LECTURE #04

CONCRETE
Concrete is made by mixing: Cement, water, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates
and admixtures (if required).
Properties of concrete
Properties Of Fresh Concrete are
a) Workability
b) Consistency
c) Segregation
d) Bleeding
e) Setting Time
a)
Workability
Workability means how easy it is to:
PLACE
HANDLE
COMPACT and
FINISH the concrete.
Concrete that is stiff or dry may be difficult to handle, place, compact and finish
and, if not constructed properly, will not be as strong or durable when finally
hardened. A slump test can be used to measure the workability of concrete.
Workability is affected by:
THE AMOUNT OF CEMENT PASTE
The cement paste is the soft or liquid part of the concrete mix. The more paste
mixed with the coarse and fine aggregates, the more workable a mix.
THE AGGREGATE PROPERTIES AND GRADING
Well-graded, smooth, rounded aggregates improve the workability of a mix.
To make a more workable mix:
Add more CEMENT PASTE.
Use WELL GRADED aggregates.
Use an ADMIXTURE (admixtures that improve workability are known as
plasticizers
.
b)

Consistency

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Consistency is the fluidity or degree of wetness of concrete. It is a major factor in
indicating the workability of freshly mixed concrete.
c)
Segregation
Segregation refers to a separation of the components of fresh concrete, resulting in
a non-uniform mix.
Segregation makes the concrete:
WEAKER,
LESS DURABLE,
and will leave A POOR SURFACE FINISH.
The primary causes of segregation are differences in specific gravity and size of
constituents of concrete. Moreover, improper mixing, improper placing and
improper consolidation also lead to segregation.
To avoid segregation:
Check the concrete is not 'too wet' or 'too dry'.
Make sure the concrete is properly mixed. It is important that the concrete is
mixed at the correct speed in a transit mixer for at least two minutes
immediately prior to discharge. The concrete should be placed as soon as
possible. When transporting the mix, load carefully.
If placing concrete straight from a truck, place vertically and never let the
concrete fall more than one-and-a-half meters.
Always place new concrete into the face of concrete already in place.
When compacting with a poker vibrator be sure to use it carefully.
Never spread concrete sideways with a poker vibrator as this may cause
segregation of the mix.
Always be sure to vibrate concrete evenly.
d) Bleeding
Bleeding is the tendency of water to rise to the surface of freshly placed concrete.
It is caused by the inability of solid constituents of the mix to hold all of the mixing
water as they settle down. It is special case of segregation.

e)

Setting Time

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LECTURE #04
The transition process of changing of concrete from plastic state to hardened state.
Setting of concrete is based or related to the setting of cement paste. Thus cement
properties greatly affect the setting time.
f) Temperature
The higher the temperature of the concrete at placement the greater the initial
rate of strength development, but the lower long-term strength. This is why
important to reduce the temperature of fresh concrete when concreting in hot
climate.
g) Cohesiveness
Cohesiveness is how well concrete HOLDS TOGETHER when plastic.
Cohesiveness is affected by:
THE AGGREGATE GRADING
Graded aggregate means that there is a range of size of aggregates, from large
rocks to small sands. Well-graded aggregates give a more cohesive mix; too
much coarse aggregate gives a boney mix.
WATER CONTENT
A mix that has too much water will not be cohesive and may allow materials to
separate
(segregate).
Properties of Hardened Concrete
a) Strength
b) Permeability & durability
c) creep deformations
a)
Strength
The strength of concrete is basically referred to compressive strength. Strength of
Concrete depends on
Strength of cement paste
Strength of aggregate
Interface between cement paste and aggregates
b)
Permeability & durability
The permeability of concrete is controlled by capillary pores. The permeability
depends mostly on w/c, age, degree of hydration.
In general the higher the strength of cement paste, the higher is the durability & the
lower is the permeability.
Durability
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Concrete should be strong and durable. Durability increases with density of
concrete.
c) Creep Deformations
Creep in concrete can reduce the pre-stress and possibly lead to cracking.
Water Cement Ratio
Water cement ratio is the ratio of water to cement (by weight or by volume) used in
the preparation of concrete.
Effect of water cement ratio upon strength of concrete.
The single most important indicator of strength is the water cement ratio. Basically,
the lower this ratio is, the higher the final concrete strength will be. A minimum
w/c ratio (water-to-cement ratio) of about 0.3 by weight is necessary to ensure that
the water comes into contact with all cement particles (thus assuring complete
hydration). Typical values are 0.4 to 0.6.
Water cement ratio should not be allowed to exceed the specified limits for various
types of concrete because too much of water results in segregation of aggregates
and give porous concrete of low strength.
Also by keeping the water cement ratio less than the specified limits, then there
shall not be sufficient quantity of water to hydrate the cement and hence will result
in porous and weak concrete.

Different Mixes Recommended For Constructions

Cement, fine aggregates and the coarse aggregates are mixed in a definite
proportion so as to get a strong, durable, workable and economical mix. the
proportion of various constituents in a concrete is known as the mix of concrete.
Commonly used mixes of concrete used for various types of works are
High strength concrete
1:1:2 and 1:1.2:2.4
General RCC work
1:1.5:3 and 1:2:4
Mass concrete work
1:3:6 and 1:4:8
Adequate quantity of water is then added to the mix depending upon the
consistency and workability required.
Qualities of water used for concrete mixes
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The common specifications regarding quality of mixing water is water should be
fit for drinking. Some bad effects of water containing impurities are following.
Presence of salt in water such as Calcium Chloride, Iron Salts, inorganic salts and
sodium etc. are so dangerous that they reduce initial strength of concrete
Presence of acid, alkali, industrial waste, sanitary sewage and water with sugar also
reduce the strength of concrete.
Presence of silt or suspended particles in water has adverse effect on strength of
concrete.
Presence of oil such as linseed oil, vegetable oil or mineral oil in water above 2 %
reduces the strength of concrete up to 25 %.
Presence of algae/vegetable growth in water used for mixing in cement concrete
reduce the strength of concrete considerably and also reduce the bond between
cement paste and aggregate.
Process of manufacturing of concrete:
Various stages for manufacturing of concrete are:
Batching
Mixing
Transporting
Placing
Compacting
Finishing
Curing
Batching:
Batching is the process of measuring concrete mix ingredients (cements,
aggregates, water and admixtures) by either mass or volume.
Volume batching: this method is generally adopted for small jobs. Gauge boxes
are used for measuring fine and coarse aggregates. The volume of gauge box is
equal to the volume of one bag of cement.
Volume batching is not a good method for proportioning the material because of
the difficulty it offers to measure granular material in terms of volume.
Volume of moist sand in a loose condition weighs much less than the same
volume of dry compacted sand.
The effect of bulking should be considered for moist fine aggregate.
For unimportant concrete or for any small job, concrete may be batched by
volume.
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Weigh Batching:
Batching by weight is more preferable to volume batching, as it is more accurate
and leads to more uniform proportioning.
It does not have uncertainties associated with bulking.
On large work sites, the weigh bucket type of weighing equipment's are used.
Mixing:
Thorough mixing of the materials is essential for the production of uniform
concrete.
The mixing should ensure that the mass becomes homogeneous, uniform in
colour and consistency.
There are two methods adopted for mixing concrete: (i ) Hand mixing (ii )
Machine mixing
Hand mixing
Hand mixing is practised for small scale unimportant concrete works.
As the mixing cannot be thorough and efficient, it is desirable to add 10 per cent
more cement to cater for the inferior concrete produced by this method.
Hand mixing should be done over an impervious concrete or brick floor of
sufficiently large size to take one bag of cement.
Spread out the measured quantity of coarse aggregate and fine aggregate in
alternate layers.
Pour the cement on the top of it, and mix them dry by shovel, turning the mixture
over and over again until uniformity of colour is achieved.
Water is taken in a water-can fitted with a rose-head and sprinkled over the
mixture and simultaneously turned over.
This operation is continued till such time a good uniform, homogeneous
concrete is obtained.
Machine Mixing
Mixing of concrete is almost invariably carried out by machine, for reinforced
concrete work and for medium or large scale mass concrete work.
Machine mixing is not only efficient, but also economical, when the quantity of
concrete to be produced is large.
They can be classified as batch-mixers and continuous mixers.
Batch mixers produce concrete, batch by batch with time interval, whereas
continuous mixers produce concrete continuously without stoppage till such time
the plant is working.
In normal concrete work, it is the batch mixers that are used. Batch mixer may be
of pan type or drum type.
The drum type may be further classified as tilting, non-tilting, reversing or
forced action type.
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LECTURE #04
Transporting concrete: The concrete should be handled from place of
mixing to the final deposit as fast as possible without segregation. If
segregation happened then concrete should be mixed at the site once again.
During hot or cold climate the concrete should be transported in deep
containers to avoid loss of water or heat.
The method used to transport concrete depends on which one is the most cost
effective and easiest for the job size and site.
Transport methods include:
1. Mortar pan: concrete is carried in small quantities.
2. Wheel barrows: short flat hauls on all types of onsite concrete construction.
3. Belt conveyors: carrying concrete horizontally or higher/lower level.
4. Cranes and buckets: used for work above ground level.
5. Pumps: conveying concrete from central discharge point to formwork.
6. Transit mixer: used for transporting concrete over long distance.
Always transport concrete as little as possible on site to reduce problems of
segregation and wastage.
PLACING OF CONCRETE:
The concrete should be placed before the setting starts. Before placing the forms
should be rigid and well oiled. Concrete should be poured into the forms at one
point and uniformly spread before the compaction.
Start placing from the corners of the formwork or, in the case of a sloping site,
from the lowest level.
Compaction of concrete:
Compaction is the shaking or vibrating of the concrete to liquify it and expel any
trapped air.
WHY COMPACT Properly compacted concrete is more dense, strong and
durable. Off-form finishes will also be better.
There are three types of vibrators that can be used for compaction namely: internal
vibrator, external vibrator and surface vibrator.
INTERNAL VIBRATION Internal vibration is done with a mechanical vibrator
or poker vibrator. The POKER is put into concrete and vibrates it from the inside.
Mechanical compacting is used when the mix is stiff. Mechanical compacting are
three types: Roding, tamping and hammering. Over vibration is harmful.

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Finishing:
Finishing is screeding, floating and/or toweling the concrete surface to densify and
further compact the surface layer of concrete, as well as giving it the look you
want.
Finishing takes place in two stages:
INITIAL and
FINAL finishing.
INITIAL FINISHING Concrete is first screeded to the level of the formwork,
then bull floated and left to set.
In some cases screeding leaves a good enough finish, especially if floor coverings
are to be used over the concrete.
Water then appears on the surface of the concrete. This water is called bleed water.
Excess bleed water can be removed by dragging an ordinary garden hose across the
surface of the concrete.
Never try to dry up the bleed water using stone dust or cement as this will weaken
the concrete surface in the long run.
Once the bleed water dries up and concrete can support a persons weight, with
only a slight marking to the surface, the final finishing can begin.
FINAL FINISHING This involves floating, trowelling, edging, jointing or
patterning the concrete. Special finishes such as brooming, colouring or patterned
finishes can be applied to the surface.
Curing
Curing means to keep concrete MOIST for some time (typically 37 days).
By keeping concrete moist the bond between the paste and the aggregates gets
stronger. Concrete doesnt harden properly if it is left to dry out quickly.
WHEN TO CURE Curing is commenced just after finishing the concrete surface.
WHY CURE Concrete that is cured is:
LESS LIKELY TO CRACK.
STRONGER.
MORE DURABLE.
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Cured concrete has a surface that wears better, lasts longer and better protects the
steel reinforcement.
Properly cured concrete is stronger and can carry more weight without breaking.
HOW TO CURE The most common ways of curing are:
Applying extra water to the surface of the concrete, or
REDUCING the rate of moisture loss from the concrete.

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