1.

CONCR
ETE
TECHN
OLOGY
CONCRE
TE
TECHNO
LOGY

Concrete

Concrete
is a brittle
material
and is
strong in
compressi
on.

Concrete
is
composed
of:

1. Fine
aggregate

2. Coar
se
aggregate

3. Cem
ent and

4. Wate
r

Grades of
concrete

Grade Mix
M5 1 : 5 : 10
M7.5 1:4:8
M10 1:3:6
M15 1:2:4
M20 1 : 1.5 : 3
Properties
of
concrete

Fresh
properties

1.
Workabilit
y- The
easiness
by which
concrete
can be
mixed,
transporte
d, placed,
compacted
and
finished.

2.
Shrinkage-
It is
defined as
the
contractin
g of a
hardened c
oncrete mi
xture due
to the loss
of
capillary
water

3.
Segregatio
n-
Separation
of the
various
constituent
s of
concrete is
called
segregatio
n.
 4.
Bleeding-
Water
accumulati
ng the
surface of
concrete

Factors
affecting
workabilit
y

1. Water
content

2. Mix
proportion
s

3. Size of
aggregate

4. Shape
of
aggregate

5. Surface
texture of
aggregate

6. Grading
of
aggregate

2. Tests for Workability

Tests for Workability

The important tests used for the workability of concrete are:

1. Slump Test

2. Compaction factor test

3. Vee- Bee Consistometer test

2. Tests for Workability
2.1. Slump Test

1. Slump Test

Slump test is used to measure the consistency of concrete. It is used, indirectly, as a means of
checking that the correct amount of water has been added to the mix. It is suitable for very
wet or very dry concrete.

Type of work Slump value Workability

1. Sections with congested reinforcement for tremie placing 100-150 High

2. Manually compacted flat slabs 50-100 Medium

3. Mass concrete works/foundation 25-75 Low

2. Tests for Workability

 2.2. Compaction factor test
1. Compaction factor test

The test is useful for low workability concrete mix. Compaction factor test is the workability
test for concrete conducted in laboratory.

The degree of compaction is called compaction factor.

Compaction factor

= Weight of partially compacted concrete / Weight of fully compacted concrete

The Compaction factor values ranges from 0.7 to 0.95.

The test set up is as shown below.

It consists of: Upper and middle hoppers and bottom cylinder.

Test Setup for Compaction factor

2. Tests for Workability

2.3. Vee-Bee Consistometer test
1. Vee-Bee Consistometer test

Used for very dry concrete. The time required for complete re-molding in seconds is
considered as a measure of workability and is expressed as the number of Vee-Bee seconds.
Click here to view the image of Vee-Bee Consistometer

Vee Bee degree: The time required for the shape of concrete to change from slump cone
shape to cylindrical shape in seconds.

High workability mixes may have lower value for Vee- Bee degree

3. Tests
for Hard
concrete
Tests for
Hard
concrete

Engineerin
g
properties
of
hardened
concrete
includes;

Elastic
modulus,
Tensile
Strength,
Creep
coefficient
s, density,
Coefficien
t of
thermal
expansion

The
following
are the
tests for
hard
concrete:

1. Com
pressive
strength
test

2. Split
Tensile
strength
Test

3. Flex
ural
strength
test

1. Com
pressive
strength
test for
cubes

It is done
to measure
the
characteris
tic
compressi
ve strength
of
concrete.

Size of
cube
specimen:
15x15x15c
m or
10x10x10
cm

Click here
to view the
image of
the mould

The
characteris
tic strength
is taken as
the
28th day
cube
compressi
ve strength
of the
specimen.
2. Split
Tensile
strength

Splitting
tensile
strength
test on
concrete
cylinder is
a method
to
determine
the tensile
strength of
concrete.
It is an
indirect
method of
testing
tensile
strength of
concrete.

The
strength of
cylinder =
0.8 x cube
strength

3. Flex
ural
strength
test

The test is
performed
on
concrete
beams of
flexural
strength of
specimen
is given by
modulus
of rupture.

Modulus
of
Rupture,
fb = P
xL/bxd2

Where

P –Load at
failure

L – Span
of beam
between
supports

d – Depth
of beam

b – Width
of beam

4.
Process
of
concretin
g
Process of
concretin
g

1. Batc
hing:
Batching
is the
process of
measuring
concrete
mix
ingredients
either by
volume or
by mass
and
introducin
g them
into the
mixture.
a. Weig
h
batching
b.
Volume
batching

2. Mix
ing:
Mixing
operation
consists of
rotation or
stirring, to
coat the
surface the
all
aggregate
particles
with
cement
paste, and
to blind all
the
ingredients
of the
concrete
into a
uniform
mass

3. Tran
sporting:
Mortar
pan,
Wheel
barrow,
truck
mixer,
Belt
conveyor,
chutes,skip
&hoist,
transit
mixer etc
are used
for
transportin
g concrete.
4. Placi
ng :
Depositing
concrete
into the
formwork
and
reinforcem
ent

5. Com
pacting :
is the
process
which
expels
entrapped
air from
freshly
placed con
crete and
packs the
aggregate
particles
together so
as to
increase
the density
of concrete
.

6. Curi
ng :
Curing is
the
maintainin
g of an
adequate
moisture
content
and
temperatur
e
in concrete
at early
ages.

7. Finis
hing :
Screeding
or
strikeoff:
The
process of
cutting off
excess
concrete

5.
Admixtur
es
Admixtur
es

Admixture
s are the
ingredient
of concrete
other than
cement,
aggregates
and water.

The
important
admixtures
are the
following.

1. Plasti
cizers

2. Supe
r
plasticizer
s

3. Acce
lerators
and

4. Retar
ders
5. Air
entraining
Admixture
s

Plasticizer
s- They
may
reduce the
water
content up
to 15%

Super
plasticizer
s – They
reduce
water
content up
to 30%

Accelerat
ors- They
are used to
reduce the
setting
time of
concrete.
Accelerato
rs are
preferred
in cold
weather
concreting.

Eg: CaCl2

Retarders
- They are
used to
prolong
the setting
time of
concrete.
Retarders
are
preferred
in hot
weather
concreting,
in mines
or rigs.

Eg:
Common
sugar is a
retarder.

Air
entraining
Admixtur
es: Worka
bility
improved
by
introducin
g air
bubbles
into the
concrete.

Air
entrainme
nt is
suitable
for frost
areas and
freeze and
thaw
conditions.