CONCRETE AND CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY A. Concrete Technology Concrete technology deals with study of properties of concrete and its practical applications. In a building construction, concrete is used for the construction of foundations, columns, beams, slabs and other load bearing elements ‘A.1 Concrete Concrete is one of the most commonly used building materials. Concrete is a composite material made from several readily available constituents (aggregates, cement, water, and admixtures). Concrete is a versatile material that can easily be mixed to meet a variety of special needs and formed to virtually any shape. Properties of Concrete 1. Strength of Concrete Compressive strength is the most important property of concrete. Besides compressive strength, concrete has some other strengths. Such as: tensile strength, bending strength, and shear strength. However, concrete is weak in tension that means the tensile strength of concrete is neglected. What is the uniaxial compressive strength of concrete? The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) is the maximum axial compressive stress that a right-cylindrical sample of concrete can withstand before failing. It is also known as the unconfined compressive strength. But, how do you know the strength of concrete? For this, several tests are carried out, Such as: Compression test, Flexure Test, and Split tensile strength test, etc. Once the specimen is crushed you can now caloulate the compressive strength.And the formula is, = Maximum crushing load + Cross-sectional area of the specimen. Normally, three specimens are tested and the average result is taken, 2. Workability Concrete is the most popular building material because of this property. Due to this property, we can give concrete any desired shape, and smooth finish. Simply saying, the workability of concrete makes us able to comfortably work with concrete, Mainly, the water-cement ratio determines the workability of concrete. The more water you add to concrete the more it'll become able to work with But here are some other factors that also affect workability: concrete mix proportion, aggregate size, the shape of aggregates, the surface texture of aggregates, grading of aggregates, and admixtures. But how do we measure the workability of concrete? There is a popular test practiced in construction to measure this and the test is named Slump Test (ASTM C143-89a).Because of this property, concrete can resist weathering action, chemical attack, abrasion, or any other process of deterioration. Because of this property, concrete can resist weathering action, chemical attack, abrasion, or any other process of deterioration. But there are various factors that can affect the durability of concrete. Such as: permeability, frost action, sulphate attack, organic acids, carbonation, mineral oils, vegetables and animal oils and fats, sewage, thermal effects, cracks, etc. Yet, concrete can be a durable product with proper : design, proportioning, placement, finishing, testing, inspection, and curing 4. Creep This is a property of hardened concrete. That means long-term load or stress on concrete can change its shape. And, this change occurs in the direction the force is applied. That's why, when we stacked any heavyweight materials on a slab during the construction period, we provide supports below the slab. 5. Shrinkage Conerete shrinkage is the change in concrete volume in the absence of load in a way it decreases the dimensions of the concrete, And thus it produces cracks in concrete. Shrinkage increases with high wic ratio and high cement content. The good news is, the rate of shrinkage decreases with time, There are various types of shrinkage. Such as: plastic shrinkage, chemica shrinkage, autogenous shrinkage, drying shrinkage, thermal shrinkage, and carbonation shrinkage. A.2 Grade of Concrete What is Grade of Concrete? Grade of concrete denotes the strength required for construction, For example, M30 grade signifies that compressive strength required for construction is 30MPa. The first letter in grade “Mis the mix and 30 is the required strength in MPa. Based on various lab tests, grades of concrete are presented in Mix Proportions. For example, for M30 grade, the mix proportion can be 1:1:2, where 1 is the ratio of cement, 1 is the ratio of sand and 2 is the ratio of coarse aggregate based on volume or weight of materials. The strength is measured with concrete cube or cylinders by civil engineers at construction sites. Cube or cylinders are made during casting of structural members and after hardening itis cured for 28 days. Then a compressive strength test is conducted to find the strength.Regular grades of concrete are M15, M20, M25 etc. For plain cement concrete works, generally M15 is used, For reinforced concrete construction minimum M20 grades of concrete are used, Conerete Grade Mix Ratio Normal Grade of Concrete Ms 1:5:10 ws, 148 mio 1:8:6 ans 20 1as:3 Standard Grade of Concrete M25; 12 M0 Design Mix Mas Design Mix ao. Design Mix Mas Design Mix High Strength Concrete Grades 50, Design Mix Mss Design Mix Meo Design Mix es Design Mix M70 Design Mix Compressive Strength Ma(Nimm) psi spa 725 pst, 7oMPa 1087 pst 1oMPa 1450 ps 15 Ma 2175 pst 20MPa 2900 psi 25 MPa 3625 psi 30 MPa 4850 psi 35 MPa 5075 pal 40 MPa 5800 pst as.MPa 6525 pal 50 MPa 7250 psi 55 MPa Te75 pst 60.MPa 8700 psi saa 9425 pat TOMPa 10150 psiA3 How to Make Concrete? Conerete is manufactured or mixed in proportions w.r., cement quantity. There are two types of concrete mixes, i.e. nominal mix and design mix. Nominal mix is used for normal construction works such as small residential buildings, Most popular nominal mixes are in the proportion of 4:24 Design mixed concrete are those for which mix proportions are finalized based on various lab tests on cylinder or cube for its compressive strength. This process is also called mix design. These tests are conducted to find suitable mix based on locally available material to obtain strength required as per structural design. A design mixed offers economy on use of ingredients. Once suitable mix proportions are known, then its ingredients are mixed in the ratio as selected. ‘Two methods are used for mixing, i.e. Hand Mixing or Machine Mixing. Based on quantity and quality required, the suitable method of mixing is selected. In the hand mixing, each ingredient is placed on a flat surface and water is added and mixed with hand tools. In machine mixing, different types of machines are used. In this case, the ingredients are added in the required quantity to mix and produce fresh concrete. Once it is mixed adequately it is transported to casting location and poured in formworks. Various types of formworks are available which are selected based on usage. Poured concrete is allowed to be set in formworks for specified time based on type of structural member to gain sufficient strength. ‘After removal of formwork, curing is done by various methods to make up for the moisture loss due to evaporation. Hydration reaction requires moisture which is responsible for setting and strength gain. So, curing is generally continued for minimum 7 days after removal of formwork. A4 Types of Concrete Construction Conerete is generally used in two types of construction, i.e. plain concrete construction and reinforced concrete construction. In PCC, it is poured and casted without use of any reinforcement. This is used when the structural member is subjected only to the compressive forces and not bending When a structural member is subjected to bending, reinforcements are required to withstand tension forces of the structural member as it is very weak in tension compared to compression. Generally, the strength of concrete in tension is only 10% of its strength in compression.It is used as a construction material for almost all types of structures such as residential concrete buildings, industrial structures, dams, roads, tunnels, multi storey buildings, skyscrapers, bridges, sidewalks and superhighways etc. Examples of famous and large structures made with concrete are Hoover Dam, Panama Canal and Roman Pantheon. It is the largest human made building materials used for construction. AS Steps of Concrete Construction The construction steps are: Selecting quantities of materials for selected mix proportion Mixing Checking of workability Transportation Pouring in formwork for casting Vibrating for proper compaction Removal of formwork after suitable time Curing members with suitable methods and required time. SNORT RENS A6 Compositions of Concrete A6.1Cement Cement is an essential building material used in construction projects worldwide. It's a binding agent that's mixed with sand, gravel, and water to form concrete, which provides strength and durability to structures. Types of Cement: 1. Ordinary Portland Cement 9. High Alumina Cement 2. Portland Pozzolana Cement 10. White cement 3. Rapid Hardening Cement 11. Coloured Cement 4, Extra Rapid Hardening Cement 12. Air entraining Cement 5. Quick Setting Cement 13. Expansive cement 6. Low Heat Cement 14. Hydrographic Cement 7. Sulphate Resisting Cement 15. Portland Limestone Cement 8. Blast Fumace Slag Cement A6.2 Aggregates Aggregates are small pieces of rock that are mixed with a binding material to produce concrete or mortar. The binding material used is cement, bitumen, etc. Thus, cement concrete & bituminous concrete are produced, respectively.Classification Of Aggregates Based On Grain Size Fine & Coarse Aggregates As per IS 383:1970 (Reaffirmed 2002), the aggregates passing through IS Sieve of 4.75mm are termed as fine aggregates, and aggregates retained on the 4.75 mm sieve are identified as coarse aggregates. ‘The criteria form the basis of segregation between the fine & coarse aggregate. Both types differ largely in properties and find their uses for different purposes. The general maximum coarse aggregate size used in cement concrete is 40mm, while 4.75-20mm is the most used size. For bituminous concrete, <10mm size aggregate is an apt choice. For mass concrete works, the permitted coarse aggregates sizes are classified as follows- Sr.No. Class Size 1 Very Large 80-150 mm 2 Large 80-40 mm 3 Medium 20-40 mm 4 small 475-20 mm Types of Fine Aggregates 1. Silica Sand Silica sand can range from nearly transparent to a darker gray. It is an odorless powder that can cause irritation to the skin or eyes on contact. Inhaling silica sand will also irritate the respiratory tract. In fact, the fine particulates of silica dust from quartz rock contribute to chronic, progressive lung injury, known as silicosis. Additional physical properties include: Applications where silica sand is the better choice include: Sand blasting Glass manufacturing Water filtering Backfill for electrical ines and pipes Fracking 2. Washed Sand Washed sand can begin as silica sand or any other type of sand and undergoes a washing and rinsing process after mining. Salt, clay, silt, and other powders and dust are washed out of the overall mixture. Washed sand often undergoes additional separating and classification into grain sizes or grit sizingThe common types of washed sand are as follows: ‘a, Concrete Sand. This type of washed sand is mixed with concrete or asphalt for construction purposes and provides a smoother pour and cleaner finish. Masonry Sand. Similar to concrete sand, masonry sand is mixed with concrete for construction purposes. This is usually a finer grit sand, which is sifted to achieve greater b, grain uniformity necessary for masonry bonding. White Sand. This sand is mostly applied where aesthetics are the objective. Sand traps, manmade beaches, beach volleyball courts, and play sand, When the white color isn't naturally available, limestone is added as a whitener. Because of washing and sorting, washed sand varieties usually carry a higher price tag than silica sand offerings. A6.3 Admixtures Various types of admixtures are used in concrete to enhance the performance of concrete Conerete admixture is defined as the material other than the aggregate, water and cement added to the concrete, Types of Concrete Admixtures Water Reducing Admixtures Retarding Admixtures Accelerating Admixtures Air entraining concrete admixture Alkali Aggregate Expansion Inhibiting ‘Admixtures ‘Anti-washout Admixtures, Grouting Admixtures Corrosion Inhibiting Admixtures Bonding Admixtures Fungicidal, Germicidal, Insecticidal Admixtures Coloring Admixtures A6.4Water Basically, the water you use for both mixing and curing should not have any chemicals, suspended muddy particles or organic growth like algae, weeds, etc. The thumb rule is that if the water can be used for bathing, if not drinking it's okay. Pozzolanic Admixtures Damp-proofing Admixtures Gas forming Admixtures Air detraining AdmixturesA6.5 Reinforcing Steel Bars Steel reinforcement bars or rebars are used to improve the tensile strength of the concrete, since concrete is very weak in tension, but is strong in compression. Steel is only used as rebar because elongation of steel due to high temperatures (thermal expansion coefficient) nearly ‘equals that of concrete. 4. Mechanical Properties The mechanical properties of steel bars for concrete reinforcement shall conform to those specified in Table 1. ‘Table 1 Mecasical Properties of Weldable nd Non-vedale Stel Bas Yad] Tesi ongaion]| Sending Suengh | stengh 1n200mm| Ange, Gest) Grade | “ipa | woo," |S | Percent | Degree Mie | Mn, Min eaemm | 18 zo | 20 | ao | osm) 8 | eo Lied @<25mm | 10 weave | 27s | zs | ao 10 ‘ee a> 25mm | 8 ‘scam | 2 as | ats | oo | Seem] 8 | 4 S<25mm | 18 zo | 2 | ao | Bem BT] to Weeabe ‘é<25mm | 16 Steelbar | 275 | 75 | 480 | 5575mm | | ‘6<25mm_ | 1 as | ats [sso | Seem |B | to Mim yield siengih of Wedable Hee bari 540 Ripa, however Vane S60 Sipe ‘hal be allowed for een ‘+ Actual tensile strength fr sizes upto 6mm shall not be Less than 1.18 times the actu eld strength, Actual tnile strength for snes 20 aed above hal tbe tess han 1.25 times the actual yield strength 2. Dimensions, mass and tolerance The dimensions and mass of steel bars shall conform to Table 3. ‘able 3, Nominal Dimensions snd Unit Mass Sonia ‘Nomina ominal cre Tai Diameter, Penmett,*| wea. | Mas, a om Kein 0 osi7 B 9 sss 16 503 17s » as 266, 25 786 3383 2% B86 asi 2 100s aa > Nominal perms, am =3 1416 x nominal dlamstr in ‘+ Nominal crosrsctinal ea, me ~ 3 164 (nemial diamcten? + Unitimass, Kim 0.00785 ym? x nominal ros esting nm “The andar length of stot bas shall be 6.0, 7.5, 90,108 and 12.0 motes. The tolerance on the mass of one pce of steel bar shall e:* 6 percent. The aerance far length of te bars bal conform tthe values specified below Te Toleanse oe 0m Forcier siliienal [mor Faaion | AGI S mam othe above Batwa there Exseoting #60 mm3. Surface finish The steel bars shall be free from injurious defects. Rust, seams, surface irregularities, or mill scale shall not be a cause for rejection, provided the mass dimensions, cross sectional area, and tensile properties of a hand wire brushed test specimen are not less than the requirements of this specification MARKINGS a) Manufacturer's identifying mark - a logo or symbol registered or to be registered with the Philippine Patent Office and published in the Official Gazette. b) Bar size - Arabic number reflecting the nominal diameter. ©) Other marks will be made on a tag securely attached to each bundle of bars, each bundle composed of bars of the same size and grade. AFFIDAVIT OF COMPLIANCE The manufacturer shall furnish the purchaser with an affidavit stating that the steel bars furnishings conform to all applicable requirements of this standard and the purchaser's specifications, and that all tests specified herein have been performed and all test requirements have been met. CONCRETE MIX DESIGN ACI Method of Concrete Mix Design is based on the estimated weight of the concrete per unit volume. This method takes into consideration the requirements for consistency, workability, strength and durabiliy. This article presents the ACI method of concrete mix design. ACI Method of Concrete Mix Design Required Data: Before starting concrete mix design, basic information on raw materials shall be prepared which include: Sieve analyses of fine and coarse aggregates, Unit weight (dry rodded density) of coarse aggregate. Bulk specific gravities and absorptions or moisture content of aggregates Mixing-water requirements of concrete developed from experience with available aggregates. Specific gravities of Portland cement and other cementitious materials, if used. Relationships between strength and water-cement ratio or ratio of water-to-cement plus other cementitious materials, for available combinations of cements, other cementitious materials if considered, and aggregates.Procedure for ACI Method of Concrete Mix Design 1. Choice of Slump If slump is not specified, a value appropriate for the work can be selected from Table 1. The values provided in the table can be used only when vibration is used to consolidate concrete. To read more about slump, Please click here. Table 1 Recommended slumps for various types of construction stumps Constraction te ‘baler mon wl ng a 1" Phin okngs, aise, and substructure was ‘Beams and tenforeed walt 100 Bung calumne 109 Pavementsand sie % Maes concrete 2s 50 “ata intend 25m for methods of consoldation other than vibration 2. Choice of maximum size of aggregate commonly, maximum aggregate size should be the largest that is economically available and consistent with dimensions of structural elements. ACI 211.1-91 specify that, maximum aggregate size shall not surpass: ‘© One-fifth of the narrowest dimension between sides of forms. © one-third the depth of slabs © 3/4-ths of the minimum clear spacing between individual reinforcing bars, bundles of bars, or pre-tensioning strands. These limitations may be ignored provided that workability and methods of consolidation are such that the conorete can be placed without honeycomb or void, 3. Estimation of mixing water and air content ‘The quantity of water per unit volume of concrete required to produce a given slump is dependent on:nominal maximum size particle shape grading of the aggregates concrete temperature amount of entrained air use of chemical admixtures Table 2 and Table 3 provide estimates of required mixing water for concrete made with various maximum sizes of aggregate, for non-air and air-entrainment concrete, respectively. Table 2 Approximate mixing water (Kg/m3) and air content for different slumps and nominal maximum sizes of aggregates for non-air content concrete Water, Kgim of eoncrete for indicated nominal maximum sizes ofaggregate stamp, mm os 28 25-50 207 198 75.100 228 216 80.175 243228 Approximate Air 2 25 ‘content quantity % 1» 205 216 25 m9 193 202 an 166 181 50 169 ™ 130 us. oa 150 us wa 2 Table 3 Approximate mixing water (Kg/m3) and air content for different slumps and nominal maximum sizes of aggregates for air content concrete ‘Water, Ketm?of concrete for indicated nominal maxim sizes of Slump. os ws ire 202 18 2 2065, Recommended average total air content (4) for different eve ofexposure aldexposure 45 Moderate exposure Severe exposure 1» 25 as 60 ra m™ 50 Ma 17 180 % wa a 150 wr ug4, Selection of water-cement or water-cementitious material ratio Strength, durability, and determine water to cement ratio: Without strength vs. wic ratio data for a certain material, a conservative estimate can be made for the accepted 28-day compressive strength from Table 4, Additionally, if there are severe exposure conditions, such as freezing and thawing, exposure to seawater, or sulfates, the w/c ratio can be obtained from table 5. Table 4 Relationship between water-cement or water-cementitious materials ratio and compressive strength of concrete {8 dpecomarnee tenet inom) 5. Calculation of cement content The amount of cement is fixed by the determinations made in Steps 3 and 4 above Weight of cement = weight of water/water to cement ratio (eq. 1) 6. Estimation of coarse aggregate content The most economical conerete will have as much as possible space occupied by coarse aggregate since it will require no cement in the space filled by coarse aggregate. The percent of coarse aggregate to concrete for a given maximum size and fineness modulus is given by Table 6. Coarse aggregate volumes are based on oven-dry rodded weights obtained in accordance with ASTM C 29.Table /olume of coarse aggregate per unit of volume of concrete ‘Maxima seeregat ie,ram o8 050 ots ws os asr oss ase » os ast nego 7. Estimation of fine aggregate content At the completion of Step 6, all ingredients of the concrete have been estimated except the fine aggregate. There are two standard methods to establish the fine aggregate content, the mass method and the volume method. The "volume" method will be used because it is a somewhat more exact procedure. The volume of fine aggregates is found by subtracting the volume of cement, water, air, and coarse aggregate from the total concrete volume. Then once the volumes are known the weights of each ingredient can be calculated from the specific gravities The volume occupied in concrete by any ingredient is equal to its weight divided by the density of that material (the latter being the product of the unit weight of water and the specific gravity of the material) 8. Adjustments for aggregate moisture ‘Aggregate volumes are computed based on oven dry unit weights, but aggregate is typically batched based on actual weight, Therefore, any moisture in the aggregate will increase its weight and stockpiled aggregates almost always contain some moisture. Without correcting for this, the batched aggregate volumes will be incorrect. Amount of mixing water If the batched aggregate is anything but saturated surface dry it will absorb water (if oven dry or air dry) or give up water (if wet) to the cement paste. This causes a net change in the amount of water available in the mix and must be compensated for by adjusting the amount of mixing water added. Oven Dry AlrDry Saturated Surface Dry Wet O@@@ [__Absorion_ ‘capacity ee} |9. Trial Batch Adjustments The ACI Method is written on the basis that a trial batch of concrete will be prepared in the laboratory, and adjusted to give the desired slump, freedom from segregation, finishability, unit weight, air content and strength.