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Adil Khursheed
Ms Structure
BSc 2008 (Civil)

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 Properties of Hard Concrete
&
Factors influencing the properties
Hardened Concrete
End product of any concrete design
Essential properties

 Strength
 Durability
 Water tightness

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Hardened concrete properties

 Strength (Significant)
 Stress-strain characteristic
 E
 Shrinkage
 Response to temperature variation
 Durability
 Permeability
 Creep

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Strength

Compressive strength 2000-8000 psi

 Cubes 6”, Cylinder 6”*12”, Prism 4”*4”*20”
Tensile strength 200-800 psi
 Direct (Uniaxial) and Indirect method (Splitting tensile
strength test)
Flexural strength (Modulus of Rupture f r= M/Z)
 4*4*28 &24”
Compression >> tension
 ft ~ 8-12% of fc

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Splitting Tension

 ASTM C496 or the “Brazilian Test” is performed on 6x12”

cylinders
 ft = 2P/πDL
 Can be estimated by:
 ft=6.7(fc)0.5 for normal strength concrete where units are
psi
 Splitting tension test introduces some compressive
stress at top and bottom of (6x12”) cylinder

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Factors Influencing Strength

 Time
 Curing conditions
 W/C (inversely related) Abram’s law
 Degree of compaction Factors
 Cement content (directly related) Independent
 Cement type, composition, fineness of
Temperature
test

 Air content (inversely related)
 Aggregate characteristics, roughness method
 Strength porosity relationship
 Mixing water
 Use of chemical admixtures

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Strength and Curing
moist cured entire time
Strength
in air after 7 days

100%
in air after 3 days

in air entire time

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time

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Cylinder , H/D=2, Uniform rate of strain
Uniform rate of stress is not possible
If a concrete specimen is subjected to slow
compressive loading, the stress versus
strain curve is elongated along the strain
axis as compared to the curve for fast
loading.

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Modulus of Elasticity

 The modulus of elasticity of concrete would be a

property for the case when the material is treated as
elastic.

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Shrinkage

 Plastic Shrinkage
 The hydration of cement causes a reduction in the
volume of the system of cement plus water to an extent
of about 1 percent of the volume of dry cement.
 Plastic strain
 Loss of water
◦ Evaporation under hot climates and high winds.
 Surface cracking.
 Drying Shrinkage
 After the concrete has set and hardened and most of it
takes place in the first few months.
 Withdrawal of water from concrete stored in unsaturated
air voids causes drying shrinkage.
 Recovered on immersion of concrete in water.
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 Carbonation shrinkage
Increase in weight
Decrease in permeability

Increase in strength

Shrinkage

 The only advantage of shrinkage is that it causes the

concrete to grip the steel tightly, thus increasing

the bond.

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 Two causes.

 1. Loss of water from voids

 2. Reduction of volume during carbonation
 Increase with the increase in

 1) Ambient temperature
 2) Temperature gradient in the members
 3) Water-to-cement ratio
 4) Cement content.

 Decrease with the increase in

 1) Age of concrete at commencement of drying

 2) Relative humidity
 3) Volume to surface area ratio.

 Also depends on the type of aggregate

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Creep of Concrete
 Increase in strain under sustained load
 Creep Recovery
 Factors
 This is a property by which concrete continues to deform over long
periods of time while under a constant load.
 Creep occurs at a decreasing rate over a period of time and may
cease after several years.
 Higher strength concrete exhibits less creep.
 Creep in concrete can reduce the pre-stress and possibly lead to
cracking
Creep can be both beneficial and problematic.
 Stress relaxation, the complement to creep, can reduce stress in the
concrete at early ages and reduce the likelihood for early age
cracking.

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 The creep strain depends on several factors. It increases with the
increase in the following variables.
 1) Cement content (cement paste to aggregate ratio)
 2) Water-to-cement ratio
 3) Air entrainment
 4) Ambient temperature.

 The creep strain decreases with the increase in the following

variables.
 1) Age of concrete at the time of loading.
 2) Relative humidity
 3) Volume to surface area ratio.

 The creep strain also depends on the type of aggregate

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Durability of concrete
 Service life
 Maintain integrity
 Protect metal
 Maintenance
 Permeability to deleterious substances
 Volume change

Role of W/C
 Higher w/c permeability volume change
cracks disintegration failure
 Use of lowest

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Permeability

 Aggressive liquid attack

 Corrosion, Spalling, Cracking, Frost action
 Water retaining structure
 Fineness of cement
 Decreases with time

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Sulphate Attack

 Ground Water
 Sub-soil
 Sea Water
 Increase in concrete volume
 Ca(OH)2 & C3A
 Blended cement

Fire resistance
Moisture content
Less silica good resistance
Endothermic content

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Acid Attack

 Storing liquids
 Harmful Liquids
 No Portland cement can resist

Efflorescence

 Dissolving Ca(OH)2 And after evaporation leaves CaCO3 as white

deposit
 Composition of concrete

Thermal properties of concrete

 NWC Conducts more then LWC

 Lower W/C ratio higher the conductivity
 Decrease with increase in temperature

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Thermal properties of concrete

 Composition of concrete
 NWC Conducts more then LWC
 Lower W/C ratio higher the conductivity
 Decrease with increase in temperature

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