Part II of a two-part series on New Materials in Concrete Construction

What some people really wanted to know about

New Materials in Concrete Construction

and werent afraid to ask
This is a summary of the most lively questions and answers from University of Illinois Seminar on New Materials in Concrete Construction held December 15-17, 1971. For a complete report of the proceedings see CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION, June 1972, page 271.

Expansive Cements
(including shrinkage-compensating cements and set-stressing cementsl
Q. Please name the producers of shrinkage-com pensating cements. A. Type K is made by Kaiser Cement and Gypsum Corporation, Medusa Corporation, Penn-Dixie Cement Corporation, South-western Po rt l a n d Cement Company, and Texas Industries, Inc. Type M will be produced by Universal Atlas Cement Division of U.S. Steel Corporation, and Type S is produced by General Portland Cement Company and Ideal Cement Company. Q. Have any specifications been written for the cement? A. ASTM Committee C-1 has a draft, and it may be on the books in about a year; meantime, it is possible to evaluate the cements by testing for expansion. Tests to evaluate shrinkage compensating cements should be made on concrete. The expansion needed is in the range of 0.03 to 0.10 percent in the concrete itself. Q. What is the shelf life of expansive cement? A. This was a problem at first. However expansive cements made in modern production now The new parking garage at OHare Field in Chicago will have over 3.4 million square feet of coffered slabs made with expansive cement.

Q. What methods, if any, may be used to hold the expansion at a given level? A. You cant stop the expansion until all the potential material is used up. Q. What happens if concrete is not cured well? A. If not cured at an early age, and if dried out, then wetted, the amount of stress developed will be low. Q. What is the maximum temper ature that can be used for curing? A. We dont know that there is any. It should be checked out with the materials to be used. Q. Do shrinkage-compensating cements have fewer capillaries and less absorption? A. Yes. By changing from portland cement to expansive cement as a constitutent, a mix that would other wise produce concrete with eight percent absorption can be converted to one with four percent. Q. How good is bond strength? A. It is probably a little better than with Type I, but not enough to take advantage of it in design. Q. Is there any prevention or delay of creep with these cements? A. Creep starts right away. Q. What happens in contact with sulfate waters? A. Sulfate attack is still being studied. We dont know yet. Q. Can expansive cements be used as fill on metal decks? A. Yes. Q. How have four-inch slabs com pared with 12-inch slabs? A. They have been equally successful. Most slabs made have been four or five inches thick but Love Field taxiway in Dallas. which is 16 inches deep, turned out well. Q. Will pipe be successfully man ufactured with self-stressing cements in the next few years? A. Probably not sewer pipes, until these cements become the Type I of the future. Maybe water pipes will be manufactured with self stressing

Polymer latex cement plaster was used on the exterior of the City Hall in Ann Arbor, Michigan built in 1963.

have no trouble. Like any other cement they can be stored indefinitely as long as they are kept dry. Q. Can such materials as alu minum powder be used for the same purpose? A. Aluminum powder and other materials cause immediate expansion. We* want delayed expansion. We are now studying magnesium oxide as a component that may produce expansion at even later ages than those obtained with the expansive cements in current use. Q. How much more does expan sive cemtent concrete cost in place? A. About $3 to $5 per cubic yard. Q. Is there any way to make and control your own shrinkage compensating concrete at the job site? A. The Japanese add CSA (calcium sulfoaluminate) as an admixture * T h roughout this discussion the word we refers to one or both of the conference experts on the subject under consideration, and to coworkers. Names of these authorities were given in last months summary
Editors

at the job site to produce expansive cement concretes. It is not currently sold here but in New York there is a representative of the Japanese company that markets CSA, so it may become available. Q. How is a restrained sample used for strength comparison? A. A modified cube is used. In this test a piece of a two- by two- by eleven and one-q u a rt e r-inch mortar prism that has been broken in flexure is placed between two two-inch square plates in the testing machine. The load so applied is essentially brine applied to a two-inch cube. Q. What is the effect of aggregate size on the expansion? A. The larger the aggregate the smaller the restrained expansion. The effect is likely to be modified, howe ve r, by the pro p o rt i o n i n g changes necessary to maintain workability. Q. Is restraint a definite necessity? A. Yes. Q. What is the magnitude of ex pansion if there is no restraint? A. Expansion is normally 0.03 to 0.10 percent with restraint, but it is four or five times as large without it.

cements to obtain the re q u i re d beam strength, but not to counteract pressure. Q. What is the largest slab section now in place that makes use of ex pansive cement? A. Either the OHare Field parking garage in Chicago or the Dallas Love Field taxiway, where joint spacings are 125 feet. The OHare Field floors were post-tensioned.

against alkali attack, but such fibers are more expensive. It is better to make the glass alkali-resistant. Q. Can high-alumina cements be reinforced with fibers? A. Yes. Fu rt h e rm o re, there is no problem of corrosion of glass fibers with such cements. Q. How do you design for fracture? A. Use of the modulus of rupture may be the way to design. Q. What is the best admixture for improving bond to metal? A. We dont know of any. We might note that none of the coatings tried so far has been successful in our tests. Q. Do you almost always make mortars instead of concretes? A. Mortars present fewer problems. We usually use three-eighthsinch maximum size coarse aggregate. We try to use fly ash for workability. Q. Can you use a high-speed tur bine mixer? A. This is the best way to mix. Q. How do you add fibers mechan ically? A. Preferably through chutes. Q. Is there any standard method for the use of fibers in concrete? A. The American Concrete Institute is working on a draft. Q. How do you prepare concrete for fiber-reinforced overlays? A. The concrete is swept, cleaned manually, and dampened.*

Fiber-reinforced concretes
Q. What are source of fibers? A. Steel fibers may be obtained from National Standard Company and U.S. Steel Corporation; glass fibers from Owens-Corning Glass Company and synthetic fibers from E.I. du Pont. Q. Do any patents or restictions apply? A. Battelle Development Corporation has patents based on spacing. Its work was developed in connection with a federal project, so on federal work there is no cost for rights. U.S. Steel also has patents. Q. What is the modulus of elastic ity of steel fibers? A. Ten times that of the concrete. Q. Have rusted fibers been tested? A. They have been used but we dont know what effect the rust has on bond. In salt-scaling tests no reduction in resistance to scaling has been observed when corroded fibers were used. Q. Can graphite fibers compete commercially? A. There is not much information on this. Q. What can you tell us about de terioration of glass Fibers from alka lies in the concrete? A. The British have published papers showing the strength of concrete containing glass fibers after two years. They estimate that strength after 20 years will be 80 percent of initial. Organic coatings can be applied to the glass fibers during manufacture to protect them

Q. How do flexural strengths com pare? A. For the same volume, with two percent fibers, the flexural strength is about one-quarter to one-third that of concrete with reinforcing steel, but about double that of unreinforced concrete. Q. What are the effects of steel fiber reinforcement on fire ratings? A. Thermal conductivity is higher, and may cause problems with codes, but we dont know of any tests that have been made. Q. What is the cost of steel fibers? A. Chopped fiber is the cheapest, at 18 cents a pound. This makes the concrete cost about $45 per cubic yard, but one should really compare the cost of the finished product. For example, in some applications you may use less concrete. Furthermore, in pavement you dont use any other steel. Paving is simplified, there are fewer transverse joints, and maintenance of joints is reduced. Q. What is the unit price of fiber reinforced concrete compared to plain concrete? A. About two to three times that of regular concrete up to $45 per cubic yard but the cost in place is likely to be only about 10 percent more than regular concrete.

Regulated-set cements
Q. Is regulated-set (reg-set) cement in an advanced development stage? A. We have three and one-half years laboratory experience and considerable experience in the field. Q. Who makes reg-set cements? A. General Portland Cement Company, Huron Portland Cement Company, Ideal Cement Company, Lone Star Industries, and Louisville Cement Company. Q. How do you regulate setting time? A. By using an admixture at the job site. Q. Why cant Type I be adjusted with admixtures to do what reg-set

* For bonding any kind of fresh conc rete to hardened concrete we would advocate sweeping, scr u bbing with detergents to remove oils, acid etching and rinsing. An alternative would be scarifying or sandblasting followed by air blasting. Immediately before concreting, the sur face should either be coated by an epoxy formulated for bonding fresh concrete to hardened concrete or should have a portland cement/ sand grout equal parts scrubbed into it. Editors

cement does? A. You dont get continued strength development if you load up Type I cement with too much accelerator. Q. What is the effect on setting time of the water-cement ratio? A. It has very little effect. Q. How do long-term strength gains compare with those of Type I? A. They are about the same after 28 days. Q. Is there any loss in strength after a long time? A.No. Q. How much rebound do you get in shotcreting? A. According to an applicator, it is lower than with ordinary shotcrete. Q. Does the cost increase with the amount of the rapid-h a rd e n i n g component? A. Yes, but not in direct proportion.

concrete at 28 days? A. It might be possible to use high-cost ceramic spheres to get concrete of this quality. Q. Will the chemical composition of aggregate from urban waste cause reaction with cement alkalies? A. Possibly. These aggregates are much like fly ash in composition The wastes from various cities differ considerably because they are greatly influenced by industrial wastes which can vary widely in kind and amount. Q. Who makes fly ash aggregate? A. The W.H. Corsen Company. which holds patents, can give a complete list. Send requests to L. John Minnick, W.H. Corson Company, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. Q. Is synopal produced in the United States? A. Martin Marietta had an option to manufacture it, but they have allowed the option to lapse. It is not being produced in North America. It would cost $25 to $30 per ton if made here. Q. Has synopal been used any where as a Concrete aggregate? A. Yes. In the Welland Canal Q. Is there any other brightly white aggregate available? A. In the phosphorus industry in Idaho there is a white product, but it is not as bright as synopal.

This experimental roof shell of fiber-reinforced concrete has a wall thickness of 1/2 inch. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There has been some subsidy from the Canadian government. Q. Is it difficult to expandpoly styrene to make insulating aggre gate? A. Unexpanded beads can be easily expanded in hot water. It is cheaper to ship the unexpanded materials than the expanded. Q. Could you use ultra-lightweight material to obtain 3 000 psi

Synthetic aggregates
Q. Who makes carbonized puffed wheat? A. John Timusk and cow o rk e r s have the patents. Production rights have been transferred to TDR Engineering De ve l o p m e n t s, Limited,

Polymer concrete
Q. Why not make a polymer-andaggregate concrete without cement, instead of impregnating Portland ce ment concrete with polymer? A. We havent yet been able to improve the properties this way. Q. How successful are polymers in cellular and lightweight concretes? A. The Perlite Institute is interested in this problem and has a program of investigation. The polymer upgrades the strength anywhere from 100 psi to perhaps 2,000 psi. Such concretes, howe ve r. require

Ferrocement boats are being produced for both commercial and pleasure uses. This one sailed around the world some time ago without the appearance of any leaks.

more resin than do normal weight aggregate concretes. Q. What is the effect of air entrain ment on polymer concrete? A. Perhaps more polymer will be needed, but we dont know. Since polymer enhances resistance to f re ezing and thawing there is no need to entrain air in concrete that is intended to receive polymer. Q. What are the problems in mix ing monomer into fresh concrete? A. It is a chemical problem We have mixed monomers and catalyst into fresh concrete and then polymerized at 170F. We havent yet obtained the high strengths we would like, namely, 14,000 psi. Q. In vacuum impregnation, is concrete dried by vacuum? A. It is thermally dried. Q. Can you impregnate a panel without a pressure vessel? A. We have soaked them in pans. We ordinarily soaks two hours in a tank. Q. What is the relative benefit of curing by catalyst and by radiation? A. As far as properties are concerned, compressive strength is about 10 or 15 percent higher for radiation curing, but we dont know why. Radiation requires investment in radiation sources, and radiation can be hazardous. In Italy the concrete is dumped, after impregnation with catalyzed resin, into hot water for thermal polymerlzatlon. Q. How deeply can one cure poly mer-impregnated conerete by radia tion? A. It depends on the intensity. We have done as much as six inches depth on each of two sides, for a total of twelve inches. Q. Is the coefficient of thermal ex pansion incompatible with that of steel? A. It is not enough different to give trouble. Q. What degradation have you found?

A. We subject polymerimpregnated concretes to hot water at 350F. They do degrade under such circumstances, but we havent detected any trouble at ordinary temperatures. Q. How can polymer be used in on-site concrete? A. It cant right now. Q. What can be done with cast-in place floor slabs? A. We dont have any answer yet, though we are investigating bridge decks now. Q. Is any cost information avail able? A.. The Federal Office of Saline Water has unpublished data. Q. What is the cost per unit thick ness? A. We are studying this for some tunnel work but the study is not yet completed. Q. What would be the cost of im pregnating a bridge deck in place? A. Probably very high. Q. Where can we get more com plete information? A. From the National Technical Information Se rv i c e, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Ask for the First, Second and Third Topical Reports on Concrete Polymer Materials. Each of the three reports costs $3.

A. Committee C-12 has a mortar specification pending. Q. What volumes of latex are used in mixing? A. Three to four gallons of latex per bag of cement. Q. What is the proportion of coarse to fine aggregate? A. Usually 60 percent coarse aggregate of three-quarter-inch maximum size and 40 percent fine aggregate, but the proportions havent yet been optimized. Q. Are there any problems when calcium chloride is used? A. No. Q. Can you use pigments? A. Yes. We recommend up to five pounds of pigment per bag of cement. Larger amounts affect the setting. Q. Is entrained air used in the test mixes? A. No. We went in the opposite direction . Q. What do you do about excess air in mortars? A. We use an antifoaming agent which is good for up to 15 minutes mixing time. Q. For saran-modified concrete what is the typical curing time? A. We design for 28-day strength, cure moist 24 hours, and then expose to the atmosphere 24 hours. In a factory operation we cure four to 24 hours only. Q. What is the color? A. Sa ra n-modified mixes initially cure brown but fade with age to about the same color as normal concrete. Q. Do you ever experience discol oration? A. Latex mortar can give water spotting on flat surfaces. Ac ry l i c s have good color retention Styrenebutadiene latex concretes are normally darker, and sarans are brown. All look better with age. Q. What are the creep characteris -

Polymer latex modified mortars

Q. What is saran? A. Anything with over 70 percent polyvinylidene chloride in the monomer. Some contain polyvinyl chloride and acrylates also. Q. What is the cost per pound of various latexes? A. Polyvinyl acetate and styrenebutadiene cost about 30 cents per pound each, Saran and acrylics about 40 cents per pound. Q. Are any ASTM specifications be ing prepared?

tics? A.. Creep rate is reduced. The total creep is greater with higher latex contents. Q. What is the shrinkage? A. About like that of regular mortars . Q. What is the freeze-thaw dura bility? A. It is excellent because of the low absorption. Q. What is the resistance to lactic or citric acid on floors? A. It is good. Q. Why dont you use latex in the scratch coat of plasters? A. The first coat, with steel. is meant to give stiffness.. Q. How do you avoid building code requirements? A. We dont avoid them. We approach authorities rationally and ask for exceptions. We already have approval in the National Building Code. Q. What are the allowable stresses in the cracked section of brick ma sonry walls made with polymer latex modified mortars? A. We use ultimate strength and get 1,000 psi. Q. Are there leakage problems in

the masonry walls? A. Not with good workmanship. We have checked this kind of construction with the National Bu re a u of Standards type of test simulating a five-inch rainfall in a 50-mile-perhour wind for seven days. Q. Can these mortars be used suc cessJully at grade with paving brick which are hard brick with low poros ity? A. We used them at the United Airlines flight training center at Denver with very good results. Q. Could these be used in dam construction? A. They would give better bond between blocks and also provide a good wear coat. Q. What is the cost per cubic yard? A. Using 70 pounds of latex at 40 cents per pound, it is $28 per cubic yard. Q. What is the typical cost per square foot per inch thickness for a bridge deck? A. It is $12 to$14 at best, but it can be $36 to $38, depending on the condition of the deck.

A. Spacing by itself doesnt influence cracking behavior, but increasing the specific surface (total surface area of wire per unit volume of mortar) does decrease the crack spacing at failure. Q. Does welded mesh act different ly from other meshes? A. No. Q. What are the steps necessary to promote the use of ferrocement? A. We are not sure. The United States is behind in the use of ferrocement. In mainland China there is tremendous production of ferrocement boats for fishing. P a r t I on this two-p a r t series app e a red in CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION

Ferrocement
Q. What effect does spacing of wire have on cracking behavior?

PUBLICATION #C720333
Copyright 1972, The Aberdeen Group All rights reserved