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Materials and Concrete Technology (CON3312)

Tutorial 1

Q.1 State the definition of ‘cement’ according to BS EN 197-1

According to British Standard BS EN 197-1, “Cement is a hydraulic binder, a finely ground

inorganic material which, when mixed with water, forms a paste which sets and hardens by

means of hydration reactions and processes and which, after hardening, retains its strength

and stability even under water.”

Q.2 The chemical reaction taken place between cement and water which causes cement
setting is termed:

hydration

Q.3 What are the disadvantages in terms of construction if the setting times of the cement
are beyond the specified limits.

If the initial setting time is too short, concreters will not have sufficient time to complete the
concreting work, as all placing and compaction of fresh concrete shall be completed
before initial set occurs.

If the final setting time is too long, the period before striking formwork has to be extended,
which will affect the construction progress.

P. 1
Q.4 Explain the functions of aggregates in concrete.

 Aggregate is much cheaper than cement. Replacement of cement by aggregate will

lower the material cost of concrete.

 Aggregate reduces the heat output per unit volume of concrete and hence reduce

thermal stress the hardened concrete.

 Aggregate reduces the shrinkages of hardened concrete.

 Aggregate helps produce satisfactory plastic properties of fresh concrete, including

workability, cohesion and resistance to bleeding.

Q.5 State the names of workability tests of fresh concrete.

 Slump test

 Compacting factor test

 Vebe consistometer test

Q.6 State the factors affecting the strength of concrete.

 Water / cement ratio

 Degree of compaction

 Age

 Conditions for strength development

 Type of cement

 Type and quality of aggregate

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Q.7 Explain the pros and cons of using crushed rock aggregates and natural aggregates in
producing concrete
Crushed aggregates tend to be angular and irregular in shape

Crushed coarse aggregates bond well to cement paste and help produce good concrete.

Crushed fine contains higher silt content, which demands higher water content then river

sand and hence increases the water-cement ratio.

The surfaces of coarse natural aggregates are too smooth to bond with cement paste that

will affect the strength of concrete. (It is rarely used in Hong Kong.)

Fine natural aggregate (river sand) absorb less water than crushed fine, it is a better choice

for high strength concrete.

Q.8 Explain the causes of plastic shrinkage and plastic shrinkage cracks in concrete.

Most concrete, after it is placed, bleeds, i.e. water rises to the surface as the solid particles

settle.

The bleed water evaporates and there is a loss of total volume - the concrete has 'settled'.

This contraction is known as plastic shrinkage.

Ff there is something near the surface, such as reinforcing bar, which restrains part of the

concrete from settling while the concrete on either side continues to drop, there is potential

for a crack to form over the restraining element.

Differential amounts of settlement may also occur where there is a change in the depth of a

section, such as at a beam/slab junction.

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Q.9 Beside loads, which factors also cause dimensional changes of hardened concrete.

 Plastic shrinkage

 Drying shrinkage

 Moisture movement

 Carbonation

 Thermal movement

Q.10 Explain the disadvantages of drying shrinkage in hardened concrete and suggest ways
to produce lower drying shrinkage concrete.
Differential drying shrinkage between the surface and interior of concrete may induce

internal restraint and causes drying shrinkage cracks in large sections.

Ways to minimize drying shrinkage:

 Use concrete with lower water/cement ratio.

 Use concrete with larger amount and larger size of aggregate.

 Adequate curing of concrete.

Q.9 Give suggestions to prevent concrete creep when planning to build a large span structure.

 Use higher grade concrete.

 Use concrete with lower water/cement ratio.

 Use concrete with larger amount and larger

size of aggregate.

 Adequate curing of concrete.


Creep of Tsing Yi Bridge

P. 4

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