LECTURE

STRENGHT OF CONCRETE
DEFINITION

The strength of a material is defined as

the ability to resist stress without failure.
In other words maximum stress that
concrete sample can withstand.
SIGNIFICANCE

DEPENDENCIES
In concrete design and quality control, strength is the
property generally specified. This is because, compared to
most other properties, testing of strength is relatively easy.
Many properties of concrete, such as elastic modulus, water
tightness or impermeability, and resistance to weathering
agents including aggressive waters, are believed to be
dependent on strength and may therefore be deduced from
the strength data.
The compressive strength of concrete is several times greater
than other types of strength, therefore a majority of concrete
elements are designed to take advantage of the higher
compressive strength of the material.
Strength-Porosity Relationship
fundamental inverse relationship between porosity
and strength of solid;

where
S = strength of the material which has a given porosity p
S0 = intrinsic strength at zero porosity
k = constant
Strength-Porosity Relationship
(a) Normally cured cements,
autoclaved cements, and
aggregates.
(b) Iron, plaster of Paris, sintered
alumina, and zirconia.
(c) Portland cement mortars with
different mix proportions.

GEL SPACE RATIO

The ratio of volume of hydrated solids in pores to the
total volume of pores available before hydration.
Strength-Porosity Relationship
The similarity of the three curves confirms the general validity of the strength-
porosity relationship in solids.

The presence of micro cracks in the interfacial transition zone between the
coarse aggregate and the matrix makes concrete too complex a material for
prediction of strength by precise strength-porosity relations.

The general validity of strength-porosity relation, however, must be respected

because porosities of the component phases of concrete, including the
interfacial transition zone, indeed become strength-limiting.

concrete containing the conventional low-porosity or high-strength aggregates,

the strength of the material will be governed both by the strength of the
matrix and the strength of the interfacial transition zone.
Failure Modes in Concrete
The failure modes under stress are very complex and vary with the type of
stress.
Under uni-axial tension, relatively less energy is needed for the initiation and
growth of cracks in the matrix.

Rapid propagation and inter-linkage of the crack system, consisting of preexisting

cracks at the interfacial transition zone and newly formed cracks in the matrix,
account for the brittle failure.

In compression, the failure mode is less brittle because considerably more energy is
needed to form and to extend cracks in the matrix.

Uni-axial compression test on medium- or low-strength concrete, no cracks are

initiated in the matrix up to about 50 percent of the failure stress;
at this stage a stable system of cracks, called shear-bond cracks, already exists in
the vicinity of coarse aggregate.
Failure Modes in Concrete
 At higher stress levels, cracks are
initiated within the matrix; their
number and size increases
progressively with increasing
stress levels.
 The cracks in the matrix and the
interfacial transition zone (shear-
bond cracks) eventually join up,
and generally a failure surface
develops at about 20° to 30°
from the direction of the load, as
shown.
Compressive Strength and Factors Affecting

The response of concrete to applied stress depends not only on the stress type
but also on how a combination of various factors.

The factors include properties and proportions of materials that make up the
concrete mixture, degree of compaction, and conditions of curing.

water-cement ratio and porosity is undoubtedly the most important factor it

affects the porosity of both the cement mortar matrix and the interfacial
transition zone between the matrix and the coarse aggregate.

Direct determination of porosity of the individual structural components of

concrete—the matrix and the interfacial transition zone—is impractical, and
therefore precise models of predicting concrete strength cannot be developed.
Compressive Strength and Factors Affecting

The actual response of concrete to applied stress is a

result of complex interactions between various factors,
to facilitate a clear understanding of these factors
they can be separately discussed under three
categories.
(1) characteristics and proportions of materials.
(2) curing conditions.
(3) testing parameters.
Characteristics and proportions of materials

Before making a concrete mixture, the selection of proper component materials

and their proportions is the first step toward obtaining a product that would
meet the specified strength.

Water-cement ratio
 In 1918, at the Lewis Institute, University of Illinois, Duff Abrams found that
a relation existed between water-cement ratio and concrete strength.

Where,
w/c represents the water-cement ratio of the concrete mixture.
k1 and k2 are empirical constants.
Characteristics and proportions of materials

Typical curves illustrating the relationship between water-cement ratio and strength
at a given moist-curing age.

Compressive strength of concrete is a function of the

water-cement ratio and degree of cement hydration. At
a given temperature of hydration, the degree of
hydration is time dependent and so is the strength.

The interfacial transition zone porosity and the matrix

porosity determine the strength, and a direct relation
between the water-cement ratio and the concrete
strength holds

This seems no longer to be the case in high-strength (i.e.,

very low water-cement ratio) concrete mixtures. For
water-cement ratios under 0.3, disproportionately high
increases in the compressive strength can be achieved
with very small reductions in water-cement ratio.
Characteristics and proportions of materials

Air entrainment
when air voids are incorporated into the system, either as a result of inadequate
compaction or through the use of an air-entraining admixture, they also have the
effect of increasing the porosity and decreasing the strength of the system.

It has been observed that the extent of strength loss as a result of entrained air
depends not only on the water-cement ratio of the concrete mixture but also on the
cement content.
Characteristics and proportions of materials

Cement type
The degree of cement hydration has a direct effect on porosity and consequently on strength.
Type III portland cement, which has a higher fineness, hydrates more rapidly
than other types; therefore, at early ages of hydration (e.g., 1, 3, and 7 days)
and a given water-cement ratio, Type III portland cement will have a lower
porosity and correspondingly a higher strength.

On the other hand, compared to ASTM Type I, Type II, and Type III portland
cements, the rates of hydration and strength development with Type IV and
Type V cements, and with portland-slag and portland pozzolan cements are
slower up to 28 days; however, the differences usually disappear thereafter
when they have achieved a similar degree of hydration.
Characteristics and proportions of materials

Aggregate
Aggregate strength is usually not a factor in normal strength concrete because, with the
exception of lightweight aggregates, the aggregate particle is several times stronger
than the matrix and the interfacial transition zone in concrete.

In other words, with most natural aggregates the strength of the aggregate is hardly
utilized because the failure is determined by the other two phases.
Aggregate characteristics other than strength, such as the size, shape, surface texture,
grading (particle size distribution), and mineralogy, which are known to affect concrete
strength in varying degrees.

With the same cement content and consistency, concrete mixtures containing larger
aggregate particles require less mixing water than those containing smaller aggregate.
On the contrary, larger aggregates tend to form weaker interfacial transition zone
containing more micro-cracks.
Characteristics and proportions of materials

Aggregate
Cordon and Gillispie showed that,

 No. 4 mesh to 3 in. range (5 to 75 mm) the

effect of increasing maximum aggregate size on
the 28-day compressive strengths of the
concrete was more pronounced with a high-
strength (0.4 water cement ratio).
 Moderate-strength (0.55 water-cement ratio)
concrete than with a low-strength concrete
(0.7 water-cement ratio).
 This is because at lower water-cement ratios
the reduced porosity of the interfacial
transition zone begins to play an important
role in the concrete strength.

Generally, the compressive strength of high strength (i.e., low water-cement ratio)
concrete is adversely affected by increasing the size of aggregate. The aggregate size
does not seem to have much effect on the strength in the case of low-strength or high
water-cement ratio concrete.
Characteristics and proportions of materials

Mixing water
Impurities in water used for mixing concrete, when excessive, may affect not
only the concrete strength but also setting time, efflorescence (deposits of white
salts on the surface of concrete), and the corrosion of reinforcing and pre-
stressing steel.

In general, mixing water is rarely a factor in concrete strength, because many

specifications for making concrete mixtures require that the quality of water
used should be fit for drinking, and municipal drinking waters seldom contain
dissolved solids in excess of 1000 ppm (parts per million).
 Characteristics and proportions of materials

Mixing water

For a given water-cement ratio, concrete

mixtures with higher slumps tend to bleed
and therefore give lower strength. It is not
cost-effective to produce concrete
mixtures with slumps higher than needed.

As a rule, a water that is unsuitable for

drinking may not necessarily be unfit for
mixing concrete. Slightly acidic, alkaline,
salty, brackish, colored, or foul-smelling
water should not be rejected outright. This
is important because of the water shortage
in many areas of the world. Also, recycled
waters from cities, mining, and many
industrial operations can be safely used as
mixing waters for concrete.
Characteristics and proportions of materials

Admixtures
The adverse influence of air-entraining admixtures on concrete strength has the
ability to reduce the water content of a concrete mixture, at a given consistency,
the water-reducing admixtures can enhance both the early and the ultimate
strength of concrete.

At a given water cement ratio, the presence of water-reducing admixtures in

concrete generally has a positive influence on the rates of cement hydration and
early strength development.

Admixtures capable of accelerating or retarding cement hydration obviously

would have a great influence on the rate of strength gain; however, the ultimate
strengths may not be significantly affected.