Properties of hardened concrete

Introduction
• It is important for the engineer to understand
the basic properties of hardened Portland
cement concrete and to be able to evaluate
these properties.
• The main properties of hardened concrete that
are of interest to civil and construction
engineers include the early volume change,
creep, permeability, and stress–strain
relation.
 Introduction
• Shrinkage and shrinkage-induced cracking are increased by
several factors, including lack of curing, high W/C ratio, high
cement content, low coarse aggregate content, existence of
steel reinforcement, and aging.
• How much drying shrinkage occurs depends on the size and
shape of the concrete structure.
• Also, nonuniform shrinkage could happen due to the
nonuniform loss of water such as in mass concrete structures,
where more water is lost at the surface than at the interior.
• In other cases, curling might develop due to the nonuniform
curing throughout the structure and, consequently,
nonuniform shrinkage
Plastic shrinkage cracking
 Properties of hardened concrete
• The properties of hardened concrete
depends on:
• a) Mix proportions (have greatest effect)
• b) Curing conditions
• c) Environment
 Compressive Strength
• Generally considered in the design of most concrete
mixes.
• Strength properties of concrete in a structure usually
estimated using test performed on a small samples,
made from fresh concrete as it is placed in the structure,
which are cured in the labaroatory in a standard manner.
• Probably the most common test performed on
hardened concrete is the compressive strength test,
since it is relatively easy to perform and since there is a
strong correlation between the compressive strength
and many desirable properties.
 Factors affecting compressive strength
• Compressive strength of can be affected by the
following factors:
– a) Quantity of cement
– b) Amount & quality of water
– c) Types of ingredients
– d) Mix proportions
– e) Curing
– f) Temperature
– g) Age
– h) Size & Shape of specimen
– i) Test conditions
 Creep Properties
• Creep is defined as the gradual increase in strain,
with time, under sustained load.
• Creep of concrete is a long-term process, and it
takes place over many years.
• Although the amount of creep in concrete is
relatively small, it could affect the performance
of structures.
• The effect of creep varies with the type of
structure.
 Effect of Creep
• In simply supported reinforced concrete beams,
creep increases the DEFLECTION and, therefore,
increases the stress in the steel.
• In reinforced concrete columns, creep results in a
gradual transfer of load from the concrete to the
steel.
• Creep also could result in losing some of the
prestress in prestressed concrete structures,
although the use of high-tensile stress steel reduces
this effect.
 Dynamic behavior of creep
• The longer the concrete is under load, the
greater the deformation, and the greater the
age of loading, the lower the deformation.
• This behavior classifies concrete as an aging
viscoelastic material.
• In fact, most of the mechanical properties of
concrete are age-dependent
 Drying Shrinkage and Creep
• For a variety of reasons it is desirable to discuss the
drying shrinkage and the viscoelastic phenomena
(creep and stress relaxation) together.
• 1st both the drying shrinkage and creep originate
from the same source, that is, the hydrated cement
paste;
• 2nd the strain-time curves are very similar;
• 3rd the factors that influence the drying shrinkage
also influence the creep generally in the same way;
 Drying Shrinkage and Creep
• 4th in concrete the microstrain of each
phenomenon, 400 to 1000 × 10−6, is large and
it cannot be ignored in structural design; and
• 5th both drying shrinkage and creep are
partially reversible.
 Permeability
• Permeability is an important factor that largely
affects the durability of hardened concrete.
• Permeable concrete allows water and chemicals
to penetrate, which, in turn, reduces the
resistance of the concrete structure to frost,
alkali–silica reactivity, and other chemical
attacks.
• Water that permeates into reinforced concrete
causes corrosion of steel rebars.
 Factors affecting permeability
• The air voids that affect permeability of
hardened concrete are obtained from two
main sources: incomplete consolidation of
fresh concrete and voids resulting from
evaporation of mixing water that is not used
for hydration of cement.
• Therefore, increasing the W/C ratio in fresh
concrete has a severe effect on permeability.
 Factors …
• Other factors that affect the permeability include age
of concrete, fineness of cement particles, and air-
entraining agents.
• Age reduces the permeability, since hydration
products fill the spaces between cement grains.
• The finer the cement particles, the faster is the rate
of hydration and the faster is the development of
impermeable concrete.
• Air-entraining agents indirectly reduce the
permeability, since they allow the use of a lower
W/C ratio.
Relation between W/C ratio and permeability of mature
cement paste
 Stress–Strain Relationship
• Typical stress–strain behavior of 28-day-old concrete
with different W/C ratios are shown.
• Increasing the W/C ratio decreases both strength and
stiffness of the concrete.
The properties of complex composite materials need not to be equal to
the sum of the properties of their components. Thus both hydrated
cement paste and aggregates show linear elastic properties, whereas
concrete does not.
 Stress –Strain vs W/C
• The figure also shows that the stress–strain behavior is
close to linear at low stress levels, then becomes
nonlinear as stress increases.
• With a W/C ratio of 0.50 or less and a strain of up to
0.0015, the stress–strain behavior is almost linear.
• With higher W/C ratios, the stress–strain behavior
becomes nonlinear at smaller strains.
• The curves also show that high-strength concrete has
sharp peaks and sudden failure characteristics when
compared to low-strength concrete.
 Tensile & Compression strength
• The shape of the stress–strain relationship of
concrete is almost the same for both
compression and tension, although the tensile
strength is much smaller than the compressive
strength.
• In fact, the tensile strength of concrete
typically is ignored in the design of concrete
structures.
 Modulus of elasticity
• The modulus of elasticity of concrete is commonly used in
designing concrete structures.
• Since the stress–strain relationship is not exactly linear,
the classic definition of modulus of elasticity (Young’s
modulus) is not applicable.
• The initial tangent modulus of concrete has little practical
importance.
• The tangent modulus is valid only for a low stress level
where the tangent is determined.
• Both secant and chord moduli represent “average”
modulus values for certain stress ranges.
 Modulus of elasticity
• E of concrete increases when the compressive
strength increases
• There are several empirical relations between
E of concrete and the compressive strength.
For normal-weight concrete, the following
relationship (ACI Building Code) as:

Ec  4731 f [ MPa ]
c
'
 Poisson’s ratio
• Poisson’s ratio is used in advanced structural
analysis of shell roofs, flat-plate roofs, and mat
foundations.
• Poisson’s ratio of concrete varies between
0.11 and 0.21, depending on aggregate type,
moisture content, concrete age, and
compressive strength.
• A value of 0.15 to 0.20 is commonly used.
 Testing of Hardened Concrete
• Many tests are used to evaluate the hardened
concrete properties, either in the laboratory or
in the field.
• Some of these tests are destructive, while
others are nondestructive.
• Tests can be performed for different purposes;
however, they are mostly conducted to control
the quality of the concrete and to check
specification compliance.
 Split-Tension Test
• The split-tension test (ASTM C496) measures
the tensile strength of concrete.
• In this test a 0.15-m by 0.30-m concrete
cylinder is subjected to a compressive load at a
constant rate along the vertical diameter until
failure.
• Failure of the specimen occurs along its vertical
diameter, due to tension developed in the
transverse direction.
• The split tensile (indirect tensile) strength is
computed as:

2p
T
Ld
d = diameter of specimen (mm)
L = length of specimen (mm)
P = load at failure, N
T = Tensile strength, MPa

Typical indirect tensile strength of concrete varies from 2.5

MPa to 3.1 MPa. The tensile strength of concrete is about
10% of its compressive strength.
 SPLIT TENSILE STRENGTH

Due to applied compression load a fairly uniform

tensile stress is induced over nearly 2/3 of the
diameter of the cylinder perpendicular to the direction
of load application.
 Flexure Strength Test
• The flexure strength test (ASTM C78) is
important for design and construction of road
and airport concrete pavements.
• Several specimen sizes can be used. However,
the sample must have a square cross section
and a span of upto 3 times the specimen
depth.
• Typical dimensions are 0.15-m by 0.15-m cross
section and 0.30-m span.
 Flexure …
• After curing, the specimen is turned on its side
and centered in the third-point loading apparatus.
• The load is continuously applied at a specified rate
until rupture.
• If fracture initiates in the tension surface within
the middle third of the span length, the flexure
strength (modulus of rupture) is calculated as:
Mc PL
R  2
I bd
• Where:
– R = Flexural strength, MPa
– M= Maximum bending moment =
PL/6, N.mm
– c = d/2, mm
– I = Moment of Inertia = bd3/12,
mm4
– P = maximum applied load, which
is distributed evenly (1/2 to each)
over the two loading points, N
– d = average depth of specimen,
mm
– b = average width of specimen,
mm
– L = span length, mm
 Validation of flexural strength
• Note that third-point loading ensures a constant bending
moment without any shear force applied in the middle third of
the specimen.
• Thus, Equation is valid as long as fracture occurs in the middle
third of the specimen.
• If fracture occurs slightly outside the middle third, the results
can still be used with some corrections. Otherwise the results
are discarded.
• For normal-weight concrete, the flexure strength can be
approximated as:

R   0.62 to 0.83 f c'

 Other tests
• Other tests include rebound hammer,
penetration resistance, ultrasonic pulse
velocity, and maturity tests.
• The penetration resistance test is expected to
provide better strength estimation than the
rebound hammer, since the penetration
resistance measurement is made not just at
the surface but also in the depth of the
sample.
 Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Test
• Attempts have been made to correlate pulse velocity
data with concrete strength parameters.
• No good correlations were found, since the
relationship between pulse velocity and strength
data is affected by a number of variables, such as age
of concrete, aggregate–cement ratio, aggregate type,
moisture condition, and location of reinforcement.
• This test is used to detect cracks, discontinuities, or
internal deterioration in the structure of concrete.
 Maturity of concrete
• As the strength of concrete depends on both age
and temperature, we can say that strength is a
function of ∑ (time interval × temperature), and
this summation is called maturity.
• The maturity method provides a way to adjust a
concrete strength prediction for the actual
temperature history of the concrete, and
requires the development of a strength–maturity
relationship that is specific to the mixture.
 Maturity Test
• Maturity of a concrete mixture is defined as the
degree of cement hydration and pozzolanic
reactions, which varies as a function of both time
and temperature.
• Therefore, it is assumed that, for a particular
concrete mixture, strength is a function of maturity.
• Maturity meters have been developed to provide an
estimate of concrete strength by monitoring the
temperature of concrete with time.
 Maturity …
• This test (ASTM C1074) is performed on fresh
concrete and continued for several days.
• The maturity meter must be calibrated for each
concrete mix.
• The maturity index is obtained by using
electronic instruments that monitor the
concrete temperature and automatically
compute the maturity index as a function of
age.
 Procedures
1. Prepare at least 15 specimens, with mixture proportions and
constituents similar to the concrete that will be used in practice.
2. Embed temperature sensors at the centers of at least two
specimens and connect to maturity instruments for recording.
3. Moist cure the specimens in water bath or moist room.
4. Perform strength (compression) tests at ages of 1, 3, 7, 14, and
28 days.
5. Test two specimens at each age and compute the average
strength. If the range exceeds 10 percent of the average, test
another specimen and average all three tests. If a low test result
is due to an obviously defective specimen, discard the low test
result.
 Procedures
6. At each age, record the average maturity index
for the instrumented specimens.
7. On a graph paper, plot the average strength as a
function of the average value of the maturity
index. Draw a best-fit curve through the data,
which provides the strength–maturity
relationship.
• It is useful to supplement maturity testing with an
independent physical measurement to verify
strength, such as ultrasonic pulse velocity.
 Strength-Maturity Relationship
• Knowledge of the relationship between strength
and the maturity index is a fundamental
requirement to apply the maturity method.
• In 1956, Plowman proposed that the strength of
concrete could be related to the maturity index
by the following semi-logarithmic function as:
S M  a  b log M
S M  Compressive strength atM
M  Maturity index
a, b  Re gression cons tan ts