CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION

Engineering Materials
ECS435

DR. HAMIDAH MOHD. SAMAN

TEL : 03 5543 6432 (OFFICE)
019 236 1274 (H/P)
03 5511 5153 (HOUSE)
FAX : 03 5543 5275
Email : hmohdsaman@yahoo.com OR
hamid929@salam.uitm.edu.my
OFFICE : LEVEL 17, COMPLEX S & T

COURSE OBJECTIVES (COs)

(Contd)

CO1:

Acquire knowledge on the basic

science and engineering
fundamentals of concrete and have
ability to apply in civil engineering
application (-PO1, PO5).

CO3:

Apply the knowledge gain for various

application related to civil
engineering works (-PO1).

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES
(POs)
PO1 : Apply knowledge of mathematics, natural
science, engineering fundamentals and an
engineering specialization to the solution of
complex engineering problems..
PO5

: Create, select and apply appropriate

techniques, resources, and modern engineering

and IT tools, including prediction and modeling, to
complex civil engineering problems, with an
understanding of the limitations.

CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION

Concrete Material
Concrete Construction

This 3 hour lecture will cover :

Introduction

to concrete as a construction

material.
Constituent of concrete
Hydration of Cement

Learning outcomes of todays

lecture
After todays lecture, the student will
be able to understand and acquire
knowledge on the constituent of
concrete and how the chemical and
physical properties of those
constituent will affect the quality or
properties of concrete produced
(CO2-PO3)
.

Advantages of concrete
Economic
Possess

high compressive strength

High corrosive and weathering effects
resistance
Can easily be moulded into any shape or size
Has equal coefficient thermal expansion with
steel
Can be sprayed on and filled into fine cracks
Durable and fire resistant
Can be pumped and can be laid in the difficult
positions.

Disadvantages of concrete
Low

in tensile strength and cracks easily.

Shrinks on drying and expand on
wetting/changes in temperature.
Not entirely impervious to moisture and
salt solutions.
Liable to disintegrate by alkali and
sulphate attack.
Lack of ductility.
Undergoes creep resulting reduction of
pre- stress in the pre-stressed concrete.

Constituents of concrete :
Mixture of aggregate and paste
Paste 30% to 40 %
- Portland cement 7% to 15%
- Water
14% to 21%
Aggregates 60% to 70%
- Coarse aggregate
- Fine aggregate

Aggregate are :
Cheap

fillers
Hard material
Provide for volume stability
Reduce volume changes
Provide abrasion resistance

Cement are :
dry powder of very fine particles

forms a paste when mixed with water

chemical reaction especially hydration
paste coats all the aggregates
together
hardens and forms a solid mass.

Water is need for two purposes :

chemical reaction with cement
(hydration)

workability

Portland Cement

can be described as a material with

adhesive and cohesive properties which
make it capable of bonding mineral
fragments into a compact hole.

Why

Portland resemble the colour and

quality to Portland stone a limestone
quarried in Dorset.

History of cement development

Modern cement commissioned in 1756

by John Smeaton understand the
chemical properties of lime by burning a
mixture of clay and lime.

James Parker and Joseph Aspdin in

1824 patented Portland Cement.

Prototyped by Issac Johnson in 1845.

Historical development (contd)

Modern cement commissioned in 1756

by John Smeaton understand the
chemical properties of lime by burning a
mixture of clay and lime.

James Parker and Joseph Aspdin in

1824 patented Portland Cement.

Prototyped

by Issac Johnson in 1845.

Main Types of Portland Cement

British Description

ASTM Description

Ordinary Portland

Type 1

Modified Cement

Type II

Rapid Hardening Portland

Type III

Low Heat Portland

Type IV

Sulphate Resistance
Portland

Type V

Extra Rapid Hardening

Portland

Not in ASTM
Description

Types of cement
Portland cement
Main Types

Slag
cements
Others

Ordinary, BS
12

Extra Rapid
hardening

Rapid
hardening, BS
12

Ultra Rapid
hardening

Sulphate
Resistance,
BS 4027

High alumina, BS
915

Low Heat, BS
1370
White and
coloured, BS 12

Portland
Blastfurnac
e, BS 146
Low heat
Portland
Blastfurnac
e, BS 4246

Hydrphobic
Waterproof and
water repellent
Air entraining

Super
sulphated
BS 4248

Pozzolanic

Schematic representation of the formation and hydration of

Portland Cement
Component Elements
O2

Si

Ca

Al

Fe

Component Oxide
SiO2
Al2O3

CaO
Fe2O3
C3S
C4AF

Cement Compounds
C 2S
C 3A
Portland Cements

Various types of Portland cement

Hydration Products
Calcium-silicate hydrated gel
Ca(OH)2

Matured paste
with w/c = 0.5 and
capillary cavities
20%

Matured paste
with w/c = 0.3
and capillary
cavities 7 %

OXIDE COMPOSITION OF CEMENT

MAIN COMPOUNDS
Name of Compound

Oxide Composition

Abbreviation

Tricalcium silicate

3CaO.SiO2

C3S

Dicalcium silicate

2CaO.SiO2

C2S

Tricalcium
aluminate

3CaO.Al2O3

C3A

4CaO.Al2O3.Fe2O3

C4AF

Tetracalcium
aluminoferrite

HYDRATION OF CEMENT
The

reactions of which Portland cement

becomes a bonding agent take place in a
water-cement paste.

In

the presence of water, the silicates and

aluminates in cement form products of
hydration which in time produce a firm and
hard mass the hydrated cement paste.

TWO MECHANISMS OF
HYDRATION OF CEMENT

Hydration
Hydrolysis

DEVELOPMENT OF STRENGTH
OF COMPOUNDS

HEAT OF LIBERATION

Contribution of the compound to the

strength development and heat
hydration

C3S

Contributes to early and later strength

development. It contributes to heat
hydration.

C2S

Contributes to later strength but does not

contribute to heat of hydration.
Does not contribute to early and later
strength but contribute to heat hydration.
Does not contribute to early and later
strength and does not contribute to heat
hydration.

C3A
C4AF

Aggregates

describe the gravels, crushed stones and

other materials which are mixed with
cement and water to make concrete.

form about 75% of the volume of concrete

therefore the selection of suitable
aggregate is important.

Standards related to aggregate

BS

MS

812

30 : 1995

Testing aggregates

882 : 1992

29 : 1995

Spec. for aggregates from

natural sources for concrete

3797 :
1990
410 : 1986

Description

Spec. for lightweight

aggregates for masonry units
and structural concrete
Spec. for test sieve

Classification of Aggregate
Types of
Aggregate
Heavy
Aggregate

Normal Aggregates

Natural
Aggregates

Crushed rock

Artificial
Aggregates

Sand and
Gravel

Lightweight
Aggregates

Natural
Aggregate
s

Artificial
Aggregate
s

Normal Density Aggregate

Aggregate

having a specific gravity

between about 2.5 and 3.0 and a bulk
density in the range 1, 450 to 1,750
kg/m3.

Can

coarse or fine aggregate.

Normal density aggregate can be

classified as :
Coarse aggregate
Fine aggregate

Coarse aggregate
are materials retained on 5 mm BS

410 test sieve.

can be classified into three

categories :
- uncrushed
- crushed

Fine Aggregate
is a material which passed through a 5
mm BS 410 test sieve. Sand is generally
considered to have a lower size limit of
about 0.07 mm, material between 0.06
mm and 0.002 mm is classified as silt, and
smaller particles are called clay.

Heavy/High Density Aggregate

having high specific gravity ranges

from 2.8 to 2.9 and bulk density from
2,800 to 2,900 kg/m3.

i.e magnetite, hematite and barytes.

are not suitably graded.

Lightweight aggregate
a particle density of less than 2,000
kg/m3.
subdivided into two groups :
- natural
i.e (pumice, foamed lava, porous
limestone)
- artificial
i.e (fly ash, steel slag, sintered slate)

Physical Properties of
Aggregate

Strength
Deformation/modulus of elasticity
Toughness
Hardness
Volume change
Porosity
Relative density

Strength of Aggregate

Commonly the strength of aggregate

is in the range of 70 to 360 N/mm 2.

Igneous rock are much stronger than

sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

Strength of Aggregate (contd)

The strength can be determined by :

Aggregate crushing value (ACV)

Aggregate impact value (AIV)

Ten percent fines value

Deformation/Modulus of
Elasticity

Can be determined by running the

compression test on specimen from
the parent rock.

Modulus of elasticity of concrete

increases with the increase of
aggregate modulus.

Toughness of Aggregate

Defined as resistance to failure by

impact.

Determined by Aggregate Impact Test.

Important for concrete used in road

pavement.

Hardness

defined as resistance of an aggregate

to wear, load or applied pressure.

determined by an abrasion test.

important for concrete used in road

pavement

Volume Change

change in the volume of the aggregate.

it is due to moisture movements in

aggregates.

may result in a considerable shrinkage

of the concrete.

Relative Density

it is defined as the ratio of the

aggregates unit weight to that of
water mix design.

it is important factor affecting the

density of the resulting concrete.

Porosity of aggregate

porosity of aggregate contributes to

the overall porosity of concrete.
Porosity = 100 WGs / (W+100) %
where :
W is the water absorption (%)
Gs is the specific gravity on SSD

Shape and Surface Texture

Shape and surface texture of aggregates

can affect the properties of concrete.

The external characteristics can be

assessed by observation.

Particle Shape Classification

(BS 812 : Part 1 : 1975)
Classification
Description
Rounded
Fully water-worn or
completely shaped
by attrition

Shapes
River or seashore
gravel, desert,
seashore and windblown sand.

Irregular

Naturally irregular or
partly shaped by
attrition and having
rounded edges

Other gravels, land

or dug flint

Flaky

Material which the

thickness is small
relative to the other
two dimensions

Laminated rock

Particle Shape Classification (contd)

(BS 812 : Part 1 : 1975)
Classification

Description

Shape

Angular

Possessing well-defined
edges formed at the
intersection of roughly
planar faces

Crushed rocks of all

types, talus, crushed
slag.

Elongated

Material usually angular,

in which the length is
considerably larger than
the other two dimensions

Flaky and
elongated

Material having the

length considerably
larger than the width,
considerably larger than
the thickness

Source : Neville, A.M. (2002). Properties of Concrete, Prentice

Surface Texture of Aggregates

Classification

Description

Examples

Glassy

Conchoidal Fracture

Black Flint, Vitreous

Slag

Smooth

Water-worn, or
smooth due to the
fracture of laminated
or fine-grained rock

Gravels, chert,
slate, marble, some
rhyolites

Granular

Fracture showing
more or less uniform
rounded grains

Sandstones, oolite

Source : Neville, A.M. (2002). Properties of Concrete, Prentice

Hall, England

Water Absorption of Aggregate

(BS 812, ASTM C 127, EN 1097-6)

Water absorption of aggregate

as the weight of water absorbed
by an oven dry aggregate in
reaching the saturated and
surface dry condition.

is expressed as percentage of
the weight of the dry aggregate.

Water Absorption of Aggregate

(contd)

it is determined by measuring the

increase in weight of an oven dry sample
immersed in water for 24 hours and
weighed at a saturated and surface dry
condition.

Moisture content

is expressed as a percentage of the

weight increased of the saturated
surface dry aggregate.

water absorption represent the water

contained in the aggregate in the SSD
condition.

Moisture content

moisture content is the water in

excess of that, the total water content
of a moist aggregate is equal to the
sum of absorption and moisture
content.

Four (4) conditions of moisture content

Wet and damp

Air dry

Moisture

Aggregate
Saturated and surface
dry

Oven dry or bone

dry

Grading of aggregate

can have considerable effect on the

workability and stability of concrete
mix.

The particle size distribution of

aggregate should be such that the
smaller particles fill the voids
between the larger particles.

Particle size distribution

Unpacked and
loose

Uneconomic

Dense and
strong

Grading curve
(derived from BS 882)

What happen if the grading

curve

Lower than the specified grading

curve, the aggregate is coarser and
segregation of mix might take place.

Lies well above the specified curve,

the aggregate is finer and more water
will be required, thus increasing the
cement content.

What happen if the grading

curve . (contd)

is steeper than the specified, it

indicates an excess of middle-size
particles and leads to harsh mix.

is flatter than the specified grading

curve, the aggregate will be deficient
in middle size particles.

Durability of Aggregate

Soundness of Aggregate
Alkali-aggregate reaction
Thermal properties
Deleterious substance (clay, silt,
decayed vegetable, salt, unsound
particles, etc.)

Admixtures

as materials or substances other than

aggregates, cement and water which
are added to the concrete batch
immediately before or during mixing.

it is used to modify or improve one or

more of its properties in the plastic or
hardened state.

Types of admixture

Chemical Admixtures
Mineral Admixtures
Bonding Admixtures
Water-Repellent Admixtures

Chemical admixtures

Retarders
Accelerators
Water reducers or plasticisers
Air entraining

Chemical admixtures
(Retarders)

retarders delay the setting and

hardening of concrete.

it is used in hot weather concreting.

calcium sulphate (gypsum) is added

during the manufacture of cement to
retard the setting.

Chemical admixtures
(Accelerator)
The

chemicals used to accelerate the

setting and hardening of concrete.

The

most commonly used accelerator is

calcium chloride.

The disadvantages of using accelerators

is that it may lead to corrosion of steel
reinforcement.

Effect of Accelerator on the

compressive strength

Chemical admixtures
(Water Reducers or Plasticisers)

It is used to increase the workability of

concrete without increasing water content.

A typical

water reducing admixture is

made from the metallic salts,
lignosulphonic acids, carbohydrates and
organic acids.

Chemical admixtures
(Superplasticisers)
will

impart very high workability or allows a large

decrease in water content for a given workability.

as

a means of producing flowing concrete

without undesirable seggregation.

useful

to place concrete where the

reinforcement is heavily congested.

Chemical admixtures
(Air entrained)

used to entrain air in the form of very small

disconnected air bubbles in concrete.

It

increases the workability and decreases

the bleeding and seggregation.

It

improves the resistance of concrete to

frost under cold climatic conditions.

Mineral admixtures

fly ash
silica fume
slag

Other admixtures

bonding admixture
water-repellent admixtures
curing agent

HOMEWORK
Search the standard procedures to
conduct AIV, ACV and ten percent fine
tests to determine the strength of
aggregate.
a. Briefly elaborate the procedures.
b. Compare and contrast the three(3)
tests.