CONSTRUCTION

MATERIALS &
TESTING
CE 122

ENGR. MANUEL A. RANGEL JR.

Faculty
 LESSON 5:
CONCRETE

WOODGROVE
Engr. Manuel A. Rangel
BANK 2
CONCRETE

It is a mixture of cement, water, aggregates, and in some cases

admixtures
The cement and water form a paste that hardens and bonds the
aggregates together
Concrete is often looked upon as “man made rock”
The amount of each material affects the properties of hardened
concrete.

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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

1. Workability
2. Cohesiveness
3. Strength
4. Durability

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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Workability – means how it is easy to place, handle,

compact and finish a concrete mix

Concrete that is stiff or dry may be difficult to Handle,

Place, Compact, and Finish and, if not constructed
properly, will not be as strong or durable when finally
hardened. A slump test can be used to measure the
workability of concrete. WOODGROVE
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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Workability is affected by:

a. THE AMOUNT OF CEMENT PASTE. The cement
paste is the soft or liquid part of the concrete mix.
The more paste mixed with the coarse and fine
aggregates, the more workable a mix.

b. THE AGGREGATE GRADING. Well-graded,

smooth, rounded aggregates improve the workability
of a mix. WOODGROVE
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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

How to make a workable mix?

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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

COHESIVENESS
- how well concrete HOLDS TOGETHER when plastic.
- Tendency to bleed or segregate

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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Cohesiveness is affected by:

a. THE AGGREGATE GRADING Graded Aggregate
means that there is a range of size of aggregates,
from large rocks to small sands. Well-graded
aggregates give a more cohesive mix, too much
coarse aggregate gives a boney mix.
b. WATER CONTENT a mix that has too much water
will not be cohesive and may separate and bleed.
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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

How do your measure the cohesiveness of

concrete?

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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

STRENGTH & DURABILITY –

Well made concrete is a naturally strong and durable material. It
is DENSE, reasonably WATERTIGHT, able to resist changes in
TEMPERATURE, as well as wear and tear from
WEATHERING.

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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Strength and Durability are affected by the density of

the concrete. Denser concrete is more watertight (or
less permeable).
Concrete durability INCREASES with strength.
Well made concrete is very important to protect the
steel in reinforced concrete.
Strength of concrete in the hardened state is usually
measured by the COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH using
the Compression Test. WOODGROVE
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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Strength and Durability are affected by:

a. COMPACTION - is removing the air from
concrete. Proper compaction results in concrete
with an increased density which is stronger and
more durable.
b. CURING - is keeping concrete damp for a period,
to allow it to reach maximum strength. Longer
curing will give more durable concrete.
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PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Strength and Durability are affected by:

c. WEATHER - Warmer weather will cause concrete to
have a higher early strength.
d. TYPE OF CEMENT - Different types of cement
will affect concrete properties: ie how quickly or slowly
concrete gains strength.
e. THE WATER TO CEMENT RATIO - too much
water and not enough cement means concrete will be
weaker and less durable. WOODGROVE
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CONCRETE STATES

1. Plastic State
When it is mixed it is like “bread dough”. It is soft and can be
worked or molded into different shapes.

Occur during placing and compaction

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CONCRETE STATES

2. Setting State
where it begins to stiffen. Setting takes place after compaction
and during finishing.

Concrete that is sloppy or wet may be easy to place but will be

more difficult to finish

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CONCRETE STATES

3. Hardening State –
after setting, it begins to gain strength and harden. The
properties of hardened concrete are strength and durability.

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CONCRETE TESTING
Main tests for concrete:
1. The Slump Test – measures the workability of concrete

2. The Compression test – measures the concrete strength in

hardened state. It shows the best possible strength concrete
can reach in perfect conditions

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CONCRETE SAMPLING

First is to take a test sample from the large batch of concrete.

Ways:
1. Sampling after 0.2 m3 of the load has been poured – for
accepting or rejecting the load

2. Sampling from three places in the load – for quality checks

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CONCRETE SAMPLING

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SLUMP TEST

Measured slump must be within a set of range or tolerance from

the target slump

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SLUMP TEST
Measured slump must be within a set of range or tolerance from
the target slump

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SLUMP TEST
Take several measurements and report the average distance to
the top of the sample

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SLUMP TEST
If the sample fails by being outside the tolerance, another must
be taken.

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COMPRESSION TEST
Compressive strength is a measure of the concrete’s ability to
resist loads which tend to crush it. Unit is in Mpa and specified
as characteristic strength of concrete measured in 28 days after
mixing.

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PROPORTIONING & CONCRETE MIXING
A concrete mix is designed to produce concrete that can be
easily placed at the lower cost.

The mix design must be consider the environment that the

concrete will be in; exposure to sea water, trucks, foot traffic or
extremes of hot and cold.

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PROPORTIONING & CONCRETE MIXING
Proportioning
The proportions of each material in the mixture affects the
properties of the final hardened concrete.

These proportions are best measured by weight. Measurement

by volume is not as accurate, but is suitable for minor
projects.

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PROPORTIONING & CONCRETE MIXING
Cement content
As the cement
content increases,
so does strength
and durability.
Therefore to
increase the
strength, increase
the cement
content of a mix.
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PROPORTIONING & CONCRETE MIXING
Water content
Adding MORE
WATER to a mix
gives a WEAKER
hardened concrete.
Always use as little
water as possible,
only enough to
make the mix
workable.
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PROPORTIONING & CONCRETE MIXING
Water to Cement Ratio
As the Water to
Cement ratio
INCREASES, the
strength and durability
of hardened concrete
DECREASES. To
increase the strength
and durability of
concrete, decrease the
Water-Cement ratio. WOODGROVE
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PROPORTIONING & CONCRETE MIXING

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PROPORTIONING & CONCRETE MIXING
Aggregates
Too much fine
aggregate gives a
sticky mix

Too much coarse

aggregate gives a harsh
or boney mix.

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PROPORTIONING & CONCRETE MIXING
Mixing – consists of rotation or stirring, which aims to coat the
surface of all the aggregate particles with cement paste & to
bind all ingredients of concrete into a uniform mass

a. Manual mix – labor mix

b. Machine mix – use of mixer equipment
c. Truck mixing – from batching plant

Note: never use a shovel as a measure as volumes can vary

widely WOODGROVE
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CONCRETE MIX DESIGN
See details

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COMPACTION
They are most important for the purpose of ensuring the
requirements of strength, impermeability and durability of
hardened concrete in the actual structure.
The purpose of compaction is to get rid of the air voids that
are trapped in loose concrete.

Methods:
a. By vibration
b. By tamping
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CURING
Curing is the process of making the concrete surfaces wet for
a certain time period after placing the concrete so as to
promote the hardening of cement. This process consists of
controlling the temperature and the movement of moisture
from and into the concrete.

Curing of concrete must be done as soon as possible after

placement and finishing and must continue for a reasonable
period of time, for the concrete to achieve its desired strength
and durability
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CURING
Curing protects the concrete surfaces from sun and wind, the
process of curing increase the strength of the structure, the
presence of water is essential to cause the chemical action
which accompanies the setting of concrete.

Curing period:
For ordinary Portland cement, the curing period is about 7
days to 14 days.
If rapid hardening cement is used the curing period can be
considerably reduced. WOODGROVE
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CURING
Factors affecting evaporation of water from concrete:
The evaporation of water depends upon the following 4
factors:
Air temperature,
Fresh concrete temperature,
Relative humidity and
Wind velocity.

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CURING
Types of curing:
a. Ponding - a dike around the edge of the slab, is erected and
water is filled to create a shallow pond
b. Sprinkling - fogging and mist curing- using a fine spray or
fog or moist of water to the concrete can be efficient
method of supplying water to concrete during hot weather,
which helps to reduce the temperature of concrete.
c. Wet coverings - water absorbent fabrics may be used to
maintain water on concrete surfaces. They must be
continuously kept moist so as to prevent the fabrics from
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absorbing water BANK
CURING
Types of curing:
d. Formwork - leaving the form work in place during the early
age of concrete is an efficient method of curing.
e. Plastic sheeting - plastic sheets form an effective barrier to
control the moisture losses from the surface of concrete,
provided they are secured properly and protected from damage.
f. Membrane curing compounds - Curing compounds are wax,
acrylic and water based liquids are spread over the freshly
finished concrete to form an impermeable membrane that
minimizes the loss of moisture from the concrete surfaces.
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CURING
Types of curing:
g. Steam curing - is the process of accelerating the early
hardening of concrete and mortars by exposing it to steam and
humidity.
h. Chemical curing - water is sprinkled over the surface, after
adding certain amount of some hygroscopic material (e.g.
sodium chloride or calcium chloride).
i. Alternate current curing - Concrete can be cured by passing
alternating current through freshly laid concrete.
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THANK YOU