Assignment 1 (Acmt)
Assignment 1 (Acmt)
Assignment 1 (Acmt)
SOL) According to ACI 306 “Cold Weather Concreting” defines cold weather concreting
as a period when for more than three consecutive days, the following conditions exist:
The average daily air temperature is less than 5°C (40°F) and,
The air temperature is not greater than 10°C (50°F) for more than one-half of any 24
hour period.
Concrete placed during cold weather will develop sufficient strength and durability to satisfy
intended service requirements only if it is properly produced, placed and protected.
2. As some water freezes the ion concentration in the unfrozen water goes up, further
depressing the freezing point.
3. At around -3 to -4°C (25 to 27°F), enough of the pore water will freeze so that
hydration will completely stop, and depending on the extent of hydration, and thus the
strength of the concrete, the forces generated by the expansion of ice (ice occupies
~9% more volume than water) may be detrimental to the long term integrity of the
concrete.
4. Low workability
6. Improper curing
7. Workmanship is affected
8. Deicing effect
Low concrete temperature has a major effect on the rate of cement hydration, which results in
slower setting and rate of strength gain. A good rule of thumb is that a drop in concrete
temperature by 20°F [10°C] wills approximately double the setting time.
As the setting time of cement in the room temperature at 28 o is 30 min, when concreting is
done in the lesser temperature leads the retard and as mentioned in the some of the literature
papers a thumb rule of drop in 10o temperature will approximately double the setting time.
Freezing of freshly mixed concrete can be harmful. It will disrupt the mass and permanently
impair the strength and effectiveness of the air-void system.
Low workability:
The Workability gets affected in cold weather concrete when compared to Workability in
standard Temperature property. The Workability at lower temperature has shown 17%
increase when compared to same mix at standard temperature. Mentioned in the literature
review.
When water freezes, it expands about 9 percent. As the water in moist concrete freezes it
produces pressure in the pores of the concrete. If the pressure developed exceeds the tensile
strength of the concrete, the cavity will dilate and rupture. The accumulative effect of
successive freeze-thaw cycles and disruption of paste and aggregate can eventually cause
expansion and cracking, scaling, and crumbling of the concrete.
Improper curing:
At 25 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit, the freezing of pore water in curing concrete will halt
hydration – and the curing process. Hydration is the chemical reaction in which the key
compounds in cement form chemical bonds with water molecules and become hydrates or
hydration products. Below 27 degrees, the formation of ice within curing concrete can
damage concrete’s long-term integrity through cracking.
Deicing effect:
PRECAUTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED:
Providing enclosures
Scheduling concrete
Using admixtures
Types of cement
During cold weather, concrete mixing temperature should be controlled using hot water when
necessary so that when the concrete is placed, its temperature is not too low for the conditions
and the application. Hot water can be added at the plant during batching. According to the
American Concrete Institute (ACI), the more massive the concrete section being poured, the
slower it loses heat; therefore, lower minimum placement temperatures are recommended as
concrete sections become larger. In a section of 12” or less the minimum recommended
concrete temperature is 55 F (13C). For air temperatures above 30 F, it is recommended that
the concrete temperature be a minimum of 60 F (16 C).
At Folsom Ready Mix we have industrial water heaters that can bring batch water
temperatures up to 160 degrees F warming up all of the ingredients in the concrete mix.
Concrete at a temperature of 70 degrees F has an approximate set time of 5 hours, half the set
time of concrete at 50 degrees F.
Hot water allows for increased concrete temperature, which equals reduced initial set times.
PROVIDING ENCLOSURES:
Heated enclosures
Covering
Insulation
HEATED ENCLOSURES:
If blankets do not provide enough protection, or if the weather is extremely cold (even prior
to placing concrete), then heated enclosures should be used. This technique includes
enclosing the construction site (for example the storey under construction), and heating the
space. Certain challenges should be addressed:
1- Carbon Dioxide-Carbonation
One common challenge with heated enclosure is the problem of carbonation. The carbon-
dioxide produced by some of commercially available heaters increases the chance of
carbonation of freshly placed concrete. This can lead to formation of a weak concrete layer
which is often unacceptable. It is recommended to use heating systems that exhaust to the
outside of the enclosure.
The use of heaters can result in very rapid drying of concrete, which will increase the chance
of plastic shrinkage, and might lead to poor quality concrete (if water required for hydration
process evaporates). It is recommended to move the location and direction of heat source for
a more uniform heating pattern.
3- Fire
Special attention should be paid to the heaters that use propane gas.
COVERING:
Covering with curing blanks is widely used in construction sites during the cold season. The
heat generated from the hydration of cement is normally sufficient for many cases, should
blankets are used properly. Blankets should remain for a couple of days. The required
insulating value depends on the thickness of concrete, the amount of cement, and anticipated
cold temperature. Consult ACI 306 chapter 7 for details on the insulation.
When covering with blankets, special attention should be given to the corners and edges of
the slabs. These area often require further insulating layers. If covering can not keep the
concrete temperature at desired levels, external heat source such as electric heating blankets,
or hydronic heating pipes should be used.
Air-entraining admixtures cause small stable bubbles of air to form uniformly through a
concrete mix. The bubbles are mostly below 1 mm diameter with a high proportion below 0.3
mm. The benefits of entraining air in the concrete include increased resistance to freeze-thaw
degradation, increased cohesion (resulting in less bleed and segregation) and improved
compaction in low-workability mixes.
The volume of air entrained depends on the application and the mix design. After mixing, air
can be lost during transport and pumping. Allowance should be made for this so that the
correct level of air is obtained in the hardened concrete. This may mean testing at the point of
discharge rather than at the batching plant. Air entrainment reduces the density of the mix
and increases yield. This needs to be taken into account when batching and mixing.
For every 1% of additional air entrained, concrete strength will fall by around 5%. At normal
air entrainment levels, most other properties of the concrete including drying shrinkage and
creep are not significantly affected.
The main reason for using entrained air is to improve freeze-thaw and scaling resistance and
so prolong service life. The improved cohesion and compaction can also enhance quality and
durability.
USING ADMIXTURES:
To overcome these issues during Cold Weather Concreting, admixtures are added during
concrete mixing to enhance the properties and performance of fresh concrete. Antifreeze
admixtures are chemical compounds that are added to the mixing water of concrete for
lowering the freezing point of the aqueous solution. It is necessary for concreting in
cold weather. It can be used even at temperatures as low as -30o C.
ACI 306-R10, Table 5.1 defines minimum temperatures to be maintained while mixing,
placing and curing concrete. This primarily depends on the stage of concreting, ambient
temperature and the thickness of concrete element. Higher degree of control is required for
thinner members since the temperature variation across depth will not be significant .
Code also defines Protection Period over which the recommended concrete temperature
must be maintained. As mentioned above, protection period depends on the service condition
during after concreting until the concrete reaches desired strength. Ensuring temperature
control is critical for the removal of formwork since, the strength gain will different for Cold
Weather Concreting compared to conventional concreting.
ADMIXTURES USED:
Sodium thiocyanate
triethanolamine,
calcium formate,
Sol)
Mixing of the concrete should be done for longer time when compared to that of the
normal concrete
PLACING
SLUMP CONE
TROWEL
SCOOP
STOP WATCH
MEASURING TAPE
PROCEDURE:
The procedure for this test is same as for slump flow test. When the slump cone is lifted, start
the stopwatch and find the time taken for the concrete to reach a 500 mm mark.
V-FUNNEL TEST:
The V-funnel test was developed in Japan and used by Ozawa. . The equipment consists of a
V-shaped funnel, shown in Figure. The funnel is filled with concrete and the time taken by it
to flow through the apparatus measured. This test gives account of the filling capacity
(flowability). The inverted cone shape shows any possibility of the concrete to block is
reflected in the result.
The L-box test method uses a test apparatus comprising a vertical section and a horizontal
trough into which the concrete is allowed to flow on the release of a trap door from the
vertical section passing through reinforcing bars placed at the intersection of the two areas of
the apparatus. The concrete ends of the apparatus H1 and H2 measure the height of the
concrete at both ends. The L-box test can give an indication as to the filling ability and
passing ability.
As shown in Figure the apparatus consists of a U-shaped box. Concrete is placed in the left
side of the box. An alternative version of the apparatus features a flat bottom instead of a
curved bottom. Ideally, the box should be made of clear plastic to permit the observation of
the concrete in the box. To start the test, the door dividing the two halves of the box is opened
and concrete is allowed to flow from the left half of the box into the right half. Reinforcing
bars are placed at the location of the door. Although the spacing of the bars is adjustable, the
most common arrangement is 13 mm diameter bars with a clear spacing of 35 mm. The time
With both the L-box and U-box tests, it is unknown what significance the effect of friction
between the concrete and the walls has on the test results.