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Some designers specify air-entrained concrete for interior floors subject to a few freeze-thaw cycles during construction. But be aware that this shifts the risk of surface damage from the designer to the contractor.
BY BRUCE A. SUPRENANT AND WARD R. MALISCH
n the past year, weve heard from five contractors who have been expected to pay for floorslab delamination repairs related to high entrained-air contents. In all of these slabs, the hardenedconcrete air content exceeded 10%. Since ACI 302.1R-96, Guide for Concrete Floor and Slab Construction (Ref. 1), recommends an air content less than 3% for floors receiving a hard-trowel finish, are contractors liable for the cost of these delamination repairs? And why was air-entrained concrete specified for an interior floor?
Under service conditions, most interior slabs dont have a high moisture content or a chance to Machine-troweled surface Machine-troweled surface freeze, so air-entrained concrete isnt needed to ensure a durable floor surface. But what about Scaling Delamination concrete exposed to freezing during construction? Non-air-entrained concrete Delamination caused by an Scaling caused by freezing with a moisture content near accumulation of air and and thawing of wet, nonwater beneath the troweled air-entrained concrete saturation is susceptible to sursurface face scaling caused by freezethaw cycles. Because of this, deWhich is more likelyscaling of non-air-entrained concrete exposed to freezing and signers often require interior thawing, but only during construction, or delamination of machine-troweled, air-enconcrete slabs to be air-entrained concrete? Designers, owners and contractors should consider this question when trained if the slabs will be exmaking decisions on specification requirements for interior concrete floors.
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posed to a cold, wet environment during construction. In addition to requiring entrained air, designers may also specify a lower water-cement ratio and higher compressive strength, which, in some regions, can increase concrete costs by as much as $5 per cubic yard. Designers take these precautions to minimize the owners risk of a damaged slab surface and the subsequent cost of repairs. If they didnt require air-entrained concrete and the slab was exposed to a freezing construction environment for one winter, scaling could damage the slab surface in areas where water ponds, requiring local repairs. In extreme cases, the entire slab surface could scale, requiring a full-surface
topping. But owners who opt to use air-entrained concrete to reduce the risk of surface scaling and the cost of any resulting repairs may face another threatthe potential for delaminations when air-entrained concrete is machine troweled.
delaminations indicate that entrained air increases the likelihood that machine-troweled floors will delaminate. When designers recommend reducing the owners risk of slab damage due to freeze-thaw exposure by specifying air-entrained concrete, they should also point out the increased likelihood of delamination. In cases where the use of air-entrained concrete increases materials costs, owners may decide the cost of
air entrainment and the increased risk of delaminations doesnt justify the added protection against scaling. If the slab does scale, owners would then be expected to bear the cost of repairs because they accepted the risk of scaling when they elected to use non-air-entrained concrete. But the cost of localized surface repairs might still be less than the extra cost for air-entrained concrete. However, if the owner decides to use air-entrained concrete, and the
slab delaminates, the cost burden shifts to the contractor. Because delaminations are considered to be a construction defect, the contractor is expected to pay for the repairs, even though the designer specified the use of the air-entrained concrete that increased the delamination risk. By expecting finishers to hard trowel an air-entrained floor without delaminations occurring, designers transfer risk from the owner to the contractor. To be properly compensated for this risk, contractors should be paid a higher price per square foot of floor finished. However, thats seldom done. Before requiring air-entrained concrete for interior slabs with a machine-troweled finish, designers should assess: The risk of concrete scaling due to cold-weather exposure The cost of air-entrained concrete vs. non-air-entrained concrete The cost of repairing scaling or other freeze-thaw damage The risk of delaminations when air-entrained concrete slabs are machine troweled The cost of repairing slab delaminations These risks and associated consequences should be explained to the owner before the project begins. Contractors who are expected to place and finish air-entrained floors should also be aware of the risks.
References 1. ACI 302.1R-96, Guide for Concrete Floor and Slab Construction, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich., 1996. 2. ACI 301-96, Standard Specifications for Structural Concrete, ACI, 1996. 3. Bruce A. Suprenant and Ward R. Malisch, Diagnosing Slab Delaminations, Concrete Construction, January 1998, pp. 29-35.
Publication #C99B035
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