CONSTRUCTION

MATERIALS & TESTING

CEMENT AGGREGATES & CONCRETE
Lecture 1
 CEMENT
Hydraulic cement
• (e.g., Portland Cement)
• sets and become adhesive due to a chemical reaction
between the dry ingredients and water.
• the chemical reaction results in mineral hydrates that are
not very water-soluble and so are quite durable in water and
safe from chemical attack.
 CEMENT

Hydraulic cement
 this allows setting in wet condition or underwater and further
protects the hardened material from chemical attack.
 chemical process for hydraulic cement found by ancient
Romans used volcanic ash (activated aluminum silicates)
with lime (calcium oxide).
 CEMENT
Non-hydraulic cement

will not set in wet conditions or underwater

sets as it dries and reacts with carbon dioxide in the air
can be attacked by some aggressive chemicals after
setting.
 Portland Cement
• Is the most widely used in various small and large construction
including roads and highways.
• Portland cement is not a brand but a type of hydraulic cement
• The name was given in 1824 by Joseph Aspdin, a brick layer of
Leeds, England, to a hydraulic lime that he patented because it
resemble to a natural limestone quarried on the isle of Portland in
England.
• The first Portland cement made in the United States was
produced in 1876 by David Saylor at Coplay, Pennsylvania.
 Types of Portland Cement

Type 1 - for general construction where the special properties

are specified
Type 2 - for general concrete construction exposed to
moderate sulfate action or where moderate heat of
hydration is required.
Type 3 - used when high early strength is required
Type 4 - is specified when high sulfate resistance is required.
Pozzolan Cement
• an amorphous silica that hardens as a silica gel by reacting
chemically with alkali in the presence of water.
• Pozzolan is derived from Pozzuoli, an Italian town where
Pozzolana, composed of glassy tuff was found

Water
• water that is acceptable for drinking purposes is also satisfactory
for use in concrete mixing
Admixture
• a material other than water, aggregates or Portland
cement, that is used as an ingredient in concrete
• added to the batch immediately before or during its
mixing. - American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM)
 The purpose of the admixture in concrete are:
1. To improve the workability or consistency of concrete.
Meaning, the ability of concrete mixture to fill all the voids of
aggregate, steel reinforcement including all voids inside the
forms. However concrete mixture should not be too thick nor
too fluid.
2. To improve the durability of concrete
3. To increase strength
4. Accelerate strength development
 The purpose of the admixture in concrete are:

5. Retard or accelerate the initial setting

6. Retard or reduce the evolution of heat
7. Control alkali-aggregate expansion
8. Increase density and reduce permeability
 Air-entraining admixtures
• substantially improve the durability of concrete entraining
billions of microscopic air bubbles which are distributed
throughout the matrix or the concrete.
• these tiny air bubbles are very large in volume compared with the
capillary voids and the gel pore in Portland cement paste.
• these air bubbles create space for the relief of pressure built up in
the smaller cavities when they are filled with water which expand
when it freezes.
 Air-entraining admixtures

• durability of concrete could be increased by 10x by the use of

small amount of air-entraining agent in concrete mixture
(discovered in 1940)
 National Building Code
• The admixture shall be shown capable of maintaining essentially
the same composition and performance throughout the work as
the product used in establishing concrete proportions.

• Admixtures containing chloride-ions shall not be used in

prestressed concrete or in concrete containing aluminum
embedments if their use will produce a deleterious concentration
of chloride-ion in the mixing water.
 Aggregates

are inert materials that when bound together into a

conglomerated mass by Portland cement and water form
concrete, mortar or plaster.

about 75% of the total mass of concrete

Categories of Aggregates
• coarse aggregate
• fine aggregate
Coarse Aggregate
• is that portion of an aggregate that is retained on number
4 (4.76mm) sieve
• comes from natural gravel deposits which are formed by
water, wind or glacial action
• manufactured by crushing rock, stone, boulder and large
cobble stone
FOUR KINDS OF COMMON COARSE AGGREGATE

• limestone or calcium-bearing minerals

• basalts, granite and related igneous rock
• sandstone a of and quartzites
• rock, such as opal and chert composed mainly of
amorphous silicon dioxide.
Conditions for maximum size of coarse aggregate
• It shall easily fit into the forms and in between
reinforcing bars.
• It shoud not be larger than 1/5 of the narrowest
dimension of the forms or 1/3 of the depth of the slab nor
¾ of the minimum distance between the reinforcing
bars.
Fine Aggregate

• the product of natural disintegration of silica-bearing or

calcium-bearing rock
• also called sand that passes through No. 4 sieve and
predominantly retained by a No. 200 (74 micron) sieve.
• also manufactured from large pieces of aggregate by
crushing, grinding or rolling
 Concrete
• is an artificial stone as a result of mixing cement, fine
aggregate, coarse aggregate and water

• conglomeration of these materials producing a solid

mass is called Plain Concrete

• concrete in which reinforcement is embedded in a

manner that the two materials act together in resisting
force is called Reinforced Concrete
 Chemistry of concrete

• the chemical reaction between Portland cement and water is

the principal action in the chemistry of concrete
• Portland cement alone does not provide a cementing binder
• the cementing gel is formed by the reaction of Portland
cement and water
 Chemistry of concrete

• the cement paste becomes hard within a week but the

hardening process may continue to some extent for months
or years
• there is a common misconception that concrete hardens
during evaporation
• this is not true because without water, there will be no
reaction, thus no hardening
 Workability of Concrete
• Concrete is said to be workable under the following conditions:
• Properly proportioned for transport and placed without
segregation. The aggregate particles must be uniformly
distributed.
• Easily molded into desired shapes and completely fill the space it
is to occupy
• Easily finished
Consistency
• Is the degree of wetness or slump of the concrete mix.
• Varies directly with the amount of water in the mixture

Plasticity
• Is the ease with which fresh concrete can be molded or deformed
without segregation

Mobility
• Is the capacity of concrete to movement or flow, particularly during
vibration
• Concrete should be correctly proportioned to produce the
workability required for a particular structure.
• For example, a fairly thick or stiff concrete mixture may be used
for pavement for it can be vibrated and tamped.
• On the other hand, concrete for thin wall and small column
structure maybe compacted with a minimum vibration.
• Thus, a semi-fluid mixture is required for concrete in application
where it must flow in order to fill all the spaces it is to occupy.
 Strength of Concrete
• Concrete structure is subjected to compressive, tensile, flexural
and shearing forces
• Strength is measured in its ability to resist the stresses caused by
these different forces
• Theoretically, low water cement ratio produces a high quality
Portland cement paste and also adds desirable properties such
as:
1. Water tightness
2. Abrasion resistance
3. Durability
 Durability of Concrete
is the ability to resist force of deterioration such as :
1. Freezing and thawing of water saturated concrete
2. Expansion caused by the reaction between reactive
aggregates and alkali in cement
3. Reaction between soil and water sulfate and the hydrated
Portland cement
4. Expansion and shrinkage caused by wetting and drying
 Durability of Concrete

• The freezing of water in the pores of concrete causes it to expand

about 9% in volume.
• The pressure caused by expansion of freezing water may be
sufficient to damage the gel structure and cause deterioration of
the concrete.
 Chemical Resistance
• Hydrated Portland cement is the chemical base of concrete and
reacts to most acids
• This reaction causes concrete to disintegrate
• Even the highest quality concrete must be protected from direct
contact with corrosive chemicals
• Magnesium fluorosilicate or zinc fluorosilicate hardens the
surface of concrete by chemical action and makes it more
impervious to chemical attack
Cement could be protected by application of any of
the following:

• Composition and fineness of the cement

• Cement water ratio of the paste
• Time of curing
• Manner of curing
• Temperature
• Presence of entrained air
 Weight of concrete

Type of Concrete according to their weight

• Light-weight concrete
• Medium stone concrete
• Heavy weight concrete
Light-weight concrete – classified depending upon the kind of
aggregates used which predetermine their weight

• Low Density Concrete – is employed for insulation purposes. Its

unit weight rarely exceeding 50 lbs/ft3 or 800 kg/m3
• Moderate strength concrete – has a unit weight of 360 to 960
kg/m3 with a compressive strength of 70 to 176 kg/cm2. This is
commonly used to fill over light gauge steel floor panels.
• Structural concrete – has similarity in characteristics with that of
medium stone concrete. It weighs 90 to 120 lbs/ft3 or 1,440 to
1,920 kg/m3. This is widely used in buildings, roads, bridges, etc.
• Medium Stone concrete – used as structural concrete. It weighs
from 145 to 152 lbs/ft3 or 2,325 to 2,435 kg/m3.

• Heavy Weight concrete – used as shield against gamma rays

reactor and other similar structures. It is also used as a counter
weight for lift bridge. The contents of heavy weight concrete are
cement, heavy iron ores, crushed rock, steel scraps, punching or
shot as fine aggregates.
 The weight of the heavyweight concrete depends upon the kind
of aggregate used in mixing such as:

a. Heavy rock aggregates – weighs 200 to 300 lbs/ft3 or 3,200 to

4,810 kg/m3
b. Iron Punchings is added to high density ores – weighs 4,325 to
5,000 kg/m3
 Proportioning of Concrete Mixture
Correct proportion of the ingredients to produce concrete also
provides balance between the requirements of:
• Economy
• Workability
• Strength
• Durability
• Appearance
• The right proportion of the ingredients for concrete, is the most
difficult manufacturing step to control. Although it is one of the
most important aspect in producing high quality

Water cement ratio – is the ratio of the amount of water to the

amount of cement in a concrete mixture is related to the
strength and quality of concrete. It provides the basis for
predicting strength (Duff A Abrams, American scientist-
researcher, discovered in1918)
3. The water cement ratio should be established during
the first hour of mixing operation. Adjustment shall be
made from time to time based on the condition of the
weather.
• When the weather is fair or cloudy, adjustment of water cement
ratio is minimal or not necessary. But, when the temperature
increases at noon time, where the aggregates are exposed to
sunlight, additional water is necessary to maintain the
established water-cement ratio.
• The established water-cement ratio in the morning will be
affected by the heat of the sun at noon time.
• The increasing temperature also increases evaporation of
aggregate moisture, thus, also requires adjustment by increasing
the water content per batch of mixture.
5. If rain comes any time after the water-cement ratio have been established,
immediately adjustment by reducing the water-cement ratio is necessary
to maintain the uniformity of the mixture. However, if the aggregates are
indoor and is not subjected to moisture or rainfall, reduction of water
cement ratio is not necessary.
6. All conveying devices in delivering concrete should be free from rainwater
before use. This is to avoid additional water to ready mix concrete.
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