Materials Science and Engineering

City University of Hong Kong

Dr Tommy Lo

MSE4307
Building Materials

Introduction to Concrete

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Lecture Outline
Contents
Introduction to Concrete
Composition
Mix Proportion
Production
Placing and Compacting Concrete
Curing concrete

After this lecture, you will be able to:

✓ Describe the composition and mix proportion of concrete
✓ Identify the factors (placing, compacting and curing) that
affect properties of concrete.
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Concrete Introduction
Development of key building materials
5000 BC Wood
4000 BC Clay
3000 BC Copper
2500 BC Lead

1500’s Cast Iron

1800’s Cement
1840’s Concrete
1890’s Steel Reinforced Concrete
1950’s Glass Reinforced Concrete
1980’s Fibre Reinforced Concrete
Today Composite Reinforced Concrete
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Buildings
Examples of Concrete Structure

Three Gorges Dam , China

Bridge Precast unit

So what are its
ingredients, and how is it
made and used? . . .
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Concrete Introduction
Worldwide production of Concrete
Concrete ( 混 凝 土 ) is a common construction material,
adaptable to a wide variety of industrial and residential uses.
Its worldwide production exceeds that of steel by 30 times
in volume.
Present consumption of concrete is about 5.5 billion tons a
year, that is, each person on earth consumes over one ton
(~1000kg) of concrete per year. It is more than 10 times of
the steel consumption by weight.
However, concrete is neither as strong nor as tough as steel,
so why the concrete has become so popular?
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Concrete Introduction
Practical Advantages
Economical
Ambient temperature hardened material
Ability to be cast into different mould shapes
Energy Efficiency (no extra burning required)
Excellent resistance to water (but not moisture)
High temperature resistance
Ability to consume waste
Ability to work with reinforcing steel (reinforced concrete)
Less maintenance required comparatively
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Concrete Introduction
Limitations
Solution: Reinforced Concrete
Quasi-brittle failure mode
Improvements: Fibre reinforced
Low tensile strength Concrete; polymer concrete

Low toughness Improvement: Fibre reinforced

Concrete
Low strength/weight ratio (specific strength)
Improvements: Lightweight
Formwork is needed concrete; high strength Concrete

Improvement: Precast concrete

Long curing time
Improvement: Steam curing
Working with cracks
Improvement: Prestressed Concrete
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Concrete Introduction
Application of Concrete

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in

every part of modern construction.
Concrete is used for construction of structural members,
such as foundations, columns, beams and slabs, bridges,
drainage and pipe works, roads, pavement, towers,
chimneys, dams, off-shore structures, tunnel, reactor
shield,…….
Widely used as Precast Concrete products which include
bridge sections, concrete blocks, cladding panels, pipes and
lamp posts.
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Concrete Introduction
Types of Concrete
Based on unit weight
Lightweight concrete < 1,800 kg/m3
Normal-weight concrete ~ 2,400 kg/m3
Heavyweight concrete > 3,200 kg/m3

Based on strength (1Pa = 1 N/m2 , 1MPa = 1 N/mm2)

Low-strength concrete <20 MPa compressive strength
Moderate-strength concrete 20-50MPa compressive strength
High-strength concrete 50-200 MPa compressive strength
Ultra high-strength concrete >200 MPa compressive strength
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Concrete Composition and Ingredient

Definition
Concrete is a mixture of paste and aggregates. The
cement paste, composed of cement and water. Through
a chemical reaction of cement called hydration, the
cement paste hardens and gains strength to
integrate/coat the aggregate to form the rock-like mass
known as concrete.
Other materials may be used to improve the properties
of concrete, such as Additives and Admixtures.
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Concrete Composition and Ingredient

Composition of concrete mix

Cement Aggregate Water Admixtures Additives

Conventional Concrete

Modern Concrete
Terminology

Cement
Cement Paste (Grout)
+ Water + Mortar
[+ Admixture, if any]
fine aggregate + Concrete
coarse aggregate
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Concrete Composition and Ingredient

Cement is the chemically active ingredient. Through its
chemical reaction with water called hydration, the paste
hardens and gains strength.

Bulk Cement Bag of cement

Aggregates are inert granular materials normally consist of

stone or stone-like solids in different size and random shape
such as sand, gravel or crushed rock. It is dimensionally
stable and low cost.
The normal size of coarse aggregate for reinforced concrete
is 20 mm. Most of Fine aggregate pass through the 5 mm BS
sieve.
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Concrete Composition and Ingredient

Water of good standard is essential for mixing good
quality concrete. It should be free of trash, organic
matter and excessive chemicals or minerals.
❑ The strength of concrete highly depends on the
water-cement ratio (W/C).
❑ Water is needed for full hydration of cement, but
too much water leads to shrinkage cracks, voids,
low strength, and generally poor quality concrete.
❑ Sea water (that cause rusting of the embedded
reinforcement) or any other water containing large
amount of chlorides or other alkalis should be
avoided.
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Concrete Composition and Ingredient

Admixtures are defined as materials other than aggregate

(fine and coarse), water, and cement, which are added into
concrete batch immediately before or during mixing.
❑ Chemical admixtures can modify the setting and
hardening characteristic of cement paste, and mineral
admixtures such as pozzolans (materials containing
reactive silica) can reduce thermal cracking (reduce
heat generated during hydration).
❑ Admixtures are becoming an essential component of
modern concrete, such as for production of self
compacting concrete.
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Concrete Mix Proportion

Mix Proportion
The key to achieving a strong, durable concrete rests in
the careful proportioning and mixing of the ingredients.

A concrete mixture that does not have enough paste to

fill all the voids between the aggregates will results in
porous concrete, produce rough and honeycombed
surfaces and difficult to place.

Concrete mixture rich in cement paste will produce a

smooth surface and ease the placing; however, excess of
cement paste will cause higher shrinkage and
uneconomical.
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Concrete Mix Proportion

Mix Proportion

Mix Design of 45/20D

Designed
Aggregates Admixtures
Slump
kg/ W/C A/C
Water
OPC KFDN - m3 Ratio Ratio
KFDN - KFDN -
20mm 10mm CRF SP120 mm
100 WP130
0

Kg/m3
0.44 4.07 100
420 610 330 770 185 1.68 3.36 1.45 2321
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Concrete Mix Proportion

A properly designed concrete mixture will possess the
desired workability for the fresh concrete and the required
durability and strength for the hardened concrete.
Cement Water Others Aggregate

Typically, a mix by mass is

about:
❑ 10 to 15 % cement,
❑ 60 to 75 % aggregate
❑ 15 to 20 % water
❑ 5 to 10 % Others.
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Concrete Production
Concrete production and construction sequence

Weighing Removal of
formwork
On-Site-mix concrete
or
Dry mixing Curing
Ready-mix concrete

Wet mixing Finishing

Conformance Placing in
Delivery Compaction
checking formwork
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Concrete Production
Batching in determined proportion in concrete plant.

Concrete truck
The interior of the drum is fitted with a spiral blade,
Hopper The most common truck capacity is six cubic
metre. The concrete should be discharged on the
job site within 90 minutes or before 300 revolutions
after the addition of water to the cement.

Computerized batching and

Mixing system
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Concrete Production
Computerized batching and Mixing system
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Concrete Production
Fresh concrete delivery and placing
Pumping Concrete
using high
performance pump

Delivery to Placing
concrete Concrete
pump or using tower
hopper crane
Formwork, steel reinforcement and other building services on22
site before placing concrete (by pumping)
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Concrete Production
Fresh concrete placing and compacting
Placing and compacting
concrete

Poker vibrator to give

compaction

Finishing concrete surface

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Concrete Placement and Compacting

Placement and compacting of fresh concrete
Good concrete placing is necessary for producing a tight
bond between the paste and aggregate; fill the forms
completely; contribute to the full strength and best
appearance of concrete.
Compaction intends to expel the unintended air bubbles
which ensures the optimum density of the mix is achieved,
increasing the compressive strength.
Permeability of the concrete will be high for honeycombing
concrete (missing of the cement paste) where entrapped air
is large.
Delays in placing are only acceptable provided the concrete
can still be placed and fully compacted without the addition
of further water.
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Hardened concrete after removal of

formwork should be free from large voids,
indicating sufficient vibration was provided
during concreting
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Honeycomb – result of
poor compaction
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Concrete Placement and Compacting

Placing Fresh Concrete (as recommended by General Specification 16.43)

1. The temperature of fresh concrete when placed

in position shall not exceed 30 ℃ for mixes of
grade strength greater than 20 MPa.

2. Concrete shall be placed and compacted in its

final position within 2½ hours of the
introduction of cement (water) to the concrete
mix.

3. Concrete shall be placed as close as practicable

to its final position and shall not be moved into
place by vibration. Trunking or chutes shall be
used to place concrete which will fall more than
2.7 m to avoid segregation and loss of
constituents of the concrete mix.
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Concrete Placement and Compacting

Placing Fresh Concrete (as recommended by General Specification 16.43)

5. Concrete other than concrete placed by tremie shall be placed in

horizontal layers to a compacted depth of not more than 450 mm if
internal vibrators is used.

6. Concrete that is no longer sufficiently workable (too low workability)

shall not be placed in the permanent work.

7. Concrete shall be placed continuously within the element to be

concreted. Fresh concrete shall not be placed against concrete that has
been in position for more than 30 minutes to avoid formation of cold
joint.
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Concrete Placement and Compacting

Compacting Fresh Concrete (as recommended by General Specification 16.44)

1. Concrete shall be compacted to form a dense homogeneous mass. [Ref

to purpose of compaction: Compaction intends to expel the unintended
air bubbles which ensures the optimum density].

2. Concrete shall be compacted by means of internal vibrators of suitable

diameter.
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Concrete Placement and Compacting

Compacting Fresh Concrete (as recommended by General Specification 16.44)

3. Vibrators shall be used in such a manner that vibration is applied

continuously until the expulsion of air has practically ceased but not
excessive to cause segregation.

4. Vibration shall not be applied by way of the reinforcement, and contact

between internal vibrators and formwork, reinforcement or built-in
components shall be avoided as far as possible. Concrete shall be
vibrated in such a manner that the formwork, reinforcement or built-in
components will not be displaced.

5. Concrete that has been in position for more than 30 minutes shall not
be re-vibrated.
Finishing
Overworking the surface and the addition of water to aid in finishing should
be avoided; the resulting laitance will have impaired strength and durability.
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Concrete Curing
What is Curing of Concrete? why so important?
Curing is the prevention of loss of moisture from new concrete (CoP
Structural Use of Concrete 2013). It is the process to maintain a
satisfactory moisture content of fresh concrete after the concrete has
been placed and finished in its final position.
Preventing moisture loss is particularly important if the water/cement
ratio is low, if the cement is rapid hardening, and if the concrete contains
pfa or ggbs. The curing should also maintain a satisfactory temperature
regime, and avoid the development of high temperature gradients within
the concrete.
Curing and protection should start immediately after the compaction of
the concrete to protect it from:
(a) premature drying out, particularly by solar radiation and wind;
(b) rain and flowing water;
(c) rapid cooling during the first few days after placing;
(d) high internal thermal gradients; and
(e) vibration and impact which may disrupt the concrete and interfere
with its bond to the reinforcement.
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Concrete Curing
Problem of inadequate curing
▪ Because of the high cementitious materials content of high strength
concretes, large amounts of heat may be generated over the first few
days, leading to temperature rises of as much as 60°C. The large
temperature rise and subsequent temperature drop may cause serious
thermal cracking problems. It is therefore recommended that for all
concrete mixes of grade greater than C60, adiabatic curing tests should
be carried out and a maximum temperature rise of 40°C imposed. If the
adiabatic temperature rise of the concrete exceeds this value, thermal
analysis should be carried out and suitable concrete cooling measures
adopted during curing.
▪ Protective measures to control moisture loss from the concrete surface
are essential to prevent plastic shrinkage (thermal shrinkage) cracks (in
particular for high strength concrete).
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Concrete Curing
Methods of curing (as recommended by General Specification 16.46)

It is essential to use proper and adequate curing techniques to reduce the

permeability of the concrete and enhance its durability by extending the
hydration of the cement, particularly in its surface zone

Method 1: A liquid curing compound shall be applied to the concrete

surface by a low-pressure spray until a continuous visible covering is
achieved.
The application rate shall be adjusted to ensure that full covering of
concrete surface is achieved [e.g. textured surfaces and fluted surfaces].
Adjoining reinforcement or formwork shall be covered to avoid surface
contamination by curing compound.

Method 2: The concrete surface shall be covered with hessian, sacking,

canvas or other absorbent material or with a layer of fine aggregate at
least 25 mm thick. The hessian, sacking, canvas, absorbent material or
fine aggregate shall be kept constantly wet.
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Concrete Curing
Methods of curing
Method 3: The concrete surface shall be
covered with polyethylene sheeting.
Concrete surfaces which have become dry
shall be thoroughly wetted before the
sheeting is placed.

Method 4: Water curing (wet curing can

only be provided after concrete is set) shall be Sheeting Covering
carried out by spraying the concrete surface
continuously with cool water or by ponding
immediately after the sheeting is removed.
Unformed concrete surfaces shall be covered
with polyethylene sheeting until the concrete
has hardened sufficiently before water curing
to be carried out.
Water curing concrete after placement and compaction
Spraying water
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Concrete Curing
Minimum Periods of curing and protection
The different methods of protection shall be maintained for the minimum
periods stated in Table below (Table 16.5 of GS or CoP structural use of
concrete 2013) after the concrete has been placed. The minimum periods
may be reduced by the number of days during which formwork is left in
position.

Table 16.5: Minimum periods of protection for concrete (Table 16.5 of GS)
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Concrete Curing
Minimum Periods of curing and protection

Table 10.3: Minimum periods of curing and protection (CoP Structural Use of Concrete 2013)
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Points to know
After the lecture, make sure you are able to describe the following keywords
and points.
Concrete: composition, mix proportion, placing and compacting, methods of
curing.

Recommended Video
Introduction to Concrete Technology (TA 439.157 C.2)
Preparation for Ready Mixed Concrete (TA 439.P73)

References
1. A.M. Neville and J.J. Brooks “Concrete Technology,” 2001
2. A.M. Neville, “Properties of Concrete,” 2002
3. T.W. Marotta, “Basic Construction Materials,” 2005