UNIT 1

Bogue’s Compounds

Raw materials used for the manufacturing of cement contains lime, silica, alumina and Iron
oxides i.e. CaO, Al2O3, SiO2, Fe2O3, MgO all interact with one another in Kiln to form complex
compounds.
The Identification of the major compounds is largely based on R.H.Bogue’s work and
hence it is called Bogues compounds.

Name of the compound Formula Abbreviated

Tricalcium Silicate 3CaOSiO2 C3 S

Di calcium Silicate 2CaOSiO2 C3 S

Tri calcium Aluminate 3CaOAl2O3 C3A

Tetra calcium Alumino Ferrite 4CaOAl2O3Fe2O3 C4AF

In addition to the four major compounds, there are many minor compounds formed in the
kiln namely K2O and Na2O3 referred to as alkalis. The influence of these compounds on the
properties of cement or hydrated compounds is not significant.
Tricalcium Silicate and Dicalcium Silicate are the most important compounds responsible for the
strength; together they constitute 70 to 80% of cement. The average C3S compound in modern
cement is about 45% and that of C2S about 25%.The presence of C3A in cement is undesirable it
contributes little or nothing to the strength of cement except at the early ages and when the
hardened cement paste is attacked by sulphates, expansions due to the formation of calcium
sulfoaluminate from C3A may result in disruption of the hardened paste. However C3A acts as a
flux and thus reduces the temperature of burning clinker and facilitates the combination of lime
and silica.

The Equation suggested by Bogue for calculating the percentage of major compounds is
given below:

C3 S = 4.07(CaO) - 7.60(SiO2) - 6.7(Al2O3) - 1.43(Fe2O3) - 2.85(SiO3)

C2 S = 2.87(SiO2) -0.754(3CaO.SiO2)

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

C3 A = 2.65(Al2O3) – 1.69(Fe2O3)

C4AF = 3.04(Fe2O3)

Structural Hydrated Cement Paste

Macro structure: Can be seen (200µm or larger).
Micro structure: Must be observed with the aid of microscope.
 Macroscopically, concrete may be considered to be composed of 2 phase’s aggregates and
paste and it is heterogeneous distribution, but at the micro scale we see that the 2 phases are
not homogeneous themselves.
 Micro structural homogeneities can lead to serious effects on strength and other related
mechanical properties.

Fig1.1: Process of micro structure of hydration of cement paste

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 The term hydrated cement paste refers to paste made from Portland cement.
 When Portland cement is dispersed in water, the calcium sulphate and the high temperature
compounds of calcium begins to go into the solution, and the liquid phase get rapidly
saturated with various ionic species.
 As a result of interaction between Calcium, sulphate, aluminate and hydroxyl ions within a
few minutes of cement hydration, the needle shaped crystals of calcium trisulfo aluminate
hydrate called ettringite (C6AS3H32) first make their appearance.
 A few hours later, large prismatic crystals of calcium hydroxide and very small fibrous crystal
of calcium silicate hydrates begins to fill the empty space formerly occupied by water and the
dissolving cement particles.
 After some days, depending on the alumina to sulphate ratio of the Portland cement, ettringite
may become unstable and will decompose to form mono sulfoaluminate hydrate (C4ASH18),
which has hexagonal plate morphology.

Solids:
C-S-H
CH
Ettringite
Monosulphate hydrate
Residual unhydrated cement.
Voids:
Entrapped air (>1mm)
Entrapped air (75-500µm)
Capillary pores
Interlayer space.
Water:
Capillary water
Absorbed water
Interlayer water
Chemically combined water.
Calcium silicate hydrate phase, abbreviated as C-S-H, makes up to 50 to 60% of the volume of
solids in a completely hydrated Portland cement paste and is, therefore, the most important phase
determining the properties of the paste.
Calcium hydroxide crystals also called (portlandite) constitutes 20 to25% of the volume of solids
in the hydrated paste compared with C-S-H, the strength contribution potential of calcium
hydroxide is limited as a result of considerably lower surface area.

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Calcium sulfo aluminate hydrate occupies 15 to 20% of the solid volume in the hydrated paste
and therefore play only minor role in the microstructure property relationship.

Volume of Hydrated Cement Paste

 The gross space available for the product of hydration consists of the absolute volume of dry
cement together with the volume of water added to the mix.
 The water bound chemically by C3S and C2S was shown to be very approximately 24 and
21% of the mass of the silicates respectively. The corresponding figure for C 3A and C4AF are
40 and 37% respectively.
 The final reaction of hydration of C4AF is
C4AF + 22Ca (OH) 2 + 10H ------->C3AH6 + C3FH6
 It is inadequate to state amount of water combined chemically. It is preferable therefore to
consider non-evaporable water. This water determines under specified conditions, is taken as
23% of the mass of anhydrous cement.
 The specific gravity of the products of the hydration of cement is such that they occupy
greater volume than absolute volume of unhydrated cement but smaller than the sum of
volume of dry cement and the non-evaporable water by approximately 0.254 of the volume of
latter.
 An average value of specific gravity of the products of hydration in a saturated state is 2.16.

Example:

Let us consider the hydration of 100g of cement

Taking the specific gravity of cement as 3.15

. . . The absolute volume of unhydrated cement is

100
= 31.8ml
3.15

The non-evaporable water is about 23% of the mass of cement i.e. 23ml

The solid particles of hydration occupy a volume equal to the sum of volumes of unhydrous
cement and water less 0.254 of the volume of non-evaporable water i.e.

31.8 + 0.23x100 x(1-0.254) = 48.9ml

The paste in this condition has characteristic porosity of about 28%

The volume of gel water Wg is given by

Wg
=0.28
48.9+Wg

Where Wg =19ml

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

 Volume of hydrated cement = 48.9 + 19

= 67.9ml

Summarizing, we have

Mass of dry cement = 100g

Absolute volume of dry cement = 31.8ml

Weight of combined water = 23.0g

Volume of gel water = 19.0ml

Total water in mix = 42.0ml

W/C ratio by mass = 0.42

W/C ratio by volume = 1.32

Volume of hydrated cement = 67.9ml

Original volume of cement and water = 73.8ml

Decrease in volume due to hydration = 5.9ml

Volume of products of hydration of 1 ml of dry cement = 2.1ml

The decrease in volume of 5.9ml represents the empty capillary space distributed
throughout the hydrated cement paste

5.9ml
Empty
capillary
42.0ml pours
water
19ml
Gel water

31.8ml 48.9ml
cement Solid product

Fig1.2: Diagrammatic representation of volume changes on hydration of cement paste with a

W/C ratio of 0.42.

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

 Transition Zone
 The interface between the hydrated cement paste and aggregate known as transition zone,
Which has high porosity, and is therefore weaker, than the hydrated paste further away from
the aggregate?
 The surface of the aggregate is covered with a thin layer of Ca(OH)2 followed by a thin layer
of C-S-H, and thick layers of the same materials but without any unhydrated cement.
 In the ultimate analysis it is the integrity of the transition zone that influences the strength of
concrete.
 The bleeding takes place in the fresh concrete. The bleeding water in the process of coming up
gets intercepted by aggregates, particularly large size flaky and elongated aggregates and gets
accumulated at the interface between paste and aggregate. The extra water remaining at the
interface, results in poor paste structure and poor gel bond at the transition zone.

Fig 1.3: Transition zone

 The paste shrinks while hardening. The magnitude of shrinkage is higher with higher water
content, in which case, a higher shrinkage take place at the transition zone which results in
greater shrinkage cracks at the transition zone.
 It can be deduced that considerable micro cracks or faults exists in the transition zone even
before the concrete structure are subjected to any load or stress and the existing micro cracks
in transition zone propagate much faster with tiny jumps and develops bigger cracks then rest
of the body of concrete and structure fails much earlier than the general strength of concrete.
Therefore the transition zone is the weakest zone.

Factors Affecting Strength of Concrete

Concrete strength is affected by many factors, such as quality of raw materials, water/cement
ratio, coarse/fine aggregate ratio, and age of concrete, compaction of concrete, temperature,
relative humidity and curing of concrete.

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

1. Quality of Raw Materials
Cement: Provided the cement conforms to the appropriate standard and it has been stored
correctly (i.e. in dry conditions), it should be suitable for use in concrete.
Aggregates: Quality of aggregates, its size, shape, texture, strength etc. determines the strength of
concrete. The presence of salts (chlorides and sulphates), silt and clay also reduces the strength of
concrete.
Water: frequently the quality of the water is covered by a clause stating “The water should be fit
for drinking...” This criterion though is not absolute and reference should be made to respective
codes for testing of water construction purpose.
2. Water / Cement Ratio:
The relation between water cement ratio and strength of concrete is shown in the plot as shown
below:

The higher the water/cement ratio, the greater the initial spacing between the cement grains and
the greater the volume of residual voids not filled by hydration products.
There is one thing missing on the graph. For a given cement content, the workability of the
concrete is reduced if the water/cement ratio is reduced. A lower water cement ratio means less
water, or more cement and lower workability.
However if the workability becomes too low the concrete becomes difficult to compact and the
strength reduces. For a given set of materials and environment conditions, the strength at any age
depends only on the water-cement ratio, providing full compaction can be achieved.
3. Coarse / fine aggregate ratio:
Following points should be noted for coarse/fine aggregate ratio:
If the proportion of fines is increased in relation to the coarse aggregate, the overall aggregate
surface area will increase.
If the surface area of the aggregate has increased, the water demand will also increase.
Assuming the water demand has increased, the water cement ratio will increase.
Since the water cement ratio has increased, the compressive strength will decrease.

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

4. Aggregate / Cement Ratio:
Following points must be noted for aggregate cement ratio:
If the volume remains the same and the proportion of cement in relation to that of sand is
increased the surface area of the solid will increase.
If the surface area of the solids has increased, the water demand will stay the same for the
constant workability.
Assuming an increase in cement content for no increase in water demand, the water cement ratio
will decrease.
If the water cement ratio reduces, the strength of the concrete will increase.
The influence of cement content on workability and strength is an important one to remember and
can be summarized as follows:

1. For a given workability an increase in the proportion of cement in a mix has little effect on the
water demand and results in a reduction in the water/cement ratio.
2. The reduction in water/cement ratio leads to an increase in strength of concrete.
3. Therefore, for a given workability an increase in the cement content results in an increase in
strength of concrete.
5. Age of concrete:
The degree of hydration is synonymous with the age of concrete provided the concrete has not
been allowed to dry out or the temperature is too low.
In theory, provided the concrete is not allowed to dry out, then it will always be increasing albeit
at an ever reducing rate. For convenience and for most practical applications, it is generally
accepted that the majority of the strength has been achieved by 28 days.
6. Compaction of concrete:
Any entrapped air resulting from inadequate compaction of the plastic concrete will lead to a
reduction in strength. If there was 10% trapped air in the concrete, the strength will fall down in
the range of 30 to 40%.

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

7. Temperature
The rate of hydration reaction is temperature dependent. If the temperature increases the reaction
also increases. This means that the concrete kept at higher temperature will gain strength more
quickly than a similar concrete kept at a lower temperature.
However, the final strength of the concrete kept at the higher temperature will be lower. This is
because the physical form of the hardened cement paste is less well structured and more porous
when hydration proceeds at faster rate.
This is an important point to remember because temperature has a similar but more pronounced
detrimental effect on permeability of the concrete.

8. Relative humidity
If the concrete is allowed to dry out, the hydration reaction will stop. The hydration reaction
cannot proceed without moisture. The three curves shows the strength development of similar
concretes exposed to different conditions.

9. Curing
It should be clear from what has been said above that the detrimental effects of storage of concrete
in a dry environment can be reduced if the concrete is adequately cured to prevent excessive
moisture loss.

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

Rheology of Concrete in terms of Bingham’s Parameters
Rheology may be defined as the science of deformation and flow of materials, and in concerned
with relationship between stress, strain, rate of strain, and time.
The rheology of fresh concrete like workability includes the parameters of stability, mobility and
compactability, which are necessary to determine the suitability of any concrete mix as shown in
fig4

Fig1.4: Parameters defining the rheology of fresh concrete

Stability is defined as a condition in which the aggregate particles are held in homogeneous
dispersion by matrix, and random sampling shows the same particle size distribution during
transportation, placing and compaction. The stability of concrete is measured by its segregation
and bleeding characteristics.
Mobility of fresh concrete is its ability to flow under momentum transfer, i.e., under mechanical
stresses. The flow is restricted by cohesive, viscous and frictional forces. The cohesive force
develops due to adhesion between matrix and aggregates. It provides tensile strength of fresh
concrete that resists segregation. The viscosity of the matrix contributes to the ease with which the
aggregate particles can move and rearrange themselves within the matrix. The internal friction
occurs when a mixture is displaced and the aggregate particles translate and rotate.
Compactability measures the ease with which fresh concrete is compacted. Compacting consists
of expelling entrapped air and repositioning the aggregate particles in a dense mass without
causing segregation. Compactability is measured by the compacting factor test.
Representation of rheological behavior
The ideal liquid which follows Newton’s law of viscous flow, i.e. shear stress being proportional
to the rate of shear strain, are termed Newtonian liquids. The constant of proportionality may be
used as a physical constant characteristic of the materials. The flow behavior of fresh concrete
does not conform to it. The ratio of shear stress to shear rate is not constant but depends upon the

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

shear rate at which it is measured, and also may depend on the shear history of the concrete
sample being investigated. However, at low shear rates that are important in practice, the behavior
can be represented by a straight line which does not pass through the origin, i.e. which has an
intercept on the stress axis. The intercept indicates the minimum stress below which no flow
occurs.
The fact that concrete can stand in pile (as in the case of the slump test) suggests that there is
some minimum stress necessary for flow to occur at all. The minimum stress is called yield stress
and designated by the symbol . Thus the simplest flow equation of concrete illustrated in the
below figure can be written as



Where is the yield value indicating the cohesion of the material, is a constant having the
dimensions of viscosity and termed plastic viscosity. This mathematical relationship is called
Bingham model.

Fig 1.5: Bingham Model

The constants andare the parameters characterizing the flow properties of the material. Thus
Bingham model relates the shear stress of the material expressed in terms of its cohesion to plastic
viscosity, and the rate at which the shear load is applied. Accordingly, the workability of the
concrete cannot be defined by the single point test that determine only one parameter, i.e. produce
only single point and therefore have to be used in combination with other tests to achieve a better
understanding of concrete rheology. For example, the Vee-Bee test can be used with compaction
factor test to measure mobility and compact ability. Tattersall measured mobility characteristics
by a single test method which produces two or more points (shear conditions). The procedure is

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

based on determining the power required to mix concrete at various speeds and then calculating
torque by dividing the power by the speed. The torque is related to the mixing speed by the
following relation.

T= g + hN

Where T is the torque measured, at N rps, and g and h are constants proportional to the cohesion
and plastic viscosity, respectively, of the mixture.

It has been found that the two mixtures having identical values for consistency, compaction
factor, and Vee-Bee time. On the other hand, when these value differ, two mixtures may show
similarity in any one of the three standard tests, but will behave differently in the other two.

The behavior of concrete departs significantly from the Bingham model in at least one of the
following respects.

i. Yield stress is not well defined, and

ii. The flow curve is not linear except over a very limited range of shear rates.

In case the flow curve is concave upward, i.e. one of which the slope increases with shear rate, it
indicates that the shearing forces are destroying some structure that existed in the material when it
was unstressed, the progress of destruction being greater for higher shear rates. The curve ABC of
below figure is obtained as the rate of shear is gradually increased up to C,

Fig 1.6: Deformation curve for fresh concrete

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if the rate of shear is now decreased steadily to zero, the down curve may not co-inside with the
up-curve. If the point C represents the breakdown in the structure under shear and the structural
breakdown process is immediately and instantaneously reversed, the decrease in shear rate from D
will result in progressive built up of structure to the same state as it had on the up curve. On the
other hand, time is required for the structure to rebuild, thus as the rate of shear is decreased the
shear stress at any particular rate of shear on the down curve will be less than the shear at the
same rate on the up curve and the two curves will not be coincident and hysteresis loop will form.
Provided its limits are recognized, the Bingham model can be applied to fresh concrete under
practical circumstances.

Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete

Typical Stress-Strain Plot of Concrete

(1) At stress below 30% of ultimate strength, the transition zone cracks remain stable. The stress-
strain plot remains linear.
(2) At stress between 30% and 50% of ultimate strength, the transition zone microcracks begin to
increase in length, width and numbers. The stress-strain plot becomes non-linear.
(3) At 50 to 60% of the ultimate stress, cracks begin to form in the matrix. With further increase
to about 75% of the ultimate stress, the cracks in the transition become unstable, and crack
propagation in the matrix will increase. The stress-strain curve bends towards the horizontal.
(4) At 75 to 80% of the ultimate stress, the stress reaches a critical stress level for spontaneous
crack growth under a sustained stress. Cracks propagate rapidly in both the matrix and the
transition zone. Failure occurs when the cracks join together and become continuous.
• Concrete is not a truly elastic material, as evident from the nonlinear stress-strain curve for
concrete, shown in the following Fig.7

Fig1.7: Stress strain curve for concrete

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

• Since the stress-strain curve for concrete is nonlinear, following methods for computing the
modulus of elasticity of concrete are used yielding various types of modulus of elasticity for
concrete:

1. The “initial tangent modulus”

It is given by the slope of a line drawn tangent to the stress-strain curve at the origin

2. The “tangent modulus”

It is given by the slope of a line drawn tangent to the stress-strain curve at any point on the
curve

3. The “secant modulus”

It is given by the slope of a line drawn from the origin to a point on the curve corresponding to
a 40% stress of the failure stress

4. The “chord modulus”

It is given by the slope of a line drawn between two points on the stress-strain curve

Calculation of the above four types of moduli of elasticity for concrete has been explained
below using a typical stress-strain curve, as shown in the following Fig.8

Fig1.8: Stress strain curve for concrete

Modulus of elasticity for concrete determined from an experimental stress-strain relation curve, as
described above, is generally termed as static modulus of elasticity (Ec) whereas the modulus of
elasticity determined through the longitudinal vibration test is termed as dynamic modulus of
elasticity (Ed)

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

Relationship between modulus of elasticity of concrete and compressive strength

Is:456-2000 has recommended the following expression

E=5000√fck
BS 8110: Part 2:1985 has recommended the following expression for 28-day Ec in terms of 28-
day cube compressive strength (fcu), for normal weight concrete (i.e. concrete with density, ρ ≈
2400 kg/m3):

Ec28 = 20 + 0.2 fcu28 (where Ec28 is in GPa and fcu28 is in MPa)

Note: For lightweight concrete the above values of Ec28 should be multiplied by the factors
(ρ/2400)2 and (ρ/150)2 respectively.

ACI Building Code 318-89 recommends the following expression for (Ec) in terms of cylinder
compressive strength (fcyl), for normal weight concrete (i.e. concrete with density, ρ ≈ 2400
kg/m3):

Ec = 4.7 (fcyl)0.5 (where Ec is in GPa and fcyl is in MPa)

- for normal weight concrete of density = 2400

0.33
Ec, 28 = 9.1fcu kg/m3,
and
Ec, 28= 1.7ρ2 fcu0.33 x10-6 for lightweight concrete - (ρ) =1400–2400 kg/m3

CEB - FIP Model Code (Euro-International)

E = 2.15 X 104 (fcm/10)1/3, E in MPa and fcm in MPa.

Static modulus of elasticity (Ed) for concrete

• Experimental stress-strain relation curve, as described above, is generally termed as static

modulus of elasticity (Ec) and is short term modulus.
• If creep effect is considered at a given load, the modulus determined is referred to as long
term modulus of elasticity.

ELong = EShort/(1+θ),
Where θ is creep coefficient and Creep coefficient is the ratio of creep strain to
elastic strain
ELong < Eshort

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

Dynamic modulus of elasticity (Ed) for concrete

Modulus of elasticity determined through the longitudinal vibration test by velocity of sound or
frequency of sound is termed as dynamic modulus of elasticity (Ed) Dynamic modulus of
elasticity of concrete (Ed) is approximately taken as equal to the initial tangent modulus of
elasticity of concrete. Ed is more as creep effect is not considered.
Dynamic modulus of elasticity for normal and light weight concrete in GN/m2 (GPa) is given by

Ec = 1.25 Ed – 19 - for Normal weight concrete and Ec = 1.04 Ed –

4.1 - for light weight concrete, GN/m2
If M20 NWC is used, Ec = 22.4 GPa, Ed = 33.12 GPa, 48% more

Conduct NDT on concrete prism Subject beam to longitudinal vibration at its natural frequency
and measure the resonant frequency (n, Hz) or the UPV (km/s) through it.

Ed = Kn2L2ρ ; If L in mm,
ρ in kg/m3, then
Ed = 4x10-15n2L2ρ, in GPa

Appx. Ranges of Resonant Frequencies of Concrete beam 100 x 100 x 500 mm Transverse
900–1600 Hz, Longitudinal 2500–4500 Hz.
If n= 4000 Hz, Ed = 38.4 GPa

Conduct NDT on concrete prism and measure the UPV (km/s) through it. UPV = Path
length/Transit time

µ = Poisson’s ratio, 0.2 - 0.24 If V in

km/s, ρ in kg/m3
Ed in MPa
Let V= 4km/s, µ = 0.2, ρ =2400 kg/m3 Ed =
34560 MPa = 34.6 GPa
Here Ed is more as there is no creep

Determination of modulus of elasticity of concrete

Testing of cube or cylinder in uni-axial compression test.

Measure load and the corresponding deformation as the load is increased. Draw the stress strain
curve.

Strain =Dial gauge reading/gauge length = dl/L Stress = Load/Cross sectional area= P/A

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

Use Compressometer and Extensometer to measure deformations. Draw stress strain diagram and
determine the required modulus.

Deflection: E can be determined from testing of beam also.

For central point load

Max. Deflection, δ = WL3/48EIxx

Poisson’s ratio

In analysis and design of some type of structure the knowledge of poisson’s ratio is required.
When a material is compressed in one direction, it usually tends to expand in the other two
directions perpendicular to the direction of compression. This phenomenon is called the Poisson
effect. Poisson's ratio µ is a measure of the Poisson effect. The Poisson ratio is the ratio of the
fraction (or percent) of expansion divided by the fraction (or percent) of compression, for small
values of these changes. µ = 0.15 - 0.20 – Actual value to be found from strain measurements on
concrete cylinder using extensometer.
An alternate method for finding Poisson’s ratio is from UPV test and by finding the fundamental
natural frequency of longitudinal vibration of concrete beam. The Poisson’s ratio can be found
from the following equation. The Poisson’s ratio is slightly higher and it ranges from 0.2 to 0.24.

Where V = Pulse velocity mm/s

n = Resonant frequency in Hz and
L= Length of the beam in mm.
ρ = density of concrete
Ed = Dynamic modulus of elasticity of concrete

Factors affecting modulus of elasticity

1. Cement and aggregate factors

Since concrete is a composite material, consisting of cement paste and aggregate, its modulus of
elasticity depends on the moduli of elasticity and the volume fractions of cement paste and
aggregate, as follows:

Ec = [ {(1-Va)Ep + (1+Va) Ea} / {(1+Va)Ep + (1-Va) Ea}]Ep

Where, Ec = modulus of elasticity of concrete

Ep = modulus of elasticity of cement paste
Ea = modulus of elasticity of aggregate

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

 Va = volume fraction of aggregate = 1-Vp
Vp = volume fraction of cement paste = 1-Va

• Ep depends on the porosity of cement paste and the porosity of cement paste depends on the
gel/space ratio (Ep is approximately proportional to the cube of the gel/space ratio) and gel/space
ratio finally depends on the w/c ratio (gel/space ratio is inversely proportional to w/c ratio)

Note: The reason behind relating Ep with compressive strength of concrete lies in the fact that the
compressive strength is also affected in the same way as, Ep

• Ea for lightweight aggregates is found to be much lower than that for the normal weight
aggregate. This is why the elastic modulus of lightweight concrete is less than that of the normal-
weight aggregate (Ec, light weight concrete = 0.4 to 0.8 Ec, normal weight concrete)

2. Moisture condition factor

The moisture condition of the specimen is a factor: a wet specimen has a modulus of elasticity
higher than by 3 to 4 GPa than a dry one.

Note: The effect of moisture condition of specimen is reverse in case of the compressive
strength.

3. Condition of curing
Another factor affecting the modulus of elasticity of concrete is the manner in which the test
cylinders were cured. In general, concrete specimens that were cured in moist conditions resulted
in a modulus value higher than those cured in dry conditions. This is due to the fact that in dry
conditions concrete is more likely to have drying shrinkage. Drying shrinkage causes small
cracks. These small cracks thus will cause the concrete to have a reduced modulus of elasticity.

4. Age of concrete: As age increases, E increases

5. Mix proportion (C + A + W): All ingredients will have its own effect. For a given mix, the
effect of one variable should be considered keeping all other variables constant.

6. Strength of concrete: As strength increases, E increases as shown in Table

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore

7. Rate of loading. As the rate of loading increases, E also increases as the creep effect is less.

8. Size and shape of specimen - Cube vs cylinder, small vs large

9. Effect of transition zone

The void spaces and the micro cracks in the transition zone play a major role in affecting the
stress-strain behavior of concrete.
The transition zone characteristics affect the elastic modulus more than it affects the compressive
strength of concrete.
Silica fumes, met kaolin, RHA in concrete have significant effect on E.

Yashwanth. M. K, Asst. Professor, MIT, Mysore