SPECIFICATION OF RCC

Submitted to:- Submitted by:-

Prof R.J.Shah Madhav Purohit
000RDMTCE1920007
 GENERAL
• I S 456- 2000 Code of Practice for Plain and Reinforced
Concrete (as amended up to date) shall be followed in regard
to Concrete Mix Proportion and its production as under :
• The concrete m ix design shall be done a s “Design M ix
Concrete” as prescribed in clause-9 of IS 456 mentioned
above.
• Concrete shall be manufactured in accordance with clause 10
of above mentioned IS 456 covering
quality assurance measures both technical and organizational,
which shall also necessarily require
a qualified Concrete Technologist to be available during
manufacture of concrete for certification of quality of
concrete.
 General

• Minimum M -25 grade of concrete shall be used in all structural elements

made with RCC both in load bearing and framed structure.
• The mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity, tensile strength,
creep and shrinkage of fly ash mixed concrete or concrete using fly ash
blended cements ( PPCs) are not likely to be significantly different and their
values are to be taken same as those used for concrete made with OPC.

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 General
• To control higher rate of carbonation in early ages of
concrete both in fly ash admixed as well as PPC based
concrete, water/binder ratio shall be kept as low as
possible, which shall be closely monitored during concrete
manufacture.
• If necessitated due t o low water/binder ratio, required
workability shall be achieved by use of chloride free
chemical admixtures conforming t o IS 9103. The
compatibility of chemical admixtures and super
plasticizers with each set OPC, fly ash and / or PPC
received from different sources shall be ensured by trials.

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 General
• In environment subjected to aggressive chloride or sulphate
attach in particular, use of fly ash admixed or PPC based
concrete is recommended. In cases, where structural
concrete is exposed t o excessive magnesium sulphate, fly
ash substitution/content s hall be limited to 18% by weight.
Special type of cement with low C 3A content may also be
alternatively used. Durability criteria like minimum binder
content and maximum water /binder ratio also need to be
given due consideration in such environment.
 
• Wet curing period shall be enhanced to a minimum of 10 days
or its equivalent. In hot & arid regions, the minimum curing
period shall be 14 days or its equivalent.

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 Steel for Reinforcement
• The steel used for reinforcement shall be any of the following
types:
• Mild steel and medium tensile bars conforming to IS 432 (Part I)
• High strength deformed steel bars conforming to IS 1786.
• Hard drawn steel wire fabric conforming to IS 1566
• Structural steel conforming to Grade A of IS 2062
• Thermo-mechanically treated (TMT) Bars.
• Elongation percent on gauge length is 5.65 A where A is the cross
sectional areas of the test piece.
• Mild steel is not recommended for the use in structures located in
earthquake zone subjected to severe damage and f or structures
subjected to dynamic
loading (other than wind loading) such as railway and highway
bridges.
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 Steel for Reinforcement

• Welding of reinforcement bars covered in this

specification shall be done in accordance with the
requirements of IS 2751.
• Nominal m ass/weight : The tolerance on mass/ weight f
or round and square bars shall be the percentage of the
mass/ weight calculated on the basis that the masses of
the bar/ wire of nominal diameter and of density 7.85 kg/
cm3 or 0.00785 kg/mm3.

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 Tolerance on Nominal Mass
  Tolerance on the Nominal Mass per cent
Nominal size in mm Batch Individual sample + Individual sample
for coil (x)

(a)Upto and +7 -8 +8
including10

(b) Over 10, upto

and +5 -6 +6
including 16

(c) Over 16 +3 -4 +4

+ for individual sample plus tolerance is not

specified
(x) for coil batch tolerance is not applicable,
Tolerance shall be determined in accordance
with method given in IS 1786.
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 Physical properties
• High strength deformed bars & wires shall conform to IS 1786. The
physical properties for all sizes of steel bars are mentioned below.
S l. No Property Fe 415 Fe Fe Fe 550 D
415 D 500 D
(i) 0.2 Per cent Proof stress/ yield 415.0 415.0 500.0 550.0
stress, Min, N/mm2
(ii) Elongation, per cent, Min. on 14.5 18.0 16.0 14.5
gauge length
5.65 A , where A is the corss-
sectional area of the test
piece.
(iii) Tensile strength, Min 10 Per cent 12 Per cent more 10 Per cent 8 Per cent more
more than the than the actual 0.2 more than the than the actual
actual per cent proof actual 0.2 per cent proof
0.2 per cent stress/yield stress 0.2 per cent stress/yield stress
proof stress/ but not less than proof stress/ but not less than
yield stress but 500.0 N/mm2 yield stress but 600.0 N/mm2
not less than not less than
485.0 N/mm2 565.0 N/mm2
(iv) Total elongation at - 5 5 5
maximum force, percent,
Min on gauge length 5.65 A
, where A is the cross-
sectional
area of the test piece.

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 Tests
• Tests: Selection and preparation of Test sample. All the
tests pieces shall be selected by the Engineer in- Charge
or his authorized representative either-
• From cutting of bars Or
• If he so desires, from any bar after it has been cut to the required
or specified size and the test piece taken from and any part of it.
• In neither case, the test pieces shall be detached from the bar or
coil except in the presence of the Engineer-in-Charge or his
authorized representative.

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 Tests
• The test pieces obtained in accordance with as above shall
be full sections of the bars as rolled and subsequently cold
worked and s hall be subjected to physical tests without
any further modifications. No deduction in size by
machining or otherwise shall be permissible. No test piece
shall be enacted or otherwise subject to heat treatment.
Any straightening which a test piece may require shall be
done cold.
• Tensile Test: 0.2% proof stress and percentage
elongation.
• This shall be done as per IS 1608, read in conjunction with
IS 226. RE- test: This shall be done as per IS 1786.
• Rebend test: This shall be done as per IS 1786.

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 Chemical composition
• Chemical composition of reinforcement bars shall be as
below
Constituent Maximum Per cent
Fe 415 Fe 415 D Fe 500 D Fe 550 D
Carbon 0.30 0.25 0.25 0.25
Sulphur 0.060 0.045 0.040 0.040
Phosphorus 0.060 0.045 0.040 0.040
Sulphur and 0.110 0.085 0.075 0.075
Phosphorus
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 TMT Bars
• There is no BIS code for TMT bars. The available code BIS 1786
pertains to HSD Bars. Therefore there should be no stipulation that
TMT bars should conform to relevant BIS code.
• The TMT bars shall conform to IS 1786 pertaining to Fe 415 D or Fe
500 D or Fe grade of steel as specified.
• In design an construction of reinforced concrete building in seismic
zone III and above, steel reinforcement of Grade Fe 415 D shall be
used. However, high strength deformed steel bars, produced by
thermo
mechanical treatment process of grade F e 415, Fe 500 and F e 550
having elongation more than 14.5. % and conform to other
requirements of Fe 415 D, Fe 500 D and Fe 550 D respectively of IS
1786 may also be used for reinforcement.
• In future, latest provision of IS 456 and IS 13920 or any other
relevant code as modified from time to time shall be applicable.
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 Stacking and Storage

• Steel for reinforcement shall be stored in such a way as to

prevent distorting and corrosion. Care shall be taken to
protect the reinforcement from exposure to saline
atmosphere during storage,
fabrication and us e. It may be achieved by treating the
surface of reinforcement with cement wash or by suitable
methods
• Bars of different classifications, sizes and lengths shall be
stored separately to facilitate issue in such sizes and
lengths to cause minimum wastage in cutting from
standard length.

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CONCRETING

• Consistency
• The concrete which will flow sluggishly into the forms and
around the reinforcement without any segregation of coarse
aggregate from the mortar shall be used. The consistency
shall depend on whether the concrete is vibrated on or hand
tamped, it shall be determined by slump test as prescribed in
sub-head “concrete” under workability - requirement.
• Placing of Concrete
• Concreting shall be commenced only after Engineer-in-
Charge has inspected the centering, shuttering and
reinforcement as placed and pas sed the same. Shuttering
shall be clean and free from all shavings, saw dust, pieces of
wood, or other foreign material and surfaces shall be treated

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 Concreting
• In case of concreting of slab and beams, wooden plank or cat walks of chequerred MS plated
or bamboo chalies or any other suitable material supported directly on the centering by
means of wooden blocks or
lugs shall be provided to convey the concrete to the place of deposition without disturbing
the reinforcement in any way. Labour shall not be allowed to walk over the reinforcement.
• In case of columns and wall, it is desirable to place concrete without construction joints. The
progress of concreting in the vertical direction, shall be restricted to one meter per hour.
• The concrete shall be deposited in its final position in a manner to preclude segregation of
ingredients. In deep trenches and footings concrete shall be placed through chutes or as
directed b y the Engineer-in-Charge. In case of columns and walls, the shuttering shall be so
adjusted that the vertical drop of concrete is not more than 1.5 meters at a time
• During cold weather, concreting shall not be done when the temperature falls below 4.50C.
The concrete placed shall be protected against frost by suitable covering. Concrete damaged
by frost shall be removed and work redone.
• During hot weather precaution shall be taken to see that the temperature of wet concrete
does not exceed 38ºC. No concrete shall be laid within half an hour of the closing time of the
day, unless permitted by the Engineer-in-Charge.
• It is necessary that the time between mixing and placing of concrete shall not exceed 30
minutes so that the initial setting process is not interfered with.

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 Compaction
• Concrete shall be compacted into dense mass immediately after
placing by means of mechanical vibrators designed for
continuous operations complying with IS 2505, IS 2506, IS 2514
and IS 4656.
• The Engineer-in-Charge may however relax this condition at his
discretion for certain items depending on the thickness of the
members and feasibility of vibrating the same and permit hand
compaction instead.

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 Compaction
• Hand compaction shall be done with the help of tamping rods
so that concrete is thoroughly compacted and completely
worked around the reinforcement, embedded fixtures, and
into corners of the form. The layers of concrete shall be so
placed that the bottom layer does not finally set before the
top layer is placed.
• The vibrators shall maintain the whole of concrete under
treatment in an adequate state of agitation; such that de-
aeration and effective compaction is attained at a rate
commensurate with the supply of concrete from the mixers.
The vibration shall continue during the whole period occupied
by placing of concrete, the vibrators being adjusted so that
the center of vibrations approximates to the center of the
mass being compacted at the time of placing.

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 Compaction
• Concrete shall be judged to be properly compacted, when the mortar
fills the spaces between the coarse aggregate and begins to cream up
to form an even surface. When this condition has been attained, the
vibrator shall be stopped in case of vibrating tables and external
vibrators. Needle vibrators shall be withdrawn slowly so as to prevent
formation of loose pockets in case of internal vibration.
• In case bot h internal and external vibrators are being used, the
internal vibrator shall be first withdrawn slowly after which the
external vibrators shall be stopped so that no loose pocket is left in the
body of the concrete.
• The specific instructions of he makers of the particular type of vibrator
used shall be strictly complied with. Shaking of reinforcement for the
purpose of compaction should be avoided. Compaction shall be
completed before the initial setting starts, i.e. with 30 minutes of
addition of water to the dry mixture.

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 Construction joints
• Concreting shall be carried out continuously upto the
construction joints as directed by Engineer-in-Charge.
Number of such joints shall be kept to minimum. The
joints shall be kept at places where the shear force is the
minimum. These shall be straight and shall be at right
angles to the direction of main reinforcement.
Construction joints should comply with IS 11817.
• In case of columns the joints shall be horizontal and 10 to
15 cm below the bottom of the beam running into the
column head. The portion of the column between the
stepping off level and the top of the slab shall be
concreted with the beam.

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 Construction joints

• When stopping the concrete on a vertical plane in slabs and

beams, and approved stop board shall be placed with necessary
slots for reinforcement bars or any other obstruction to pass the
bars freely without bending. The construction joints shall be
keyed by providing a triangular or trapezoidal fillet nailed on the
stop board. Inclined or feather joints shall not be permitted. Any
concrete flowing through the joints of stop board shall be
removed soon after the initial set. When concrete is stopped on a
horizontal plane, the surface shall be roughened and cleaned
after the initial set.
• When the work has to be resumed, the joint shall be thoroughly
cleaned with wire brush and loose particles removed. A coat of
neat cement slurry shall then be applied on the roughened
surface before fresh concrete is laid.

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 Expansion Joints
• Expansion joints shall be provided as directed by
Engineer-in-Charge, for the purpose of general guidance.
However it is recommended that structures exceeding 45
m in length shall be divided by one or more expansion
joints. The filling of these joints with bitumen filler,
bitumen felt or any such material and provision of copper
plate, etc. shall be paid for separately in running metre.
The measurement shall be taken two places of decimal
stating the depth and width of joint.

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 Curing

• After the concrete has begun to harden i .e. about 1 to 2

hours after its laying, it shall be protected from quick
drying by covering with moist gunny bags, sand, canvass
Hessian or any other material approved by the Engineer-
in-Charge. After 24 hours of laying of concrete, the
surface shall be cured by ponding with water for a
minimum period of 7 days from the date of placing of
concrete in case of OPC and at least 10 days where
mineral admixtures or blended cements are used. The
period of curing shall not be less than 10 days for concrete
exposed to dry and hot weather condition.

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 Strength of Concrete

• The compressive strength on the work tests for different

mixed shall be as

Concrete Mix (Nominal Compressive Strength in

Mix on Volume basis ) (Kg/ sq cm)
7 days ’ 28 days ’

1:1:2 210 315

1:1.5:3 175 265
1:2:4 140 210

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 Testing of Concrete

• Regular mandatory tests on the workability of the fresh

concrete shall be done to achieve the specified
compressive strength of concrete. These will be of two
types
• Mandatory Lab, Test
• Mandatory Field Test
• Results of Mandatory Field Test will prevail over
mandatory Lab test

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Cube Test for Compressive Strength
of Concrete - Mandatory Lab Test
• One sample (consisting of six cubes 15x15x15 cm shall be
taken as often as considered necessary by the Engineer-
in-Charge. The test of concrete cubes shall be carried out
in accordance with the procedure as described below. A
register of cubes shall be maintained at the site of work.
• The casting of cubes, concrete used for cubes and all other
incidental charge, such are curing, carriage to the testing
laboratory and testing fees shall be borne by the
contractors.

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 Mould
• The mould shall be of size 15 cmx15 cmx15 cm for the
maximum nominal size of aggregate not exceeding 40
mm. For concrete with aggregate size more than 40 mm
size of mould shall be specified by the Engineer-in-charge,
keeping in view the fact that the length of size of mould
should be about four times the size of aggregate.
The moulds shall be so constructed that there is no
leakage of water from the test specimen during moulding.
All the cube moulds for particular site should, prior to use,
be checked for accuracy in dimensions and geometric form
and such test should at least be made once a year.

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 Sample of Concrete

• Sample of concrete for test specimen shall be taken at the

mixer or in the case of ready mixed concrete from the
transportation vehicle discharge or as directed by Engineer-
in-Charge. Such samples shall be obtained by repeatedly
passing a scoop or pail through the discharge stream of
concrete. The concrete shall be mixed with a shovel until it
is uniform in appearance. The location in the work of the
batch of concrete this sampled shall be noted for further
reference.

In case of paving concrete, samples shall be taken from the

batch immediately after deposition of the sub grade.

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 Preparation of Test Specimens
• In placing each scoopful of concrete the scoop shall be moved
around the top edge do the mould as the concrete there sided
from it, in order to ensure a uniform distribution of concrete
within the mould. After the top layer has been rodded, the surface
of the concrete shall be struck off with a trowel and covered with
a glass plate at least 6.5 mm thick or a machined plate. The whole
process of moulding shall be carried out in such a manner as to
preclude the change of the water cement ratio of the concrete, by
loss of water either by leakage from the bottom or over flow from
the top of the mould. When the job concrete is placed by vibration
and the consistency of the concrete is such that the test
specimens cannot be properly moulded by hand rolling as
described above, the specimens shall be vibrated to give a
compaction corresponding to that of the job concrete.

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 Preparation of Test Specimens
• In placing each scoopful of concrete the scoop shall be moved
around the top edge of the mould as the concrete there slides
from it, in order to ensure a symmetrical distribution of
concrete within the mould. In placing the concrete for top
extent that there will be no mortar loss during vibrations. After
vibrating the second layer enough concrete shall be added t o
bring level above the top of the mould. The surface of the
concrete shall then the struck off with a t rowel and covered
with a glass or steel plate as specified above.

The whole process of moulding shall be carried out in such a

manner as to preclude the alteration of water-cement ratio of
the concrete by loss of water, either by leakage for the bottom
or over flow from the top of the mould.
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 Testing

• The specimens shall be tested in accordance with procedure

as described below

The tests shall be made at an age of concrete corresponding

to that for which the strengths are specified.
• Compression tests shall be made immediately upon removal
of the concrete test specimen f rom the curing room i .e. the
test specimen shall be loaded in damp condition. Cushioning
materials shall not be used. In the case of cubes, the test
specimen shall be placed in the machine in such a manner
that the load i s applied to sides of the specimens as cast.
• The upper or lower section of the bearing block shall be kept
in motion as the head of the testing machine is brought to a
bearing on the test specimen.
• The load shall be applied axially without shock at the rate of
approximately 140 kg. per
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sq.cm. per minute.
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 Visual Inspection Test
• The concrete will be inspected after removal of the form work
The question of carrying out mandatory test or other tests
will arise only after satisfactory report of visual inspection.
•  The concrete is liable to be rejected if:
• It is porous or honeycombed as per Para.
• Its placing has been interrupted without providing a
proper construction joint.
• The reinforcement has been displaced beyond tolerance
specified or construction tolerances have not been met.
• However, the hardened concrete may be accepted after
carrying out suitable remedial measures to the satisfaction of
the Engineer-in-Charge at the risk and cost of the contractor.

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 7 days’ Tests
• Sampling:
• The average of the strength of three specimen shall be accepted
as the compressive strength of the concrete provided the
variation in strength of individual specimen is not more than +
15% of the average. Difference between t he maximum and
minimum strength should not exceed 3 0% of average strength o
f three specimen. I f the difference bet ween maximum and
minimum strength exceeds 30% of the average strength, then 28
days’ test shall have to be carried out.

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 7 days’ Tests

• Strength:
• If the actual average strength of sample accepted
in para ‘ sampling’ above is equal to or higher than
specified strength upto +15% then strength of the
concrete shall be considered in order.
• In case the actual average strength of sample
accepted in the above para is lower than the specified
or higher by more than 15% then 28 days’ test shall
have to be carried out to determine the compressive
strength of concrete cubes.

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 28 days’ Test
• The average of the strength of three specimen be accepted as
the compressive strength of the concrete provided the strength
of any individual cube shall neither be less than 70% nor higher
than 130% of the specified strength.
• If the actual average strength of accepted sample is equal to or
higher than specified strength up to 30% then strength of the
concrete shall be considered in order and the concrete shall be
accepted at full rates.
• Remedial measures necessary to retain the structure shall be
taken at the risk and cost of contractor. If, however the
Engineer-in-Charge so desires, he may order additional tests to
be carried out to ascertain if the structure can be retained.

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 REBOUND HAMMER TEST
• If a rebound hammer is regularly used by trained personnel in
accordance with procedure described in IS 13311 (part II) and
a continuously maintained individual charts are kept showing a
large number of reading and t he r elation between the reading
and strength of concrete cubes made from the same batch of
concrete, such charts may be used in conjunction with hammer
readings to obtain an approximate indication of the strength of
concrete in a structure for element.
• When making rebound hammer test each result should be
the average of at least 12 readings. Reading should not be
taken within 20mm of the edge of concrete members and it
may be necessary to distinguish between readings taken on a
trawled face and those on a moulded face. When making the
tests on a precast unit, special care should be taken to bed
them firmly against the impact of the hammer.

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 CUTTING CORES
• This method involves drilling and testing cores from the concrete
for determination of compressive strength. In suitable
circumstances, the compressive strength of the concrete in the
structure may be assessed by drilling cores from the concrete
and testing. The procedure used shall comply with the
requirements of IS 1199 and IS 516. 
• The points from which cores shall be taken s hall be
representative of the whole concrete and at least three c ores
shall be obtained and tested. If the average of the strength of all
cores cut from the structure is less than the specified strength,
the concrete represented by the cores shall be liable to rejection
and shall be rejected if a static load test either cannot be carried
out or is not permitted by the Engineer-in-Charge.

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 ULTRASONIC TEST
• If an ultrasonic apparatus is regularly used by trained
personnel in accordance with IS 13311 (part I) and
continuously m aintained individual charts are kept
showing a large num ber of readings & the relation
between the reading and s trength of cubes made from
the same batch of concrete, such charts may be used to
obtain approximate indications of the strength of concrete
in the structures. In cases of suspected lack of compaction
or low cube strength the results obtained from the
ultrasonic test results on adjacent ac ceptable s ection of
the s tructures m ay be used f or the purpose of as sessing
the strength of concrete in the suspected portion.

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 REFERENCES
 CPWD SPECIFICATIONS (VOL. 1),2009
• PUBLISHED BY DIRECTOR GENERAL OF WORKS, CPWD, NIRMAN
BHAWAN, NEW DELHI.
 Technical Specification for civil works HO civil Specifications
Vol-1
• PUBLISHED BY INDIAN OIL COORPORATION

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