CE 305: Building Materials & Construction

Dr Vishisht Bhaiya
Department of Civil Engineering
SVNIT, Surat
Concrete
 Concrete
• Concrete
– Cement + FA (Sand) + Coarse Aggregate + Water
– Can be moulded in desired shape and size
• Before loosing plasticity and hardens
– Used for all construction work
• Plain or
• Reinforced Cement Concrete
• Precast concrete
• Prestressed concrete, etc
– Cement: Properties and types
• Discussed already
 Concrete
• Aggregates
– 60 to 80% of volume of concrete is occupied by aggregates
– Significance
• Cost
• Dimensional stability
• Strength and stiffness
• Abrasion resistance
 Concrete
• Aggregates (Fine and Coarse )
– Inert and chemically inactive
• Forms bulk of cement concrete
– Aggregates are bounded by cement
– Two categories
• Fine
• Coarse
– Fine aggregates FA
• Pass through 4.75mm sieve
– e.g., natural river sand
– Coarse aggregates CA
• Materials retained on 4.75mm sieve
– e.g., broken stone
 Concrete
• Water
– Clean and free from harmful impurities such as oil, alkali,
acid etc.
– Water fit for drinking should be used
 Concrete
• Admixtures
– To improve the properties of plain concrete
• Air entraining agents
• Water proofing agents
• Workability agents
 Concrete
• Proportioning
– Proportion of ingredients changes the strength of
concrete
• Mix design helps to attain desired strength through
proper proportioning of materials
 Concrete
• Grades of Concrete
– In absence of mix design
• Use nominal mix proportions (volume ratio) to
different grades
– M5 = 1:5:10 (Cement: FA: CA)
– M7.5 = 1:4:8
– M10 = 1:3:6
– M15 = 1:2:4
– M20 = 1:1.5:3
– M25 = 1:1:2
– M refers to mix and the number indicates the specified
compressive strength of mix at 28 days,
expressed in MPa or N/mm2
 Concrete
• Grades of Concrete
– Applications of nominal mix concrete

S.No. Proportions Applications

1 1:1:2 For machine foundation, footings for steel
columns and concreting under water
2 1:1.5:3 Water tanks, shells and folded plates, for other
water retaining structures
3 1:2:4 Reinforced concrete works like beams, slabs,
tunnel lining, bridges
4 1:3:6 Piers, abutments, concrete walls, sill of
windows, floors
5 1:4:8 Mass concrete like dams, foundation course for
walls, for making concrete blocks
 Concrete
• Grades of Concrete
– IS 456: 2000 classification
• Ordinary concrete
– M10, M15, and M20
• Standard concrete
– M25, M30, M35, M40, M45, M50, and M55
• High strength concrete
– M60, M70, M75, and M80
– For lean concrete bases and simple foundations
of masonry walls
• May use M5 and M7.5 grades of concrete
– Need not design the mix
– < M20 are not used in RCC work
 Concrete
• Grades of Concrete
– Characteristic Compressive Strength
• Value below which not more than 5 per cent results
are expected to fall
 Concrete
• Strength of Concrete
– Strength of concrete
• Resistance to rupture
– Number of ways to measure
• Strength in
– Compression
– Tension
– Shear
– Flexure
– Compressive strength of concrete
• Determined by testing cubes or cylinders in laboratory
or field
– Size of mould 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm
– Concrete is graded based on compressive strength
 Concrete
• Strength of Concrete
– Concrete develops strength with continued hydration
– Rate of gain of strength is faster
• Rate reduces with age
– It is customary to assume the 28 days strength as the full
strength of concrete
• Actually concrete develops strength beyond

Variation of strength with age

Age of Curing (Days) Approx. strength achieved
3 1/3rd of target strength
7 2/3rd of target strength
28 90% of target strength
 Concrete
• Workability of Concrete
– Ease with which concrete can be mixed, placed and
compacted
– Slump test
• To define workability
• Method used for measuring
workability of concrete in
laboratory or at site of work
 Concrete
• Water-Cement Ratio
– Strength of concrete depends on
• Quantity and quality of its ingredients
– i.e., Cement, aggregate and water
• Strength of concrete depends on
– Quantity of cement
» Increases with increase in cement content
– Water cement ratio
 Concrete
• Durability of Concrete
– High durability
• Not much affected by atmospheric actions
– With age
• Concrete gets hardened
• Increase in strength
 Concrete
• Durability of Concrete
 Concrete
• Process involved
– To make concrete with desired strength and durability
• Storing of materials
– Cement, aggregate, etc
• Batching of materials
– By volume or by weight
• Mixing
– Manual or by mixer machine
• Transportation
• Placing
• Compaction
• Finishing
• Curing
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Production of concrete
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Equipments
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Equipments
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Ready mix plant
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Storing of Materials
• Cement
– Fine powder
– Hygroscopic nature
» It absorbs moisture from air or free water and starts
setting
– Warehouse for storing
» Must fulfill basic requirements
– Stored cement for long time
» Must be checked before use
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Batching of Materials
• Measurement of ingredients of concrete for proper
mixing
– It is mixed in one batch, which can be transported, placed and
compacted within time
» Before initial set takes place
– Two types of batching
» Volume batching
» Weight batching
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Batching of Materials
• Volume Batching
– Measurement of Cement
» Always measured by weight
» A batch of concrete consume
full bags of cement (50 kg)
– Measurement of Water
» Measured by volume as it is difficult to measure weight
by unskilled labours
– Measurement of Aggregate by Volume
» Wooden box with equivalent capacity or part of one
cement bag i.e., 35 litres are used
» The boxes are known as Petties or Farmas or Gauge Box
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Batching of Materials
• Weight Batching
– Ingredients of concrete are measured by weight
– More accurate
– Used for high quality concrete requirement
– One cement bag or its multiple is the basic unit
– Allowance for water present in aggregate is made
» But bulking has no effect
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Mixing of Concrete
• Manual or Hand Mixing
– Adopted for small works requiring less quantity of concrete
– Ingredients are mixed manually
• Machine Mixing
– To produce large quantity of concrete at faster rate and lesser
cost
» Continuous mixer
» Batch type mixer
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Mixing of Concrete
• Machine Mixing
– Continuous mixer
» Mixes and delivers concrete just as a steady stream of
concrete, till it is in operation
» Not so common in India
– Batch type mixer
» Mixes and discharge each loads
of materials separately
Tilting
» Two types
(a) Tilting mixers
(b) Non-Tilting or Rotary Mixers

Rotary
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Mixing of Concrete
• Machine Mixing 10/7 Concrete Mixer

Hand Feed
Concrete Mixer

Pan Mixer Tilting

Non Tilting
Concrete
Mixer
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Transportation of concrete
• Initial setting time of concrete is 30 minutes
– Mixing, transportation, placing and compaction should be
completed within this time
– Time should not exceed one hour after initial setting time

Ready mix concrete –Transit mixer Helical Blades inside transit mixer
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Placing of concrete
• Concrete should be placed in single thickness
• Deep sections
– Concrete should be placed in successive horizontal layers
– Proper care should be taken to ensure enough bond between
successive layers
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Placing of concrete
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Placing of concrete
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Compaction
• Process which expels entrapped air from freshly
placed concrete
– Packs the aggregates
together to increase the
density of concrete
– Increases ultimate strength
and enhances bond with
reinforcement

Immersion vibrator
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Compaction or Consolidation
• Manual and Machine compaction

Relationship between strength and w/c ratio of concrete

 Concrete
• Process involved
– Finishing
• Brooming
– Performed before the concrete has thoroughly hardened
– Sufficiently hard to retain the scoring impression to produce a
slip-resistant surface
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Finishing
• Types
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Curing of Concrete
• Process of maintaining adequate moisture in concrete
within proper temperature range to aid cement
hydration at early ages
– Hydration between water and cement contributes to setting
and hardening
• Surfaces are kept wet for
certain period after placing
the concrete
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Curing of Concrete
• Methods
– Spraying of water
» Walls, columns, plastered surface
– Covering surface with wet gunny bags,
straw, etc.
» Columns and vertical elements
– Ponding
» Slabs and floors
– Steam curing
» Pre-fabricated concrete units
– Application of curing compounds
(CaCl2)
 Concrete
• Process involved
– Curing of Concrete
• Period of curing depends on type of cement and
nature of work, usually 28 days
– Ordinary Portland Cement
» Minimum curing period 7 to 14 days
– Rapid Hardening Cement
» Reduced curing period
• Significance
– Reduces drying shrinkage
and cracking
– To achieve maximum
compressive strength
» Completely hydrated
concrete
 Concrete
• Properties of Good Green Concrete
– Workability: Desirable
• Ease with which concrete can be placed, and
compacted without segregation and bleeding
– Segregation: Not allowed while transportation and placing
• Separation of coarse particles from concrete
– Bleeding: Not allowed
• Appearance of water along with cement paste on the
surface of freshly laid concrete
– Harshness: Not allowed
• Resistance offered by concrete to its surface
 Concrete
• Properties of Good Hardened Concrete
– Strength
• Required compressive strength
– Resistance to wear and tear: Good
– Dimensional changes
• Concrete shrinks with age
– Should be minimum
– Durability: Good
• Resistance to environmental actions due to
weathering, chemical attack, heat, freezing and
thawing, etc
– Impermeability: Good
• Resistance to flow of water
 Concrete
• Uses of Concrete
– Bed concrete below column footings, wall footings, on
wall to support beams
– Sill concrete
– Parapet walls (as coping concrete)
– Flagging area around buildings
– Pavements
– Making building blocks
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Plain Cement Concrete
– Reinforced Cement Concrete
– Pre-stressed Concrete
– Pre-cast Concrete
– High Strength or High Performance Concrete
– Self compacting or Self Consolidating Concrete
– Fibre Reinforced Concrete
– Light Weight/ Foamed Concrete
– Shotcrete
– Porous / Pervious / Permeable Concrete
– High Density Concrete
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Heat Resistant and Refractory Concrete
– Underwater Concrete
– Recycled Aggregate Concrete
– Geopolymer Concrete
– And more…
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Plain Cement Concrete
• Mixture of cement, sand, pebbles or crushed rock and
water
• Important Properties
– Free from corrosion
– High compressive strength
– Binds rapidly with steel
– Tendency to be porous
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Reinforced Cement Concrete
• Plain cement concrete is strong in compression but
weak in tension
• To enhance the tensile resistance
– Steel bars known as Reinforcements are embedded in
concrete
• Applications
– Footings, columns, lintels,
beams, roofs
– Bridges, dams,
retaining walls, etc.
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– High Strength / High Performance Concrete
• It satisfies all critical aspects of fabrication and
utilization, at lowest possible cost
• No unique high performance concrete
– Depends on application
• It refers to type of concrete that offers more than just
high strength
• High performance (Now a days)
– Implies
» High compressive
strength
» Durability
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– High Strength / High Performance Concrete
• Important characteristics
– Good quality material components
– Dense packing of aggregates
– Low w/c ratio (<0.35)
– Incorporate one or more pozzolanic mineral admixtures
» Silica fume, Fly ash, Slag, Metakaolin, etc.
– Adequate type and dosage of superplasticizer
» To obtain desired workability
– Proper curing
» To avoid early
cracking due to
shrinkage and
thermal stresses
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– High Strength / High Performance Concrete
• Mechanical Behaviour
– More pre-peak linearity
– Less pre-peak cracking and no crack coalescence
– Sharp post-peak descent
Stress
HSC

Plain
Concrete
Strain
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– High Strength / High Performance Concrete
• Applications
– >110 m height
– Designed to resist iceberg
impact
– Vertical parts were slip
formed; placing rate was
1 m/day
– Concrete had unit weight of Hibernia Offshore Platform, 1997
2200 – 2250 kg/m3,
Elastic modulus >32GPa
– Characteristic compressive strength = 69 MPa
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Self Compacting Concrete
• Concrete is capable of flowing
within mould or formwork, filling
it completely, passing through
reinforcement and consolidating
under its own weight

• Important characteristics
– Flowing or filling ability
– Passing ability
– Stability or resistance against
segregation
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Self Compacting Concrete
• Governing mechanism
– Fluidity and internal cohesion of
fresh concrete
• General Characteristics
– Max. aggregate size: 25 mm
– Paste content: 400 litres/m3
– Water/fines ratio: 0.31 to 0.36
– Fines content: 500 to 600 kg/m3
» Cement, mineral, admixtures,
fillers
– Superplasticizer for fluidity
– Viscosity modifier for stability and
robustness
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Shotcrete / Sprayed Concrete
• Concrete or mortar is placed by projecting it
pneumatically at high velocity onto a surface
• Wet-mix shotcrete
– Ingredients are mixed before introducing in the hose
– Compressed air is introduced to the material at nozzle
– Accelerator is used
» Added at the nozzle
• Used in tunnel lining,
slope stabilization and repair
• Used in sloped and shell roof
construction
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Shotcrete / Sprayed Concrete
• Mixing process
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC)
• It contains homogeneous distribution of randomly-
oriented short fibres
• Fibres
– Steel
» Improves properties of hardened concrete (Increases the
post-cracking strength)
– Polypropylene
– Asbestos
– Glass
– Nylon
– Coconut, etc.
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC)
• Fibres are
– Much shorter than dimensions of concrete element
– Stronger and can elongate more than the matrix under
tension
– Introduced in matrix during mixing of concrete
• Advantages
– More durable
– Increases toughness of concrete
– Decreases plastic shrinkage cracking
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Light Weight Concrete (LWC)
• Maximum density 1900 kg/m3
– Uses low density aggregates
• Intermediate density concretes
– Normal density aggregates are replaced with structural grade
low density aggregates
– Densities vary from 1900 to 2200 kg/m3
– Low density aggregates may be
» Natural
e.g., Shale, clay or slate
» Processed
e.g., Sintered or cold bonded
fly ash
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– High Density Concrete (HDC)
• Density >2800 kg/m3
– Typical range 3200 to 4200 kg/m3
• Made of high density aggregates
– Iron ores or pieces of steel
• Natural aggregates
– Density may range from 3600 to 4000 kg/m3
» Haematite, magnetite, limonite and ilmenite
– For high densities
» May use steel pieces
• Mixes
– Have tendency to segregate
– Normal concrete mix proportioning is adopted
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– High Density Concrete (HDC)
• Application
– Nuclear power plants and proton beam therapy clinics
» For radiation shielding
» High density facilitates attenuation of gamma and fast
neutron radiation
» For attenuation of moderate and slow neutrons,
aggregates containing hydrogen are desirable
– In India, HDC used in nuclear
power plants in Rawatbhata
and Kalpakkam for radiation
shielding
– Counterweights and
underwater pipeline
coverings
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– High Resistant/ Refractory Concrete
• High resistant concrete exposed to temperature up to
10000C and refractory concrete up to 19000C
• Concrete made up of high-alumina cement
– 40% alumina and 40% lime
– Cementitious compounds
» CA, C12A7 whose hydration results in C-A-H
• Aggregates can resist high temperatures
– Slag may be used
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Underwater Concrete
• Concrete must be
– Cohesive
» To minimize cement washout
– Flowing
» To fill spaces and bond well
– Self-compacting
» Vibration is not possible
• Uses high fines content and viscosity modifying
admixtures
– Use of tremies and pumps
to avoid fines from washing
away
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Recycled Aggregate Concrete
• Aggregates made from construction and demolition
waste
• Used in
– Road sub-base construction
– Engineering fill or Landfill
– Buildings blocks and paver blocks/slabs
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Recycled Aggregate Concrete
• Recycled aggregates from industrial wastes
– Waste glass
» Used as fine aggregates
» Used as glittery surface in precast concrete
» Susceptible to alkali-silica reactivity
– Granulated or crumb rubber
» Used in low-strength flowable concretes
» Improves flexibility and thermal insulating property
– Incinerator bottom ash
» Waste from burning municipal waste used in low
strength non-structural concrete
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Geopolymer Concrete
• Binder is made up of fine aluminosilicates activated by
alkalis to give poly (sialates)
– Sialate means silicon-oxo-aluminate
– Poly (sialates)
» Inorganic polymers with chain and ring structures of Si4+
and Al3+ in coordination with oxygen
• Production of geopolymers
– Natural materials
» Zeolite, lateritic rock and soils, clay, mica and feldspar
– Waste products
» Fly ash and slag
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Geopolymer Concrete
• Applications
– Building and paver blocks
– Heat- and chemical-resistant composites
– Hazardous waste encapsulation
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Pre-stressed Concrete
• High tensile steel wires are used as reinforcement
– Instead of mild steel bars
• Two types of prestressing
– Pre-tensioning
– Post-tensioning
• Pre-tensioning
– Wires are initially stressed and concrete is cast in moulds built
around wires
– Wires are released after attaining strength of concrete
– Tendency of concrete to return to their original length sets
compression in concrete
» Increases concrete resistance to tensile stresses
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Pre-stressed Concrete
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Pre-stressed Concrete
• Post-tensioning
– Wires are placed inside concrete and then stressed
• Prestressed concrete
– Saves concrete and steel around 50% and 80% compared to
RCC
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– No-fines / Pervious / Permeable Concrete
• Consists of cement, coarse aggregate and water
– Fine aggregate or sand is eliminated
• Used for
– Parking areas, path to swimming pool, etc.
• Advantages
– Possesses better insulating properties
– Unit weight of no-fines concrete = 2/3rd of unit weight of
conventional concrete
– Saving in materials as sand is not included
– Drying shrinkage is low
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Pre-cast Concrete
• Manufactured in factory and transported to site
• Advantages
– To obtain desired shape and accuracy
– Easy training can be given to labours in manufacturing process
– To obtain concrete of superior quality
– Precast structures can be dismantled easily and used
elsewhere
– Work can be completed in short time
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Pre-cast Concrete
 Concrete
• Types of Concrete
– Pre-cast Concrete
• Pre-cast panels