FRESH CONCRETE

ADVANCED CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY - 1

MSCE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

DEPENDS UPON:
Chemical Composition of Portland Cement;
C3S (3CaO.SiO2) and C2S (2CaO.SiO2) when hydrated , provide
the desired characteristics of the concrete
Fineness of Portland cement;
85% to 95% particles Smaller than 0.045 mm
Average Particle Size = 0.01mm
Surface Area of cement = 300 m2 to 400 m2

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

(cont)

AGGREGATES:
Shape & Texture
Strength (Crushing Strength 80 to 200 Mpa)
Specific Gravity (2.65 to 2.95)
Moisture Content (0.7% to 3.5 %)
Fineness Modulus of fine Aggregates (2 to 4)
The higher the fineness, the coarser the aggregate.

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

(cont)

Mixing Water:

Necessary to hydrate the cement

Necessary to make the mix adequately workable
Mixing water should not contain undesirable organic substances
In some arid areas local dinking water is saline & may contain an excessive
amounts of chlorides.
Conversely, some waters not fit for drinking may often be used satisfactorily in
making concrete.
As a rule water with pH of 6.0 to 0.8 or possibly even 9.0 which does not taste
brackish is suitable for use

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE (cont)

Water involved in the whole life of concrete, for good or evil:
Setting
Hydration
Bleeding
Drying shrinkage
Creep
Ingress of salts
Explosive failure of concrete
Autogenous healing

Staining of the surface

Chemical Attack
Corrosion of reinforcement
Freezing and thawing
Carbonation
Alkali-Silica reaction
Cavitation and erosion
Contamination

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

(cont)

Density of fresh concrete

Density/unit mass/unit weight in air (ASTM C-138-09) is the sum of
masses of all the ingredients of a batch of concrete divided by the
volume filled by the concrete.
Alternatively knowing the density of fresh concrete, the yield per batch
can be determined as the mass of all the ingredients in a batch divided
by the density.

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

(cont)

Workability
The ease with which concrete can be compacted (consolidated).
It determines the ease of placement and the resistance to segregation.
Workability in any particular case would depend on the means of compaction
available i.e., workability suitable for mass concrete is not necessarily suitable for
thin, inaccessible, or heavily reinforced sections.
Workability is a physical property of concrete alone without reference to the
circumstances of a particular type of construction. Whether compaction is achieved
by ramming or by vibration, the process consists essentially of the elimination of
entrapped air from the concrete until it has achieved as close a configuration as is
possible for a given mix.

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

(cont)

Workability
ASTM C 125-09 definition Property determining the effort required
to manipulate a freshly mixed quantity of concrete with minimum loss
of homogeneity.
ACI 116R-90definition that property of freshly mixed concrete or
mortor which determines the ease and homogeneity with which it can
be mixed, placed, consolidated, and finished.

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

(cont)

Factors Affecting workability

Water Content of mix (kg/m3 or lt/m3)
Decrease with increase of aggregates size and angularity of shape
Maximum size of Aggregates, its grading, shape and texture.
W/C ratio and Grading of aggregates
A grading producing the most workable concrete for one particular
w/c ratio may not be best for another value of w/c ratio.
The higher the w/c ratio the finer the grading required for the
highest workability.
For a given w/c ratio , there is one value of coarse/fine aggregate
ratio (using given materials) that gives the highest workability.

Measurement of Workability
Unfortunately, there is no acceptable test which directly measure the
workability.
Numerous tests correlate workability with some easily determinable physical
measurement, but non of these is fully satisfactory although they provide
useful information within a range of variation in workability.

1. Slump Test (ASTM C 143-10 & BS 1881:103:1993)

ACI 116R-90 describe it as a measure of consistency of concrete mix.
Consistency of mix means firmness of form, the ease with which it can
flow or the degree of wetness. Wet concrete are more workable than dry
concretes, but concretes of the same consistency may vary in workability.

Measurement of Workability
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Slump Test
Compacting Factor Test
Remoulding Test
Vebe Test
Flow Table Test
Ball Penetration Test
Two-Point Test

Stiffening Time of Concrete

Degree of Stiffness (ASTM C 403-08) can be determined by testing mortor
sieved out of concrete using a 5mm (No. 4 ASTM) sieve.
Proctor Prob (spring reaction type) used to determine the times when
resistance to penetration is 3.5 MPa (500 psi) and 27.6 Mpa (4000 psi).
Former is referred as Initial Setting Time and indicates that concrete has
become too stiff to be made mobile by vibration.
The later is referred as final setting time and indicates that compressive
strength of concrete on a standard cylinder is then about 0.7MPa (100 psi).
The Test can be used for comparative purposes.
These Setting times are distinct from the setting times of cement.

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

(cont)

Segregation
Separation of the Constituents of a heterogeneous mixture so
that their
distribution is no longer uniform.
It is the difference in the size of the particles and in the specific gravity of
the mix constituents that are primary cause of segregation.
Can be controlled by choosing suitable grading and care in handling.
Mixes with low w/c ratio are less prone to segregation.
If concrete have not to travel far, danger of segregation is small.
Dropping concrete from considerable height or change of direction, passing
through a chute can trigger segrigation

PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

(cont)

Bleeding (ASTM C 232-09)

When some of the water in the mix tends to rise to the surface
of freshly placed concrete. This is caused by the inability of the solid
constituents of the mix to hold all of the mixing water when they settle
downwards, water having the lowest specific gravity.
Initially bleeding proceed at a constant rate, but subsequently the
rate of bleeding decrease steadily and continues until the cement
paste has stiffened sufficiently to put an end to the process.

MIXING OF CONCRETE
Ingredients should properly be mixed to produce fresh concrete:
Where surface of all aggregates particles is coated with cement paste.
Which is homogenous
Possessing uniform properties
Concrete mixers
Uniformity of mixing
Mixing Time.

READY-MIXED CONCRETE
Central-mixed:
Mixing is done at a central plant and the mixed concrete is then
transported, usually in an agitator truck which revolves slowly so
as to prevent segregation and undue stiffening of the mix.

Transit-mixed:
The materials are batched at a central plant but are mixed in a
mixer truck either in transit or immediately prior to the concrete
being discharged

SHOTCRETE (Sprayed Concrete)

Concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at
high velocity on to a backup surface.
The force of jet impacting on the surface compact the material so that
it can support itself without sagging or sloughing , even on a vertical
face or overhead.

UNDERWATER CONCRETE
Concrete discharged through a steel pipe called tremie.
Pipe has to remain full throughout the concreting operation
Relatively rich mixes containing 360 kg/m3 of cementitious material

VIBRATION OF
CONCRETE
Internal Vibrator
Poker, flexible shaft driven from a motor.

External Vibrators
Rigidly clamped to the form work

Vibrating Tables
A rapidly rotating eccentric mass makes the table vibrate.