,
(xi) As, all the dry materi al become s wetted ,
flatt:en out the heap and use a shovel to (chop'
into the top moving around the heap as you
do so to evenly mix in the water.
A mi~ which has the right amoun t of watar is
smooth and plastip, qot over-wet and. runny nor dry
and crumbly. As a guide. watch the ridges as the
top of the heap is: 'cpoppe d'i if.the tlepres~;ion s
 ;"169-J
looks water y s1urry or
the chops fill with cemen t slurry , the mixtu re is ,OK; if it
n dry, the mix is too
don't stand up, the mix is too wet; if the depre ssions remai

One of the most comm on errors made when hand mixin g

concr ete is addin g too
be at the right consi stence.
ater. Add a Ii ttle water each time; the mix will sudde nly
if it does appea r
part of the dry mix to one side, this can be added into the heap
wet. ·
brush down the area used !or
.· . J~ r you have finish ed mixin g the concre te, wash and
• • it to remov e any remai ns of it.
,f~..:i;i
111,ty Aspec ts
- wear a face mask .
• ,Avoid breath ing-in cemen t dust and gettin g it on your skin
P. the skin. So avoid
• , The concr ete releas es an alkali when it is wet, this cav daroag
imme diatel y using plent y of
handl ing the wet mixtu re by hand and wash it off
water if it does come into conta ct with skin.
it out using plent y of
• If cemen t dust or concr ete splash es enter the eyes, wash ..
water and seek medic al attent ion imme diatel y.
-,
#
2. ~~hi ne Mixin g
\, {
.
,.

Thffprocess of mixin g the ingred ients of concre te with

the help of a mach ine is know n as
of mach ines for RCC work s
machine mixin g. Mixin g of concr ete is carrie d out with the help
and econo mical for produ ction of
of medium to large scale. Mach ine mixin g is efficie nt
g The qualit y of concr ete by mach ine
~qua ntity of concre te as compa red with hand mixin
mixin,g is unifor m and homog eneou s. ..
~
9.4.1 Types of Conc rete Mixer s
A concrete mixer is a device that homog eneou sly combi nes
cemen t, aggre gate such as sand
the machi ne used for mixin g the ingre dients of
or gravel, and water to form concre te or
~ is terme d as concre te mixer . The unifor mity must
be maint ained while disch argin g
~ ~ ~ t e from the mixer . The concre te mixer
was inven ted .by Colum bus indus trialis t
"'"'l;IUJUU:'Qt Jaege r.
mixer can be broad ly classi fied into following catego ries.
Concrete r·:,}..

L Batch Mixer .
I. Conti nuous Mixer .
a~~ Mobil~ OT Truck Mixer .
l. lfotch Mixer
'l'be s that one batch of concr ete is mbced
8Qd~ ~~YP e ofm~e ,r is a·batc h mixer , which mean
~ e d before anym ore mater ials are put into
bat.eh the mix~r . '.I n norma l concr et~ works ,
llli:xers are used. Batch mixer may be of pan type or Drum type.
 th~ ~ -_ two types of batch mixer.
·<h D~-Mixer
(ii) Pan Mixer

aJ Drum Miffr
Drtim mixe~ are classified into two types na~ely tilting an~ Non• tilting type. The RhaP
_?f Ule drum, siz& of blades and the angle at whi~ the drum 1s h~ld: affects the efficiency
the mixer. Tilting dnun is considered more efficient than non t1ltmg type.
IS 1791·1968 designates concrete mixers by a number which represents its nornina
mix batcli capacity in liters,
The types of mixers and their sizes are:
Tilting(T): 86T, lO0T, 140T, 200T
Non~tilting (NT): 200 NT, 280 NT, 340 NT, 400NT, 800NT
(a) Tilting Drum Mixer: A tilting drum
mixer is one whose drum in which mixing takes
place is tilted for discharging. The drum is
conical or bowl shaped with internal vanes, and
the discharge is rapid and unsegregated. So '"
•"
that these mixers are suitable for mixes oflow ....
workability and for those containing large size
aggregate.
This type of mixer consists of a chamber
(Drum) which rotates about an inclination of
40. The efficiency of the mixing operation
depends upon the shape and design of the
blades fixed inside the drum.
Fig. 9.4 Tilting drum mixer
(b) Non Tilting Drum Mixer: The non-
tilting type mixer essentially consists
Water tank
of a cylindrical drum with two circular
openings at the ends and blades fixed
inside the mixer. A non tilting c;lrum is ,, ,,,
one in which the axis of the mixer is (
,, ''
always horizontal, and discharge take ' ' ''
place by inserting a chute into the drum ''' ' ... ... .......
........ ~,..,..___ Discharge
or by reversing the direction or rotation ---- -"(_---)
of drum. The ingredients are fed into
the drum from one opening and Loading skip
dischaiged from the other opening. '\.
Because of slow rate of Q,iscbBr?ge, s~ma
segregation may occur, It is suitable for' ~Fig. 9.5~
small construction works.
 o,etOtiOnS 171

~Mb':l"r
·'.4\iiopein~x.~;ri~ n_fo~"'G:nr.tion 1mhl'r. n.s. dbtiut-t
- ~ tniXCr which relm~ tm the fl"(--.l fnll of tl\('
~ pale =nside th~ drun1. Th_e llnn_ mi~u- rtm~i~t of 0
_ , r pan rota~ng about its t~Xl$ w1~ om, or t wt,
-,_aclles 70tating about Vl'rt:tr.t1l l\Xl$ ()f }Nm. 1'he
~ movement betw·een the pmldh.'~ nnd thl'
at gret:s same and the cou~.rete is tboNt\gh~, 1uixl'<l.
This type of mixer is goncro)~, non mtwnbl~
. . . . . it can be \1$00 as a ~ntrul mixil)g plnnt for
flg. 9.6 Pan typo mixer
.,_. casting at factory.

t. C.,.ti1'UOUS Mitt.rs
'fhese are fed automatically by n continuous \\>eigh~batching syst en1. There c.n-e no g-encrnl
rules on the order of feeding the ingredients into the ruh-.."er ns this dep-0nd on the properties
of the mixer and mix. Usually a. small quantity of water is fod first, followed by all the
-1ida materials. If possible greate-r part of the water should also be fed during the snn-1e
time» the remainder being added after tho solids. However, when using very dry 111i.xes in
drum mixe.rs it is necessary to feed the coarse aggregate just after the sn,all initial water
feed in order to ensure that the aggregat.e surface is sufficiently wetted.

Solldslnput
Vibrator --;------1~------ .,-
Variable speed
drMt

P<>woer
chute

lmpulser

Outlet

Fig. 9.7 Continuous Mixer