1.

4 Fresh Concrete
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Water for concrete

• Should be low in organic impurities
• Drinking water is suitable
Production of concrete

Design of
Batching of Fresh Placing & Hardened
Concrete Mixing
ingredients concrete curing Concrete
Mix
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I. Design of Concrete Mix

1. Decide the types of aggregate, cement and admixtures to be
used.
2. Calculate the proportions of the mix ingredients
3. Test the trial mixes and make adjustments
II. Batching.
• Requires uniformity (Batching by weight gives better uniformity)
• Loss of fines (esp. Portland cement should be minimized)
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III. Mixing. Mixing time should be adequate to obtain a uniform mix.

“false set” stiffening of concrete shortly after mixing, with no
generation of heat.
Plasticity can be restored by vigorous re-mixing
Can be prevented by longer mixing time.
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Ready Mixed Concrete

• Central mixed concrete. Mixed completely in a stationary mixer.
• Shrink-Mixed Concrete. Mixed partially in a stationary mixer. Mixing
completed in a truck.
• Truck mixed. Mixed completely in a truck mixer.
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• Transporting (or conveying) and placing

i. Mixer truck
ii. Special dump truck
iii. Bucket
iv. Buggies
v. belt conveyor
vi. Pump
vii. Chute
viii. Tremie
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Placement of concrete
Practices that reduces segregation
• Avoid concrete hitting the form by using a hopper
• Avoid concrete running down the slope
• Use a baffle and drop at the end of a chute
Finishing
a. Compaction –
internal vibrator
external vibrator
b. strikeoff-striking off excess concrete to bring the top surface to proper grade
c. Bullfloating – leveling to eliminate high and low spots
d. Troweling – finishing to obtain a smooth, dense surface
e. Texturing – finishing to obtain desired surface texture. (e.g. brooming to
obtain slip-resistant surface)
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• Curing
General principles
a. Preventing loss of moisture
b. supplying additional moisture
c. accelerating strength gain (with steam or heating oil)
Curing methods
a. sprinkling-continuous sprinkling to keep surface wet
b. wet covering-covering with moisture retaining fabrics(such as burlap or straw)
c. ponding-retaining a pond of water by means of earth dikes
d. waterproof covers-covering with waterproof paper or plastic sheets
e. steam curing-using steam to accelerate the hydration process
3 days to 2 weeks for cast-in-place concrete
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Characteristics of fresh concrete

• Ease of transport and placement
• Resistance to segregation-workability
Properties that influence workability:
1. Consistency-refers to the degree of wetness in fresh concrete
Tests for consistency
a. slump test
b. Ball Penetration test
2. Cohesiveness- resistance to segregation
one form of segregation. Water rising to the top of
freshly placed concrete
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Factors affecting consistency:

• Proportion of cement to aggregate. Higher aggregate % stiffer mix
• Water content. More water wetter mix
• Size of aggregate. Finer aggregate stiffer mix
• Shape and roughness of aggregate. Angular or rough particles stiffer mix
• Admixtures added
2. Cohesiveness- resistance to segregation
one form of segregation. Water rising to the top of freshly placed
concrete
Remedies: a. lower water content
b. use of air entrainment cement
c. Use of adequate % of fine aggregate
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Slump Test ASTM C143

100 mm

slump

300 mm

200mm
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• Ball Penetration test

2xball penetration ≈ slump

penetration
 Slump of Hydraulic Cement
• ASTM C143:

• Slump is a measure of the consistency of a sample of concrete, and tells

you how fluid the concrete will be. It can help give an idea of workability,
telling you how easy or hard it will be to place, and can help to predict
strength.
 Slump of Hydraulic Cement

• Get a general idea of how much water is in the mix and if it is

too wet or too dry for the project’s specifications.
• One gallon of added water per cubic yard equals 200 to 300 psi
less strength, so knowing the slump of concrete when it's fluid is
vital to knowing how strong and durable it will be once it
solidifies.
• One gallon of water per cubic yard also equals about 1 more
inch of slump. Slump is measured by how far downwards the
concrete sinks when the slump cone is raised and the concrete
is no longer held in place.
 Slump of Hydraulic Cement Concrete
• Slump cone – made of metal of at least 0.06 inches thick.
Height of 12” , base of 8”in diameter and a top of 4 inches in
diameter. The inside of the cone needs to be smooth and clean,
and the cone must be free of dents and deformations.
• Slump plate – level surface with no gouges, grooves or
indentations. Must be larger than the diameter of the slump
cone’s base
• Tamping rod – a smooth metal bar with hemispherical tip 5/8”
diameter ± 1/16 inches, 16” to 24” long.
• Ruler or measuring tape
 Slump, mm
Types of construction Maximum Minimum
Reinforced foundation walls and footings 75 25
Plain footings, caissons, and substructure wall 75 25

Beams and reinforced walls 100 25

Building columns 100 25
Pavements and slabs 75 25
Mass concrete 50 25