STRUCTURAL CONCRETE

1.

Concrete
a.
Water+Cement+Aggregate+(Admixture)
b.
Quality depends upon the quality of paste
c.
Cement is most important in concrete
d.
Composition
i.
Aggregate (CA + FA) = 70%
1.
Gravel
2.
Sand
a.
2.75 - standard fineness modulus
Higher FM for coarser sand
ii.
Cement Paste (Cement + Water) = 30%
e.
Characteristics of Concrete
i.
Workable
ii.
Durable
iii.
Finishable
iv.
Strong
v.
Water tight
vi.
Wear resistant

2.

Cement
a.
Composition
i.
Tricalcium Silicate (C3S)
1.
Responsible for initial set & early strength
ii.
Dicalcium Silicate (C2S)
iii.
Tricalcium Aluminate (C3A)
iv.
Tetracalcium Aluminoferrite (C3AF)
b.
Types of Cement
i.
Pozzolan (volcanic)
1.
Natural Pozzolan Cemnet volcanic ash
2.
Artificial Pozzolan Cemnet fly ash
ii.
Portland from the isle of Portland, England by Joseph Aspdin
Clinker - burnt product which is used with gypsum and pulverized to form Portland cement
3.
Type I
a.
General use
b.
Allowed to be substituted by Portland Pozzolan Type IP
2.
Type II
a.
Acid higher than normal
3.
Type III
a.
Gains strength faster & develop more heat of hydration
b.
For cold weather
c.
High strength concrete
d.
Develops approximately 190% of the strength of Type 1 at 3 days
and 90-130% at 28 days
4.
Type IV
a.
Low heat of hydration
5.
Type V
a.
High sulfate and acid content
b.
High sulfate resistance
c.
Prevents damage from severe action of soils % high alkali content of
water
iii.
Hydraulic cement this reactor combined with water will harden underwater
c.
Properties of Portland Cement
i.
Fineness
1.
The finer, the higher rate of setting and strength development
2.
Tested by Blaine Air Permeability Test/ 45 microns sieve
ii.
Soundness
1.
Ability of hardened paste to retain volume after setting
iii.
Consistency
1.
Mobility of a freshly mixed paste

2.

6.

650 g of cement needed for normal consistency, time setting, and autoclave
Setting Time
Tested by Gillmore needle/ vicat apparatus
Initial setting for Portland Cement is not < 45min
Final setting for Portland Cement is 10 hrs
30 sec will it take before making a reading after releasing a vicat rod
False Set
Loss of plasticity w/o evolution of much heat shortly after mixing
Compressive Strength (ASTM C150)
Tested by 2" mortar cube (ASTM C 109)
Ottawa sand is used for testing mortar strength
19.3MN/sq.m compressive strength of cement mortar for 7 days
32 tamps/round
Heat of Hydration
Heat generated when cement and water react
Hydration process in which cement reacts with water
Loss of Ignition
Heating the sample of known weight to 900C~ 1000C until constant weight
is obtained
Determines the freshness of cement and amount of moisture present in the
cement
Specific Gravity 3.15
Used in the design and control of concrete moisture
Portland Pozzolan Cement / Portland Blast Furnace Slag sp.gr. 2.90
Le chatelier flask type of flask in determining the density of cement
Weight of cement
Air Content
Airmeter used to measure the air content of fresh concrete.

7.

Insoluble residue
Determines inert materials (acid insoluble material) present in the cement

iv.
1.
2.
3.
4.
v.
1.
vi.
1.
2.
3.
4.
vii.
1.
2.
viii.
1.
2.
ix.
3.
4.
5.
x.
x.
xii.

3.

Air Voids
a.
Entrapped air
i.
Not desirable, visible to the eye
b.
Entrained air
i.
Barely visible to the eye, tiny bubbles w/c absorb the pressure built up within the
concrete as the water expands when it freezes

4.

Admixtures
a.
Any material other than cement, water, aggregate added in the concrete to modify its
properties
b.
Types
i.
Air Entraining Admixture
ii.
Chemical Admixture-liquid, by volume
1.
Type A - Water Reducing - reduces the amount of water required to produce
a concrete of a given slump or consistency
2.
Type B Retarding retarders can delay the setting of concrete for up to 4
hours
3.
Type C - Accelerating
4.
Type D - Water Reducing & Retarding
5.
Type E - Water Reducing & Accelerating
6.
Type F - Water Reducing, High Range Admix (Superplasticizer/Fluidizer)
iii.
Mineral Admixture-solid, by weight
1.
Fly ash - most used mineral admix (30-150 kg/cu.m. of concrete)
2.
Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBF Slag) (15-70%)
3.
Micro silica (20-70 kg./cu.m. of concrete)

5.
ITEM/TEST GRADING

SPECIFIC GRAVITY ABSORPTION

DRY UNIT WT.

FA

CA

ABRASION

SOUNDNESS
10% max

12% max

6.

Laboratory Tests on Aggregates

a.
Unit Weight / Mass
i.
Used to convert weight/mass to loose volume
b.
Organic Impurities in Sand
i.
Determines the presence of injurious organic compound
ii.
Sodium Hydroxide (3%) reagents used in determination of Organic Impurities in
Sand
c.
Soundness Test by Autoclave Expansion
i.
Use magnesium sulfate or sodium sulfate (5 cycles)
ii.
Determines the resistance of aggregates to disintegration by saturated solutions
iii.
Evaluates soundness of aggregates to weathering action
iv.
Weighted loss shall not exceed 10%mass for FA and 12% for CA
d.
Specific Gravity
i.
Used for the calculation of volume occupied by the aggregate
e.
Absorption Test
i.
Used to calculate the change in the weight of an aggregate due to water absorbed in
the pores
f.
Los Angeles Abrasion Test
i.
Test wherein aggregates are broken down to smaller particles
ii.
max 40 mass % of wear
ii.
30 ~ 33 rpm speed
iii.
Approx.46.8mm, each weighing bet. 390 ~ 455 g
iv.
% wear = [(orig. wt. - wt retained at sieve#12) / orig. wt. ] x 100
v.
5,000 25 grams = total wt. of sample of CA, grading A w/ 12 spheres
vi.
Significance of Abrasion Test
1.
Evaluates structural strength of CA
2.
Indicates quality as determined by resistance to impact and wear
3.
Determines whether the aggregates will have degradation during traffic or
rolling
vii.
500 revolutions Grading A, B, C, and D
viii.
1000 revolutions Grading E, F, and G

7.

Handling & Placing Concrete

a.
Shall not be dropped more than 1.5m high (5')
b.
Placed as near as possible to its final position
c.
Excess water at top layer must be removed carefully
d.
Vibration shall be sufficient
e.
Placing
i.
Pneumatic means
ii.
Pumping
1.
Shall be continuous w/o air pockets
2.
If completed, concrete remaining shall be ejected to prevent contamination
iii.
Placing in water
1.
Slump=10~20cm
2.
Placed by tremie or bottom dump bucket
3.
Maximum length of tremie submerged in concrete, 2-6m with bentonite and
3.5m without bentonite
4.
Bentonite 30-100 kg. / cu.m. of water
f.
Compaction
i.
Use vibrator, vertical, 15 sec/ location, 50~60cm interval, operates at a frequency of
8300 9600 impulses per minute.
ii.
A well consolidated concrete is 20% higher in strength
g.
Curing

i.
ii.
h.
8.

7 days critical period

Process wherein concrete is permitted to permit hydration of cement
Uniform flow rate of concrete 15-20 cu.m. per hour

Tests for Concrete

a.
Cement
i.
Before cement is to be used, sampling must be done at least 12 days before use.
ii.
10 kg. minimum weight of sample per 2, 000 bags of cement
b.
Aggregates
i.
Aggregates in stockpile must be drained for 12 hours before being batched
iii.
2% batching tolerance for sand
iv.
When sampling from stockpile, take sample from top, middle, and bottom portion.
v.
The relative strength of mortar at 7 and 28 days of fine aggregates, tested for the
effect of organic impurities darker than the standard is not less than 95%.
c.
Compressive Strength
i.
CS = P/A, Force/Area
vi.
Tested for 7,14 and 28 days
iii.
Load Applied = 20 ~ 50 psi/sec
iv.
1 set -3 cylinder (6" x 12"high)/75cu.m., 3 layers,25 blows/layer
v.
Tamping Rod ,16mm (5/8") , L = 610mm (24"), hemispherical tip
vi.
In concrete sampling, paste shall be of normal consistency when the rod settles to a
point 101mm below the original surface in 30 secs.
vi.
After sampling, cylindrical mold shall be removed after 248 hours
vii.
Standard temp. in curing sample = 231.7C
viii.
Clearance between the top of water curing shall be at least 1.
viii.
Universal Testing Machine should be calibrated every 6mo, if not possible, once a
year.
1% tolerance of error
d.
i.

Consistency
Slump Test (12" truncated cone)

CLASS

STRENGTH,Mpa STRENGTH,psi SLUMP, mm

MIN. CEMENT USE

20.7

3000

50~100

9 bags

heavily
0.53
reinforced struc.

37.5 4.75
(1 - #4)

16.5

2400

50~100

8 bags

small amt. of
reinf.

0.58

50.0 4.75
(2 - #4)

20.7

3000

50~100

9.5 bags

thin reinf. section 0.55

12.5 4.75
(1/2 - #4)

37.7

5000

100 max

11 bags

pre-stressed

0.49

19.0 4.75
(3/4 - #4)

SEAL

20.7

3000

100~200

9.5 bags

deposited in
water

0.58

25 4.75
(1 - #4)

9.

W/C RATIO

MAX SIZE OF
AGG. (mm)

Pre-stress Concrete
a.
A concrete where compression is induced before application of working loads so that tension
under these loads is reduced.
b.
Pre-tensioning is a system of pre-stressing wherein the steel tendons are tensioned before
placing of concrete.
c.
Pre-tensioning is a system of pre-stressing wherein the steel tendons are tensioned before
after concrete has been placed and has attained a specific strength.
d.
Concrete cast in place shall not be post tensioned until at least 10 days or achieved 80%
compressive strength.
e.
Ducts are manufactured in the form of spiral wound galvanized sheet metal strip which are
mortar tight.
f.
Positional tolerance of duct tubes during casting operations is +4 - -4mm.
g.
Tendons assist in rigidly holding the duct tubes during casting operations.
h.
Anchorage installed base on the post tension system

i.

j.

Grouting important operation having the dual purpose of protecting the post tensioned
steel tendon and relieving the anchorage of stress fluctuation. Steel tendons should be grouted
with an approved grout mixture after the completion of the stressing operation within 24 hours.
The minimum grouting pressure is 700 KPa/15 secs (100psi), 0.6894 MPa
The maximum jacking force of the specified minimum ultimate strength of the steel tendon
must not exceed 85%.

10.

Concrete Piles
a. 6m minimum length
b. Piles shall not be driven within 7m of concrete less than 7 days old.
c. Pile Load Test determines pile bearing capacity by loading 1 or more pile and measuring
settlement every load

11.

Concrete Design Mix

a. determines the proportion of cement, water, FA & CA
b. Absolute Volume Method for DPWH
c. Trial Mix result - basis of acceptance of design mix

12.

Bored Piles
a. Concrete pile cast in place formed by first removing the soil by drilling and filling the void by
concrete.

2.

1:2:4, 1 part cement: 2 parts FA: 4 parts CA, 20L water

3.

15 ~ 19 hrs
a.
aggregates are soaked in water before tested for specific gravity and absorption

4.

Fine agg. saturated surface dry condition

a.
determined by the use of cone test for moisture content. If the molded shape of FA slumps
slightly, it has reached its surface dry condition.

13.

Problem Solving
a.
Fineness Modulus of Sand
SIEVE SIZE

b.

% PASSING

% RETAINED

12.5mm

9.5

4.75

#4

2.36

#8

35

1.18

#16

40

0.6

#30

70

0.3

#50

80

0.15

#100

95

0.075

#200

98

Fineness Modulus = (Sum of % retained from #4 to #100) / 100

Fineness Modulus = (4 + 35 + 40 + 70 + 80 + 95) / 100 = 3.24

Type of Structure

Removal of Forms
Min. no of Days

Centering under girders, beams, frames, or

arches
Floor Slabs
Walls
Columns
Sides of beams and all other vertical
structures

14 days

Min. % of Design
Strength
80%

14 days
1 day
2 days
1 day

70%
70%
70%
70%

ITEM 404 : REINFORCING STEEL

Splicing. Not more than 1/3 of the bars may be spliced in the same cross section, except where
shown on the plans.
Splice Type
Tension
Compression

Grade 40
24 dia.
20 dia.

Grade 60
36 dia.
24 dia.

But not less than

300 mm
300 mm

Spiral Reinforcement shall be spliced by lapping 1-1/2 turns or by butt welding unless otherwise
shown on the plans.
ITEM 405 : STRUCTURAL CONCRETE
Tolerance for Batching
within 1 mass percent
not more than 1 percent
2 mass percent
accurate to 0.50 percent
3 percent
0.50 percent

Portland Cement
Water
Aggregates
Bins and Scales
Admixtures
Water Measuring Device

Mixing and Delivery.

The flow of water shall be of uniform and all water shall be in the drum by the end of first 15
seconds of the mixing period.
1.5 m or less mixer not be less than 60 secs,
greater than 1.5 m not be less than 90 secs,
If timing stars, the instant the skip reaches its maximum raised position, 4 secs. shall be added to
the specified mixing time.
Truck mixing shall, unless otherwise directed be continued for not less than 100 revolutions after
all ingredients, including water, are in the drum. The mixing speed shall not be less than 4rpm nor
more than 6rpm.
Mixing is 30 min @ 32 C, if it is not, it shall be reduced to 15 mins.
ITEM 406 : PRESTRESSED CONCRETE STRUCTURES
Bonding Steel
Mixture of grout
Grouting equipment
Standby flushing equipment

19 li/sack of cement
at least 100 psi grouting pressure
full scale reading of not more than 300 psi.
pumping pressure of 250 psi

Grout shall be pumped through the duct and continuously wasted at the outlet until no visible
slugs or water or air is ejected and the eflux time of ejected grout is 11 secs. All vents and openings
shall then be closed and the grouting pressure at the injection end shall be raised to a minimum of
10 secs.
Batches of grout shall be placed within 45 min. after mixing.
Handling
Prestressed concrete shall not be shipped:
1.
Until test on cylinders.
2.
Manufactured on the same concrete and cured under the same conditions as the girders.
3.
Indicate that the concrete of the particular girder has attained a compressive strength of the
concrete in the girder.
4.
Has attained a minimum age of 14 days.

Curing precast concrete piles

Steam curing
Falsework design

ITEM 407 : CONCRETE STRUCTURES

- at least 14 days
- at least 7 days
- minimum of 2 weeks

Removing Falsework
Falsework supporting any span of a supported bridge shall not be released before 14 days after
the last concrete, excluding concrete above bridge deck.
Falsework supporting deck overhangs and deck slabs between girders shall not be released until
7 days after the deck concrete has been placed.
Falsework for bridges

at least 80% of the required 28 day strength.