Concrete At Early Ages

CEE303 Properties of Concrete

Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures

by
Steven H. Kosmatka, Beatrix Kerkhoff and
William C. Panarese
SIGNIFICANCE

 Concrete resembles a human child.

 The first 48 hours are very important for the
performance of the concrete structure. It
controls the long-term behavior, influence fc,
Ec, creep, and durability.
 Concrete resembles a human child. To develop into a healthy person, a new born baby needs special attention
during the early period of growth.
 The first 48 hours are very important for the performance of the concrete structure. It controls the long-term
behavior, influence fc, Ec, creep, and durability.
 A normal concrete mixture generally takes 6 to 10 hrs for setting and 1 to 2 days for achieving a strength level
when the formwork can be removed.
 Early age begins wieh freshly mixed concrete is of plastic consistency and ends when the concrete is 1 to 2 days
old that is strong enough to be left unattended
Sequence of Operations

 Batching
 Mixing
 Transport to the job site/Placement in the
Formwork
 Consolidation
 Finishing
 Curing
 Formwork Removal
BATCHING
 Process of measuring concrete mix
ingredients by either mass or volume and
introducing them into the mixer.
 Why Measuring ingredients accurately?
 To produce concrete of uniform quality the
 Most specifications require that batching be
done by mass rather than by volume (ASTM
C 94 or AASHTO M 157).
 Water and liquid admixtures can be measured
accurately by either volume or mass.
 Why Sand should be measured by
Mass?

What is isBulking
Bulking the of sand?
increase in total
volume of moist
fine aggregate over
the same mass dry.
 Good practice
Weighing the
aggregate and
adjusting for
moisture content
when proportioning
concrete
Surface tension in the moisture holds the particles apart, causing an increase in
volume.
Bulking of a fine aggregate (such as sand) occurs when it is shoveled or
otherwise moved in a damp
condition, even though it may have been fully

MIXING
 Concrete should be mixed thoroughly until it is
uniform in appearance i.e. all ingredients
evenly distributed.
 How to ensure Concrete is adequately mixed?
 Samples taken from different portions of a
batch will have essentially the SAME density,
air content, slump, and coarse-aggregate
content.
MIXING
 Precautions
 Don’t overload the Mixer.
 Operate Mixer at a speed recommended by the
manufacturer.
 For Increased output use a larger mixer or
additional mixers.
 Proper cleaning of Mixer
 Mixer would be less efficient if the blades of a mixer
become worn or coated with hardened concrete.
 Stationary Mixing
Many stationary mixers have timing devices,
some of which can be set for a given mixing time
and locked so that the batch cannot be
discharged until the designated mixing time has
elapsed.

 Concrete is sometimes mixed at the jobsite in a

stationary mixer
 Stationary mixers – Include Onsite mixers and central
mixers in ready mix plants.
 Available in sizes up to 9.0 m3 (12 yd3)
 Types - Tilting or nontilting type
 Do we have any other type?
 Stationary Mixing
 Mixing Time
 A minimum mixing time of one minute plus 15 seconds for
every cubic meter (yard),
 UNLESS mixer performance tests demonstrate that shorter
periods are acceptable and will provide a uniform concrete
mixture.
 What will happen if the Mixing Time is Shorter?
 Nonhomogenous mixtures
 Poor distribution of air voids (resulting in poor frost resistance)
 Poor strength gain
 Early stiffening problems.
 Stationary Mixing
 How to Measure Mixing period?
 Should be measured from the time all cement and
aggregates are in the mixer drum, provided all the water is
added before one-fourth of the mixing time has elapsed
(ACI 304R-00).
 Mixing Sequence
 Up to about 10% of the mixing water should be placed
in the drum before the solid materials are added.
 Water then should be added uniformly with the solid
materials, leaving about 10% to be added after all
other materials are in the drum.
 Stationary Mixing
 Mixing Sequence
 If the Mixer is charged directly from a batch plant,
the materials should be added simultaneously at
such rates that the charging time is about the
same for all materials.
 If supplementary cementing materials are used,
they should be added after the cement.
READY MIXED CONCRETE
 Ready mixed concrete is defined as concrete that is
manufactured for delivery to a purchaser in a plastic
and unhardened state.
 Ready mixed concrete is proportioned and mixed off
the project site and is delivered to the construction
area in a freshly mixed and unhardened state.
Ready Mixed Concrete –
Manufacturing methods
 Central-mixed concrete is mixed in a stationary
mixer and then delivered in trucks.

Central mixing in a stationary mixer of the tilting drum type with

delivery by a truck mixer operating at agitating speed
Ready Mixed Concrete –
Manufacturing methods

Nonagitating trucks used for Truck agitators used for long hauls
short hauls
Nonagitating trucks are used with central mix batch plants where short hauls
and quick concrete discharge allows the rapid placement of large volumes of
concrete.
Agitation mixing capabilities allow truck agitators to supply concrete to
projects with slow rates of concrete placement and at distances greater than
nonagitating trucks.

Ready Mixed Concrete –

Manufacturing methods
 Shrink-mixed concrete is mixed partially in a stationary
mixer and completed in truck mixer.
 Truck-mixed concrete is mixed completely in a truck mixer.
Ready Mixed Concrete
 When a truck mixer is used for complete mixing,
 First 100 revolutions
 mixing speed --> 6-18 rpm

 After 100 revolutions

 agitation speed --> 1-6 rpm

 Mixing at high speeds for long periods of time, about 1

or more hours, can result in
 Concrete strength loss, temperature rise, excessive
loss of entrained air, and accelerated slump loss.
Ready Mixed Concrete
 Rule of thumb: After mixing, concrete should be
placed within 1.5 hours or
 Before the drum has revolved 300 times after
introduction of water to the cement and aggregates or
the cement to the aggregates.
Transportation & Handling Concrete
 Avoid
 Delays
 Early Stiffening and Drying out
 Segregation
Methods & Equipment for Transporting
& Handling Concrete
BELT CONVEYORS
 BELT CONVEYORS

Type and range:

 For conveying concrete horizontally or to a higher or lower level.
 Not suitable for delivering concrete directly to formwork.
Advantages
 Have adjustable reach and variable speed both forward and
reverse.
 Can place large volumes of concrete quickly when access is
limited.
Points to watch for:
 End-discharge arrangement needed to prevent segregation.
 Leave no mortar on return belt
 In hot and windy weather, the belt may need cover
 BUCKETS

Type and range:

 Used with cranes, cableways and helicopters for construction
of buildings and dams.
 Convey concrete directly from central discharge point to
formwork or to secondary discharge point.
Advantages
 Enable full versatility of cranes, cableways and helicopters.
 Clean discharge.
Points to watch for:
 Select bucket capacity to conform with concrete batch.
 Discharge should be controllable.
BUCKETS
 CRANES

Type and range:

 The right tool for work above ground level.
Advantages
 Can handle concrete, steel and formwork in high rise
buildings.
Points to watch for:
 Has only one hook
 Careful scheduling is needed to keep it busy.
CHUTES on Truck Mixer

Type and range:

 For conveying concrete to lower level.
Advantages
 Low cost and easy to maneuver.
 No power required, gravity does the work
Points to watch for:
 End-discharge arrangement needed to prevent Segregation
 Slopes range between 1 to 2 and 1 to 3
 Must be properly supported
 Nonagitating Trucks

Type and range:

 Used to transport concrete on short hauls over smooth
roadways.
Advantages
 Capital cost of equipment is lower than truck agitators or
mixers..
Points to watch for:
 Concrete slump should be limited.
 Possibility of segregation.
 Truck Agitators

Type and range:

 Used to transport concrete to all uses in pavements,
structures and buildings.
Advantages
 Usually operate from central mixing plants (Good quality
control.
 Well-controlled discharge from agitators.
 Uniform Concrete
Points to watch for:
 Timing of deliveries should suit job organization
 Concrete crew and equipment must be ready onsite site to
 Wheelbarrows & buggies
Type and range:
 For Short flat hauls on all types of onsite construction,
especially where accessibility to work area is restricted.
Advantages
 Very versatile and ideal for sites where placing conditions are
constantly changing.
Points to watch for:
 Slow and labor intensive.
Pneumatic gun (Shotcrete)
 Pneumatic gun (Shotcrete)
Type and range:
 Used where concrete is placed in difficult locations and where
thin sections are needed.
Advantages
 Ideal for placing concrete in free-form shapes.
 For repairing buildings, for protective coatings, thin linings,
and building walls with one-sided forms
Points to watch for:
 Quality of work depends on skill of nozzlemen
 CONCRETE PUMPS
Type and range:
 Used to convey concrete directly from central discharge point
at jobsite to formwork.
Advantages
 Pipelines take up little space and can be readily extended.
 Deliver concrete in continuous stream.
 Pumps can move concrete horizontally and vertically.
Points to watch for:
 Constant supply of fresh concrete is needed (without any
tendency to segregate).
 Ensure an even flow and to clean out at the end of each
operation.
 Pumping vertically, around bends, and through flexible hose
will considerably reduce the maximum pumping distance
Depositing Concrete
 Concrete should be deposited continuously as near as
possible to its final position without objectionable
segregation.
 In slab construction, placing should be started along the
perimeter at one end of the work with each batch
discharged against previously placed concrete.
 The concrete should not moved horizontally into final
position.
 In general, concrete should be placed in walls, thick slabs,
or foundations in horizontal layers of uniform thickness.
 For reinforced members, Layers thickness should be
about 150 to 500 mm (6 to 20 in.)
Consolidation of Concrete
 The process of molding concrete within the forms
and around embedded items and reinforcing steel to
eliminate pockets of empty space and entrapped air.

Remove pockets, honeycombs, uneven surfaces

unfilled spaces --> reduce strength
Place concrete around rebar to develop bond
Concrete will be weak and porous if air bubbles are left
Consolidation of Concrete
 Consolidation can be carried out --- By hand
rodding and tamping or by Mechanical
methods such as vibrators.
 Hand rodding -- Workable, flowing concrete
can be consolidated.
 Mechanical methods -- Stiff mixtures with low
water-cement ratio can be consolidated.
 High consistency mixtures should be
consolidated with care. Why?
High consistency mixtures should be consolidated with care because
they are likely to segregate when intensely worked.
 What happens when Concrete is Vibrated?

What happens when we do Vibration?

When concrete is vibrated, the internal friction between the aggregate particles is
temporarily destroyed and the concrete behaves like a liquid; it settles in the forms
under the action of gravity and the large entrapped air voids rise more easily to the
surface. Internal friction is reestablished as soon as vibration stops.
 VIBRATION-METHODS
 Internal and External
 Characterized by frequency of vibration (Number of vibrations
per seconds Hertz) and amplitude of vibration (mm).
 Internal or Immersion type vibrators --- used to consolidate
concrete in beams, columns, walls and slabs
 Example -- Flexible shaft vibrators

Flexible shaft vibrators consist of Vibrating head connected to a driving motor by

a flexible shaft.
Inside the head, an unbalanced weight connected to the shaft rotates at high
speed, causing the head to revolve in a circular orbit. The motor can be powered
by electricity, gasoline, or air.
Internal Vibrators-Important points
 Don’t used Vibrators to move horizontally. Why?
 Vibrator should be lowered vertically into the concrete at
regularly spaced intervals.
 It should penetrate to the bottom of the layer being placed
and at least 150 mm (6 in.) into any previously placed layer.
 Vibrator should not make contact with the subgrade.
 How to vibrate thin slabs?
 An insertion time of 5 to 15 seconds will usually provide
adequate consolidation.
 The concrete should move to fill the hole left by the vibrator
on withdrawal.
 What to do if the hole does not refill?
How to Determine Adequacy of
Vibration Process
 The coarse aggregates should be completely embedded
 Appearance of Thin film of mortar on the Tope surface
 Cessation of bubbling action
 Shine on the surface (removal of air)

Internal or Immersion type vibrators

Small diameter --> High frequency --> 10000 to 15000 rpm
 Low amplitude --> (0.4 to 0.8 mm)
 Large diameter --> Low frequency --> 5000 to 8000 rpm
 As diameter increases, the frequency decreases and the amplitude increases. …..High amplitude --> (1 to 2 mm)



External Vibrators
 Form vibrators  Connect the forms to a vibrating
mechanism (shake the entire form)
 Used for thin or heavily reinforced concrete members
 For stiff mixes where internal vibrators can’t be used
 Vibrating table  Used in Precast industry
 Surface Vibrators  Used to consolidate concrete in
Floors up to 10 in thick. Example Vibratory Screeds
Vibratory screeds such as this truss-type unit reduce the work of
strikeoff while consolidating the concrete
Where floor tolerances are not critical, an experienced operator
using this vibratory screed does not need
screed poles supported by chairs to guide the screed. Instead, he
visually matches elevations to forms or previous
passes. The process is called wet screeding
 Consequence of Improper Vibration
Honeycomb results when the spaces between coarse aggregate particles do not become filled with mortar.
Reasons Faulty equipment, improper placement procedures, a concrete mix containing too much coarse aggregate, or congested
reinforcement can cause honeycomb.
Excessive entrapped air voids are similar to, but not as severe as honeycomb. Vibratory equipment and operating procedures are the
primary causes of excessive entrapped air voids, but the other causes of honeycomb apply too.

Sand streaks results when heavy bleeding washes mortar out from along the form.
sand streaking is caused by excessive bleeding. As bleed water moves upward along the form in long channels, it washes away some
of the paste and exposes sand. Sand streaks can be avoided by reducing bleeding. You can do this by taking one of the following
steps.
Reduce water content
Add an air-entraining admixture
Add a water-reducing admixture
Increase cement content
Add fly ash to the concrete as a supplementary cementing material, or use a blended cement
Blend a fine sand to increase the amount of material passing the No. 50 and No. 100 screens.

Undervibration
 Honeycomb
 Excessive amount of entrapped air voids –
Bugholes

Honeycomb Bugholes
 Consequence of Improper Vibration

 Undervibration
 Sand streaks
 Cold joints
 Placement lines Sand steaks

 Subsidence cracking

Cold joints
 Consequence of Improper Vibration

Overvibration
 Segregation
 Sand streaks
 Loss of entrained air in air-entrained concrete
 Excessive form deflections or form damage;
 Form failure caused by excessive pressure from
vibrating the same location too long
Most of the problems are caused by under vibration
(over vibration tends to cause segregation)
FINISHING OF CONCRETE

 Flatwork such as slabs and pavements

require proper finishing to produce dense
surfaces that will remain maintenance-free.
 Sequence of steps must be carefully
coordinated with the setting and hardening of
the concrete mixture.
Screeding

 Process of striking-off the

excess concrete to bring
the top surface to the
desired grade.
 Should be a surplus of
concrete against the front
face of the straightedge to
fill in low areas.
 A 150-mm (6-in.) slab
needs a surcharge of about
Screeding
25 mm (1 in.).
 Darbying or Bull Floating
 Should be used immediately after screeding to
firmly embedded large aggregates and to remove
any remaining high and low spots.

Bull Floating
Darbying
Bull Floating must be completed before any excess bleed water accumulates
on the surface. because this is one of the main causes of surface defects
such as dusting or scaling in concrete slabs.
Darbying brings the surface to the specified level and is done in tight places
where a bullfloat cannot reach.
Bullfloating must be completed before any bleed water accumulates on the
surface

FLOATING, TROWELLING AND

BROOMING
When the bleed-water sheen has evaporated
and concrete is able to sustain foot pressure
with only slight indentation (1/4in), the
surface is ready for floating, trowelling and
brooming .
Floating

 Purpose
 To embedding the aggregate just beneath the surface
 To remove slight imperfections, humps and voids.
 To compact the mortar at the surface in preparation
for additional finishing operations
 Carried out with flat wood, metal blades etc
 Floating tend to bring paste to the surface, so
floating too early or too long can weaken the
surface.
 Exterior concrete should not be troweled because troweled
surface can be slippery when wet.

Trowling
 When smooth, hard, dense surface is desired,
floating should be followed by steel troweling.
 Trowling should not be done on a surface that
has not been floated.
 Exterior concrete should not be troweled
Brooming

 Brooming is done if skid resistance is required.

 Should be performed before the concrete has
thoroughly hardened, but it should be
sufficiently hard to retain the scoring
impression to produce a slip-resistant surface
WARNING

 One of the principal causes of surface defects in

concrete slabs is finishing while bleed water is on
the surface.
 Any finishing operation performed on the surface of
a concrete slab while bleed water is present can
cause crazing, dusting, or scaling.
 Floating and troweling the concrete before the
bleeding process is completed may also trap bleed
water under the finished surface producing a
weakened zone or void under the finished surface;
this occasionally results in delaminations.
CONCRETE CURING

Objective of Curing
 To prevent loss of moisture and
 To control the temperature of concrete for a period
sufficient to achieve a desired Strength level.

 Ponding
 Spraying
 Moisture retaining coverings saturated with water
e.g burlap
 Water proof curing paper (polyethylene sheets)
Curing Methods & Materials
 Methods that maintain the presence of mixing water
in the concrete during the early hardening period.
 Example ponding or immersion, spraying or fogging, and
saturated wet coverings.

Fogging Sprinklers
 Curing Methods & Materials
 Methods that reduce the loss of mixing water from
the surface of the concrete.
 Example covering the concrete with impervious paper or
plastic sheets, or by applying membrane-forming curing
compounds.

Impervious paper Polyethylene film Liquid membrane

forming curing
compound
Curing Methods & Materials

 Methods that accelerate strength gain by supplying

heat and additional moisture to the concrete.
 live steam, heating coils, or electrically heated forms or
pads.
 FORMWORK REMOVAL
 Last operation carried out during the early age period of
concrete
 The operation has economic implication
 Should be removed when concrete is strong enough to carry
the stresses from both the dead and the imposed
construction load
Workability

 Definition: Effort required to manipulate a concrete

mixture with a minimum of segregation.
 It is not a fundamental property of concrete.
 Composite property with two main components
 Consistency (slump) --> how easy to flow and
 Cohesiveness --> tendency to bleed and
segregate.
 Workability- Measurements
Slump test – for controlling the batch to batch uniformity of ready mixed
concrete
 No single test to measure workability. Why?

 Composite property
 f(conditions, equipment, type of concrete, mix).
 E.g., dry mix --> poor workability if pumped, but
good workability when placed in a conveyor belt
(mass concrete)
 Slump test – Measure consistency
 Vebe test – For mixtures having low consistency
 Compacting factor test – Evaluate compactibility
characteristic of concrete mixture
Factors affecting Workability (Reading assignment)
 Segregation and Bleeding
Laitance – Water rising to the surface and carrying cement particles and sand
with it
Porosity goes up --> paste can easily be abraded --> dusting.
 Segregation: Separation of components of a fresh
concrete so that they are no longer uniformly
distributed.
Coarse aggregate tends to segregate due to gravity.
Typical of dry mixes.
 Bleeding: water rising to the surface. Typical of wet
mixes.
 Laitance – Water rising to the surface and carrying
cement particles and sand with it
Causes of bleeding and segregation:

 Improper consistency
 Excessive amount of coarse aggregate
 Lack of fines
 Inappropriate placing and compacting
methods
Control of Segregation

 For dry mixtures  Increase water content

 Pay proper attention to aggregate grading
 Lowering maximum size of coarse aggregate
 Use more sand
Control of Bleeding

 Increase cement content

 Introduction of fines (Use mineral admixtures
e.g fly ash)
 Air entrainment
 Proper Compaction (too much compaction
causes bleeding)
Slide 42 …vibrtion
 Cold joints are a discontinuity resulting from a delay in placement that allowed one
layer to harden before the adjacent concrete was placed. The discontinuity can
reduce the structural integrity of a concrete member if the successive lifts did not
properly bond together. The concrete can be kept alive by revibrating it every 15
minutes or less depending on job conditions. However, once the time of initial setting
approaches, vibration should be discontinued
 and the surface should be suitably prepared for the additional concrete.
 Placement lines or “pour” lines are dark lines between adjacent placements of
concrete batches. They may occur if, while vibrating the overlying layer, the vibrator
did not penetrate the underlying layer enough to knit the layers together.
 Subsidence cracking may occur at or near the initial setting time as concrete settles
over reinforcing steel in relatively deep elements that have not been adequately
vibrated. Revibration at the latest time that the vibrator will sink into the concrete
under its own weight may eliminate these cracks.