CONCRETE

TECHNOLOGY
by Shyam Askar
[BARC AIR-13]

Part - 1
CONTENTS
Introduction to Concrete
Ingredients of Concrete
Properties of Concrete
Steps of Concrete Manufacturing Process
The maturity concept
Abram's water-cement ratio
Exposure condition
Compressive Strength of Concrete
Concrete Technology Page |2 Class Notes by Shyam Sir

Table of Contents

Introduction to Concrete ........................................................................................................ 3

Ingredients of Concrete .......................................................................................................... 3

Properties of Concrete ........................................................................................................... 3

The maturity concept ............................................................................................................. 7

Abram's water-cement ratio .................................................................................................. 7

Exposure condition ................................................................................................................. 7

Compressive Strength of Concrete......................................................................................... 8

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CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY PART - 1

 Definition: Concrete is a composite construction material composed of cement,

water, aggregates (sand, gravel, or crushed stone), and often admixtures.
 Significance: It's one of the most widely used construction materials globally due to
its versatility, durability, and strength.

Cement:

 Function: Acts as the binding agent in concrete, responsible for the hardening and
strength development.
 Types: Commonly used types include Portland cement, which is produced by heating
limestone, clay, and other materials.

Water:

 Role: Essential for the chemical reaction of hydration, which causes concrete to set
and harden.
 Water-Cement Ratio: Critical factor in determining concrete's workability and
strength. Balancing it is key to quality control.

Aggregates:

 Purpose: Provide bulk and stability to concrete. Can be categorized as coarse

aggregates (e.g., gravel) and fine aggregates (e.g., sand).
 Properties: Size, shape, and quality of aggregates significantly influence concrete's
properties.

Admixtures:

 Function: Optional additives that modify the properties of fresh or hardened

concrete.
 Examples: Accelerators (speed up setting time), retarders (delay setting time),
superplasticizers (improve workability).

Strength:

 Definition:Compressive strength measures a concrete mix's ability to withstand axial

loads or pressure. Expressed in MPa.

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 Control: Mix design allows engineers to customize concrete strength for specific
applications.

Durability:

 Challenges: Concrete must resist moisture, freeze-thaw cycles, chemical exposure,

and abrasion.
 Solutions: Proper curing, use of durable aggregates, and admixtures enhance
durability.

Workability:

 Workable Concrete: Easy to place, compact, and finish.

 Influencing Factors: Water-cement ratio, aggregate properties, and admixtures affect
workability.

Permeability:

 Importance: Low permeability prevents water infiltration and corrosion of embedded

reinforcing steel.
 Control: Proper mix design and curing reduce concrete permeability.

Shrinkage:

 Types: Plastic and drying shrinkage can lead to cracks if not controlled.
 Mitigation: Shrinkage-reducing admixtures and proper curing help manage
shrinkage.

Heat of Hydration:

 Heat Generation: The chemical reaction between cement and water generates heat.
 Considerations: Managing heat buildup is crucial in large concrete pours; cooling
methods and low-heat cements can be employed

Concrete-making steps include:

1. Material batching or measurement

2. Mixing
3. Transportation
4. placing
5. Compressing
6. finishing

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7. Curing

Materials Batching

 Proper and accurate amounts of each ingredient should be utilised to produce high-
quality concrete. Measure the aggregates, cement, and water with a 3% accuracy of
the batch quantity and the admixtures with a 5% accuracy of the batch quantity.
 Volume batching and weight batching are the two most common methods of
batching materials. The size of the task, the needed production rate, and the required
criteria for batching performance are the elements influencing the choice of batching
method. It is advised to weigh batches of the most important works.

Mixing

 Concrete can be mixed by hand, in a fixed mixer, or transported, depending on the

type and quantity required for a given job. Whatever method is used to mix the
concrete must be homogeneous in colour and consistent for the maximum setting.
 Again, using shovels and other mixing instruments and manually mixing cement can
tax workers' hands, necessitating a robust, durable glove for increased protection.
o Hand Mixing
o Machine Mixing
1. Tilting mixers
2. Non-tilting mixers
3. Reversing drum mixer
4. Pan-type or stirring mixer
5. Transit mixer

Transportation

 Concrete is transported using various techniques, including wheelbarrow and hand

hauling, conveyor belt operations, and more complex projects, including cranes and
pumps. All of these techniques required some level of manual labour and
sophisticated protective gear.
 Companies must make sure their gloves match safety criteria for anything from
physically moving wheelbarrows to operating and securing large types of machinery
and equipment moving concrete.
 Concrete should be carried to where it will be deposited as soon as possible without
losing the homogeneity achieved during mixing. If trucks with agitators are used to
carry concrete, a maximum of 2 hours from the time of mixing is allowed; if trucks
without agitators are used, a maximum of 1 hour is allowed.
 Moreover, segregation should be avoided during installation and transit. The scope
and importance of the project determine the methods used for carrying concrete.

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They are also determined by the distance between the mixing and dumping sites and
the terrain's characteristics.
 These are a few techniques for moving concrete:
o Mortar Pan
o Wheel Barrow
o Chutes
o Dumper
o Bucket and Ropeway
o Belt conveyor
o Skip and Hoist
o Pumping.

Compacting and Placing

 Concrete must be placed with the utmost care to ensure homogeneity during mixing
and prevent segregation during transportation. Research shows that delaying
concrete placement increases its ultimate compressive strength if sufficiently
compacted.
 While a delay of up to an hour is permitted for dry mixtures in hot weather, it could
take several hours for wet mixtures in cold weather.

Compaction

 The process of producing concrete continues with concrete's compression after it has
been placed in the intended area. Fresh concrete is consolidated by compaction
around embedded components, reinforcement steel, and moulds or frames. A
substantial amount of air is trapped in concrete during manufacture, and partial
segregation is also conceivable.
 Both harm concrete quality. Concrete must be compacted to eliminate trapped air and
voids, stop segregation, and create a uniform, dense mass. It has been determined
that 5% of vacancies in hardened concrete diminish strength by more than 30%, while
10% of spaces reduce strength by more than 50%.
 Compaction is achieved by imparting external work over the concrete to overcome
the internal friction between the particles forming the concrete, between concrete
and reinforcement and between concrete and forms and by reducing the air voids to
a minimum.
 The following methods can achieve the compaction of concrete:
o Hand Compaction
o Compaction by Vibration
 Needle Vibrator
 Formwork Vibrator

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o Compaction by Spinning
o Compaction by Jolting
o Compaction by Rolling

Curing

 The chemical reaction between cement and water gives cement strength and
hardness. Moisture, an ideal temperature, and a length of time are known as the curing
period. Curing newly put concrete is crucial. The clinker combination of C3S and C2S
contributes significantly to the strength during the early phase, which takes around
three weeks to complete.
 The later power contribution from C2S is slow and takes a while. Concrete should
therefore have access to enough water to enable it to reach its full strength.
 Curing is the process of preserving moisture in concrete for this reason. The goal is to
stop concrete from losing moisture due to providing more moisture or heat and
moisture to hasten the process of strength gain, whether due to evaporation or
another cause. At least three weeks and at least ten days must be spent curing.

 Concrete maturity indicates how far curing has progressed. Maturity is the
relationship between concrete temperature, time, and strength gain. It is represented
by an index value that can be measured in real time in the field
 Maturity of concrete is defined as Summation of product of age and temperature
(Curing). Hydration can take place at minimum of -11.7°C, below this water crystals
(ice) do not react with cement. Maturity = 28 x 24 x (25-(-11.7)) = ?

 Abram law stated that compressive strength of hardened (fully compacted ) concrete
is inversely proportional to the water - cement ratio, provided that the mix is of
workable consistency.

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 The compressive strength of concrete is given in terms of the characteristic

compressive strength of 150 mm size cubes tested at 28 days (fck)- as per Indian
Standards (ACI standards use cylinder of diameter 150 mm and height 300 mm). The
characteristic strength is defined as the strength of the concrete below which not
more than 5% of the test results are expected to fall.
 Chastrength of concrete specimens casted and tested as per given code of practice
and cured for a period of 28 days; 95% of tested cubes should not have a value less
than this value

 Target mean strength =fck+1.65 σ

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