Concrete

Introduction

Most buildings have concrete and/or masonry

components.

The ability to use concrete and masonry materials is an

essential skill for construction and, repair and
maintenance of buildings.

Concrete
Concrete is a mixture of stone aggregates, sand, Portland
cement, and water that hardens as it dries.*
Concrete does not dry, it goes through a chemical reaction
called hydration.

*Agricultural Mechanics, Herren

Concrete - cont.
Concrete is truly a versatile building material. It can be formulated
with very specific performance characteristics in mind and include
lightweight, heavyweight, porous, fiber-reinforced, highperformance concretes.
Advantages
Fireproof

Attractive

Insect & rodent proof

UV resistant

Decay resistant

Storm resistant
Wear resistant
Waterproof (water
resistant)
Strong

Doesnt require expensive

equipment.
Available locally
Low original and maintenance
costs
Sanitary and easy to keep clean
Recyclable
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Concrete - cont.

Disadvantages
Labor intensive
Requires moving a lot of weight

Requires forms
Dense material
Special skills required to place and finish

Seven (7) Characteristics of Concrete

2. Resists attack by water

1. Durable

3. Resists manures and most chemicals.

4. Fire resistant
5. Very strong in compression
6. Weak in tension

7. Resistant to freezing
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Characteristic 1
Durability
Def: The ability of concrete to resist weathering action,
chemical attack and abrasion while maintaining its
desired engineering properties.

Concrete ingredients, their proportioning, interactions between them,

placing and curing practices, and the service environment determine
the ultimate durability and life of concrete.

Characteristic 2
Resists Attack by Water
Two characteristics;
watertightness and permeability.
Watertightness: the ability of concrete to hold back or retain water
without visible leakage.
Permeability: the amount of water migration through concrete
when the water is under pressure or the ability of
concrete to resist penetration by water or other
substances.

Characteristic 3
1.

Good quality concrete is resistant to the acids.

2.

Concrete is very alkaline, pH is usually greater than 12.5.

3.

Resistance can be increased with surface treatments.

4.

Concrete is susceptible to deterioration by sulfates.

Characteristic 4
Fire Resistant
1. Concrete provides the best fire resistance of
any building material.
2. It does not burn, it cannot be 'set on fire' like
other materials in a building and it does not
emit any toxic fumes, smoke or drip molten
particles when exposed to fire.
3. Concrete and its mineral constituents enjoy
the highest fire resistance classification.
The strength of concrete will deteriorate with high temperatures.

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The compressive strength depends

on:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The strength of the aggregate

Proportion of aggregate sizes
Type of Portland cement
Purity of water
Uniformity of mixture
Procedures used in placing,
finishing and curing

Characteristic 5
Strong in Compression

Material
Concrete
Wood*
Stone
Granite
Limestone
Marble
Sandstone
* Parallel to th e grain

Compress ive
Stren gth
(lb/in 2 )
2 5 ,0 00
2 4 ,00 0
1 0 ,0 00
1 0 ,0 00
1 0 ,0 00
5 ,00 0

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Compressive Strength Influenced by Water/cement Ratio

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Characteristic 6
Concrete is weak in tension
Does this table and picture show why steel reinforcement is use in
concrete?

Material
Concrete
Wood*
Steel
* Parallel to th e grain

Tension Stren gth

(lb/in 2 )
2,50 0
1 0 15, 00 0
5 0 70, 00 0

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Characteristic 7
Concrete is resistant to freezing
The resistance decreases as the permeability increases.
When concrete spaces are 91% or more full of water, freezing
will damage the concrete.
When water freezes to ice it occupies 9% more volume than
that of water.
Air entrained concrete is less permeable.
Example of freezing damage:

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Concrete Constituents
Concrete: a mixture of aggregate and Portland cement paste.
Aggregate: usually sand, gravel and/or crushed stone.
Paste: Portland cement and water

Process: the paste binds the aggregates into a rocklike mass as the
paste hardens because of the chemical reaction (hydration)
of the Portland cement and water.
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Proportion of Constituents
Basic concrete mix:

Air
Portland cement
Coarse aggregate
Fine aggregate
Water

6%
11%
41%
26%
16%

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Admixtures
Admixtures are materials other than cement,
aggregate and water that are added to concrete
either before or during its mixing to alter its
properties, such as workability, curing temperature
range, set time or color.

Admixtures cannot compensate for bad practice and low

quality materials.

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Admixtures - cont.
Common admixtures
Retarding admixtures
Accelerating admixtures
Super plasticizers
Water reducing admixtures
Air-entraining admixtures

Additional admixtures
Bonding,
Shrinkage reduction,
Damp proofing and
Coloring.

Addition of fiber to concrete makes it tough and fatigue resistant.

Such type of admixtures are used extensively in important
engineering projects.

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Types of Cement
Different types of Portland cement are manufactured to meet
many different applications of concrete.
Type I

Normal

Type IA

Normal, air-entrained

Type II

Moderate sulfate resistance (MSR)

Type IIA

MSR, air-entrained

Type III

High early strength (HES)

Type IIIA

HES, air-entrained

Type IV

Low heat of hydration

Type V

High sulfate resistance

Types I & IA are the most common.

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Air Entrained
Developed during the 1930s
Produced by using air-entraining
cement or by using an airentraining admixture.

Recommended for nearly all concretes that are

exposed to freezing and thawing, and deicing
chemicals.

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1. Increased freeze-thaw resistance

2. Increased deicer-scaling resistance
3. Improved sulfate resistance
4. Equivalent Strength
5. Improved workability

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Aggregate

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Aggregate
Concrete should include at least two different sizes of
aggregate--fine and coarse.
Fine = 1/4 inch or less (not to include fines)
Coarse = 1/4 to 2 inch

Standard practice is to crush stone and the use screens to

separate the sizes.
The correct proportion of fine aggregate and coarse aggregate can
then be mixed together.

Aggregate should be 60 to 80 % of the volume. (cheapest

material).
Stream bank aggregate must be tested for excessive silt and
clay.

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Purchasing Concrete

24

Purchasing Introduction

For large jobs in is common practice to have the concrete

delivered to the site.
The cost of having concrete delivered is determined by:

Quantity
Mix
Minimum charge
Unload fee
Mileage fee

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Purchasing Concrete - Quantity Needed

Quantity needed
Concrete is sold by the cubic yard (yd3).
To determine the quantity need calculate the volume
in cubic inches (in3) or cubic feet (ft3) and convert to
cubic yards (yd3 or just yd).
27 ft3 = 1 yd
46656 in3 = 1 yd
Common practice to add 5 to 10% for waste and
volume errors.

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Purchasing Basic Mix

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Purchasing Slump
The inches of slump indicates the water-cement ratio and the
quality of the concrete.
Slump, in.
Concrete Construction

Maximum

Minimum

Reinforced foundations walls and footings

Plain footings, caissons, substructure walls

Beams and reinforced walls

Building columns

Pavements and slabs

Mass concrete

Slump is determine through a slump test.

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Slump - Test
A slump test is conducted using an
Abrams cone, slump cone.
A slump cone is 8 inches in diameter at
the bottom, 4 inches in diameter at the
top and 12 inches tall.

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Slump Test cont.

Steps:
1 Moisten cone
2 Place cone on moist, smooth non absorbent level surface
that is larger the the lugs on the cone.
3 While standing on the lugs, fill the cone 1/3 and uniformly
rod 25 times.
4 Fill the cone 2/3 full and rod the 25 times insuring the rod
just penetrates the first layer.
5 Over fill the cone and rod 25 times
6 Strike off the excess with the rod.
7 Slowly lift the cone vertically and place on surface beside
concrete.
8 Place rod across the top of the cone and the concrete and
measure the distance from the bottom of the rod to the
surface of the concrete.
9 This distance is the inches of slump.
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Mixing Concrete

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Introduction

Small jobs can be mixed at the site.

Concrete weights over 4,000 pounds per cubic yard.
Therefore, it is important to determine amount of concrete
first, because even a small volume of concrete can
require moving a lot of material.
Using Quikcrete is a popular option to reduce the work.

For more information go to:

http://www.nrmca.org/aboutconcrete/

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Mixing Concrete

Characteristics of good mix:

1. Each aggregate particle is covered with cement paste
2. Each aggregate particle is bound to others

Cement paste
Water--cement ratio must be exact proportions.
Water in aggregate must be accounted for and deducted from
water added to mix.

Water--cement ratio must be adjusted for different service

conditions.

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Concrete Mixes
The proportions of water, Portland cement, fine aggregate and

course aggregates are not the same for all concrete jobs.
When mixing concrete it is common to express the mix (receipt)
as a proportion. For example:

1 2 2 - 1/4
1 = 1 ft3 (sack) of Portland cement
2 = 2 ft3 of fine aggregate
2-1/4 = 2.25 ft3 of coarse aggregate
The proportions
can be used on a volume or weight basis

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Proportions
The proportions must be changed to meet the service
conditions.

Intended use

Cement

Fine
Aggregate

Coarse
Aggregate

Mild Exposure

Normal Exposure

2-1/4

Severe Exposure

2-1/4

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Mixing--cont.
The amount of water in the aggregate must be included in the
calculations.
Effect of water in aggregate.
Water (gal) added to 1
ft3 of cement if sand is:

Intended
Use

Suggested Mixture for 1 ft3 Trial

Batch
Aggregates

Maximum
Aggregate Size (in)

Damp

Wet

Very
Wet

Cement
(ft3)

Fine
(ft3)

Coarse
(ft3)

1-1/2

6-1/4

5-1/2

4-3/4

Normal

5-1/2

4-1/4

2-1/4

Severe

4-1/2

3-1/2

2-1/4

Mild

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Water vs. strength

37

Effect of Adding Water

Adding 1 gal of water to 1 yd3 of concrete:

Increases slump 1 inch

Decrease compressive strength by 200 psi
Increases shrinkage by 10%
Increases permeability by up to 50%

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Reinforcing Concrete
Concrete is strong in compression, but weak in tension.
Reinforcement is used to increase the tension strength.
The type, size and spacing
of the reinforcement is
determined by the thickness
of the slab and the designed
load.
Fibers are also being used
to reinforce concrete.

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Pouring, Finishing, and Curing Concrete

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Pouring (Placing)
Inspect forms and bracing before starting the placing.
Insure all of the tools and help are available and ready before
starting.
Starts to harden in 15 minutes
Once in place and hardening process has started--its there.

Ensure concrete does not dry out.

Dampen the soil/sand base before placing.
Protect top surface after placing.

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Finishing Concrete
The finishing process has at least Four (4) steps.
Screeding
Floating
Final surface
Edging & jointing

42

(1) Screeding & (2) Floating Concrete

The process used is determined by the use of the concrete and the desired
finished surface.

1. Screeding
Screeding is striking off the concrete
surface to insure it is level with the forms
Pushes large aggregate below the
surface
Starts the smoothing process
Can be accomplished with a straight
board

2. Floating
Brings fine aggregate and cement paste
to the surface
Produces smoother surface
Uses a wooden or magnesium float
Floating should not be attempted until the concrete has hardened to
the point that stepping on it makes a very faint imprint.
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(3) Finishing Concrete

Many options are available for the
finished surface of concrete.
Molded
Individual
In forms

Stamped
Exposed aggregate
Colored
Smooth surface
Rough surface
Other

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(4) Edging & Jointing

Part of the finishing process may also be edging and jointing
Edging
Edging forces the large aggregate away from
the corner and rounds the corner.
Reduces breakage on the edge.

Jointing
The groove cut or formed or cut in the surface
helps control the location of the cracks.

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Curing Concrete

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Curing Concrete
Concrete hardens through a chemical process.
Initial strength is reached in a week.
Must be protected during this time

Potential problems.
1. Drying out
2. Excessive heat
3. Freezing temperature

Solutions
1a. Dampen base/forms before placing
1b. Cover with plastic or canvas
2a. Insulate the surface

2b. Dampen the surface

3a. Dont place on frozen ground
3a. Dont place when freezing temperature is
expected

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Curing Rate
Curing Rate
140

120

100

%
28
Days

80

60

40

20

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Days
48

Effect of Curing conditions

150

125

100

%
of
28
Days

Air

75

Moist

50

25

0
0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

Days
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Masonry

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Introduction
Masonry is Any type of construction using brick, stone, tile or
concrete units held in place with Portland cement.
Masonry units are held in place with mortar
Mortar = Portland cement, sand and water
Other materials may be added.

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Masonry Construction
Ancient method of construction.
Advantages:

Fireproof
Insect and rodent proof
Decay resistant
Storm resistant
Wear resistant
Water (proof) resistant
Strong
Attractive
Can be installed without
expensive equipment
Available locally
Low original and
maintenance costs
Recyclable

Disadvantages:
Strength, durability and
water resistance of finished
product dependent on
strength, durability and water
resistance of masonry units.
Labor intensive
Different skills required than
for wood frame or concrete.

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Masonry Units

Building bricks

Pavers
Custom bricks
Stone

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Masonry Units-cont.
Concrete blocks
(Fig 39-15)
Light weight blocks

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Additional Topics
Estimating number of block needed
Constructing footers
Mixing mortar
Laying block

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