Part 3: Concrete Placement Methods

and Proper Consolidation

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Formwork
Forms should be:
• Properly aligned
• Clean
• Tight
• Adequately braced
• Constructed of materials that will impart the desired off-the-form finish
to the hardened concrete.
• Straight
• Free from warping
• Have sufficient strength to resist concrete pressure without deforming
• Strong enough to support any mechanical placing and finishing
equipment used.

Wood forms:
• Unless oiled or otherwise treated with a form release agent, should
be moistened before placing concrete, otherwise they will absorb
water from concrete and swell.
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Concrete Placement
Continuously as near as possible to its final position without objectionable segregation.

In slab construction
• Start along the perimeter at one end of the slab with each batch discharged against previously placed
concrete.
• Should not be dumped in separate piles and then leveled and worked together; nor should the concrete
be deposited in large piles and moved horizontally into final position.

Walls, Thick Slabs, or Foundations

• in layers of uniform thickness and thoroughly consolidated before the next layer is placed.
• About 150 mm to 500 mm deep for reinforced members
• 375 mm to 500 mm thick for mass work using large aggregates (>25 mm) or stiff consistency concrete
mixtures(slump < 75 mm
• Walls (<300 mm) using smaller aggregates and flowing concrete
• Lifts of 900 mm to 1200 mm; with 900 mm typically being the maximum lift height for cast-in place
architectural concrete. However, with the use of chemical admixtures, vertical placements for walls and
columns in lifts can clearly exceed 500 mm.

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Concrete Placement
• In tall forms at a fairly rapid rate, some bleed water may collect on the top
surface, especially with non-air entrained concrete.
• Bleeding can be reduced by placing concrete more slowly and at a stiffer
consistency.
• In monolithic placement of deep beams, walls, or columns concrete
placement should be paused (about 1 hr) to allow settlement of the deep
element before concreting is continued in any slabs, beams, or girders
framing into them, to avoid cracks between structural elements.
• The use of self consolidating concrete (SCC) may allow for continuous
placements if precautions are taken into account
• for form pressure increases due to the fluid behavior of SCC
• for the heat of hydration in mass placements due to the high
cementitious content.

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Placing on Hardened Concrete
When freshly mixed concrete is placed in contact with existing hardened concrete, a high-quality, watertight bond
to minimize water infiltration at the joint is required.

Poorly bonded construction joints are usually the result of:

• Lack of bond between old and new concrete
• A weak porous layer in the hardened concrete at the joint.

Preparing Hardened Concrete

• Clean
• Sound
• Reasonably rough with some coarse aggregate particle exposed
• Thoroughly roughened
• Partially set or recently hardened concrete
• stiff-wire brushing
• For two-course floors, the top surface of the base slab
• roughened with a steel or stiff fiber just before it sets
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Bonding New to Previously Hardened Concrete
Bonding New to Previously Hardened Concrete
A good bond can be obtained by placing a rich concrete (higher cement and
sand content than normal) in the bottom of the new lift and thoroughly
vibrating the joint interface.

A topping concrete mixture for slabs can be bonded to the previously

prepared base slab by the any of the following procedures:

• Portland cement-sand grouting- 1:1 cement-sand grout mixture with

w/c ratio not greater than 0.45
• Latex bonding agent-added to the cement-sand grout
• Epoxy

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Chutes on Truck Mixers (Direct Pouring)
Type and range of work for
which equipment is best suited
• Convey concrete to a lower
level, usually below ground
level, on all types of
construction
Advantages Points to watch for
• Low cost and easy to •Slopes should range between 1 to 2 or
1 to 3 and chutes must be adequately
maneuver
supported in all positions.
• No power required; •End discharge arrangements to avoid
segregation
gravity does most of the
work
Ready mixed concrete is often placed in its final
location by direct chute discharge from a truck
mixer.
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 Crane and Buckets

Type and range of work for

which equipment is best Advantages Points to watch for
suited

• Limited to one lift at a

• Handle concrete,
time.
reinforcing steel,
formwork, and sundry
• Work above ground level • Careful scheduling
items in bridges and
between trades and
concrete framed
operations is needed to
buildings.
keep crane busy.

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 Pumps / Placing Boom

Type and range of work

for which equipment is Advantages Points to watch for
best suited
• Convey concrete directly • Pipelines take little space and • Constant supply of freshly-mixed
from central discharge can be readily extended concrete is needed with average
point at jobsite to • Delivers concrete in consistency and without tendency
formwork or to secondary continuous stream to segregate.
discharge point.
• Move concrete both vertically • Care must be taken in operating
and horizontally pipeline to ensure an even flow
and to clean out at conclusion of
• Truck mounted pumps can be
each operation.
delivered when necessary to
small or large projects. • Pumping vertically, around bends,
and through flexible hose will
• Tower crane mounted pump
considerable reduce the maximum
booms provide continuous
pumping distance.
concrete for tall building
construction.

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Dropchutes (flexible hose)
Type and range of work for which
equipment is best suited
• Used for placing concrete in vertical
forms of all kinds.
• Some chutes are one piece tubes
made of flexible rubberized canvass
or plastic, others are assembled
from articulated metal cylinders
(elephant trunks)
• Accessories for concrete pump and
placing boom.
Advantages
• Direct concrete into formwork and
carry it to bottom of forms without
segregation.
• Avoids spillage of grout and concrete
on reinforcing steel and form sides,
which is harmful when off-the-form
surfaces are specified.
• Prevent segregation of coarse
particles.
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Points to watch for
• Should have sufficiently large, splayed-
top- openings into which concrete can
be discharged without spillage.
•The cross section of a dropchute
should be chosen to permit inserting into
the formwork without interfering with the
reinforcing steel.
Tremies
Type and range of work for
which equipment is best Advantages Points to watch for
suited

• Concrete through congested • Funnel concrete • Precautions are needed to ensure that the tremie
rebar, in slurry applications, through slurry or water discharge end is always buried in fresh concrete, so that
and under water. into a foundation. the seal is preserved between water and concrete mass.

• Concrete mixture needs more cement, 390 kg/m3 and

greater slump 150 to 230 mm, because concrete must
flow and consolidate without any vibration.

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Truck Mixers
Type and range of work for which
equipment is best suited
• Pavements, structures, and
buildings
• Haul distances must allow
discharge of concrete within 1 ½
hours, but limit maybe waived
under certain circumstances.
Advantages Points to watch for
• No central mixing plant • Timing of deliveries should suit job
is needed, only a organization.
batching plant, since • Concrete crew and equipment must
concrete is completely be ready onsite to handle concrete.
mixed in truck mixer. • Control of concrete quality is not as
good as with central mixing.
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Wheelbarrows and Buggies
Type and range of work for which
equipment is best suited
• Short hauls on all types of onsite
concrete construction, especially
where accessibility to work area is
restricted
Advantages Points to watch for
• Very versatile and therefore • Slow and labor intensive.
ideal inside on jobsites where
placing conditions are
constantly changing.
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Mobile Batcher Mixers
Type and range of work for
which equipment is best suited
• Intermittent production of
concrete at jobsite, or where
only small quantities are
required.
Advantages Points to watch for
• A combined materials • Trouble-free operation
transporter and mobile batching requires good preventive
and mixing system for quick, maintenance program on
precise proportioning of equipment.
specified concrete. One-person
operation. • Materials must be identical to
those in original mix design.
Mobile batcher measures materials by
volume and continuously mixes concrete
as dry ingredients, water, and admixtures
are fed into a mixing through at the rear of
the vehicle.
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Non-Agitating Trucks (Dump Trucks)
Type and range of work for
which equipment is best suited
• Transport concrete on short
hauls over smooth roadways
Advantages Points to watch for
• Capital cost of non- • Concrete slump should be limited.
agitating equipment is
• Possibility of segregation
lower than that of truck
agitators or mixers. • Clearance is needed for high lift or
truck body upon discharge.
Non-agitating trucks are used with central-mix
batch plants where short hauls and quick
concrete discharge allows the rapid placements
of large volumes of concrete
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Pneumatic Guns (Shotcrete)
Type and range of
work for which
Advantages Points to watch for
equipment is best
suited
• Concrete is placed in • Ideal for placing • Quality of work
difficult locations and concrete in depends on skill of
where thin sections ad freeform shapes, those using
large areas are for repairing equipment.
needed. structures, for
protective • Only experienced
coatings, thin nozzlemen should
linings, and be employed.
building walls with
one-sided forms.

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Screw Spreaders (Concrete Paver)
Type and range of work for
which equipment is best suited
• Spread concrete over large flat
areas, such as pavements and
bridge decks.
Advantages
• A batch of concrete discharged from
a bucket or truck can be quickly
spread over a wide area to a uniform
depth.
Points to watch for
• Normally used as part of paving train.
• Should be used for spreading before
vibration is applied.

• The spread concrete has good

uniformity of compaction before
vibration is used for final compaction.

The screw spreader quickly spreads concrete over

a wide area to a uniform depth. Screw spreaders
are used primarily in pavement construction.

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Consolidation
Process of compacting fresh concrete or mold it within the form and around
embedded items and reinforcement; and to eliminate the pockets, honey
combs, and entrapped air.

Accomplished by hand or mechanical methods depending on:

• Consistency of the mixture

• Complexity of the formwork
• Spacing of reinforcement
Honeycombs and
rock pockets are
the results of
inadequate
consolidation.

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Consolidation
Vibration
• Most widely used method for consolidating concrete

• A standby vibrator should be on hand at all times in the event of a

mechanical breakdown.

• When concrete is vibrated it behaves like a liquid and settles in the

form under the action of gravity and the large entrapped air voids
rise more easily in the surface.

• Proper vibration makes possible the placement of stiff concrete

mixtures, even in heavily-reinforced concrete members.

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Consolidation

• Vibrators should not be used to move concrete horizontally since this causes
segregation.
• Most commonly used to consolidate concrete in walls, columns, beams, and
slabs.
• It should penetrate to the bottom of the layer being placed and at least 150 mm
into any previous placed layer.
• For slabs on ground, the vibrator should not make contact with the subgrade
• An insertion time of 5 to 15 seconds will usually provide adequate consolidation.
• In heavily reinforced sections where an internal vibrator cannot be inserted, it is
sometimes helpful to vibrate the reinforcing bars by attaching a form vibrator to
their exposed portions.
• Increases bond between the bars and the surrounding concrete.

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 Consolidation by Vibratory Screed

Where floor tolerances are not critical, an experienced operator using this vibratory screed
does not need screed poles supported by chairs to guide the screed. Instead, the operator
visually matches elevations to forms or previous passes. The process is called wet screeding.

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Consequence of Improper Vibration
Under vibration may cause:

• Honeycombing

• Excessive amount of entrapped air voids, often called bug-holes

• Sand streaks

• Cold joints

• Placement lines

• Subsidence cracking

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Choosing the Best Method of Concrete Placement
Initial consideration:
• Type of job
• Its physical size
• The total amount of concrete to be placed
• The placement schedule
Further consideration will identify the amount of work that is below, at, or
above ground level

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Work at Below Ground Level Work at Above Ground Level

Application Equipment Equipment

• Filling large-diameter • Crane can handle • Crane and bucket
bored piles formwork, • Concrete Pump (Stationary and Mobile)
reinforcing steel,
• Massive mat concrete • Placing boom
foundations
• Chute from truck
• Intricate work mixer
involved in basement
and subbasement • Concrete pump
walls

• Pavement

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Preparation Before Placing
• Compacting (for land dev)

• Trimming (for land dev)

• Moistening the subgrade

• Erecting the forms

• Setting reinforcing steel

• Other embedded items securely in place.

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Elapsed Time for Concrete Placement
• Time for completion of discharge shall comply with ASTM C 94, which states that discharge of
the concrete shall be completed within 1 ½-hr, time is reckoned from the time of mixing. These
limitations are permitted to be waived by the project if the concrete is of such slump after the 1
½ -hr time that it can be placed without the addition of water, to the batch.
• Check causes of delay of placement.
• Check concrete workability and make adjustment if necessary.
• Coordinate with concreting engineers.
• Coordinate with Dispatcher.
o Rate of discharge
o No. of transit mixing on standby
o Problem encountered (sudden breakdown of equipment such as, concrete pump,
placing boom, tower crane or insufficient manpower, formworks cave-in, heavy rain)
o Hold concrete batching, divert concrete delivery to other projects with same or lower
specifications.
• In critical situations, decide to dispose at site or return to plant

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Elapsed Time for Concrete Placement
• Concrete containing the admixtures may extend the useful life of concrete to
which it can have complete placement up to 3 hours to reckon from the time
of mixing.
• When slump loss is encountered because the transit mixer has to wait
for an extended period before discharging the concrete, a second
dosage of admixture maybe used to restore the slump.
• Admixture re-dosing will be at the request and approval of Client’s QC
and/or 3rd party representative. A maximum of 500mL per cubic meter.
Concrete supplier will assist the project in such circumstances subject
to re-dosing control set by the supplier.
• The project should be vigilant on the consistency of the mix after re-
dosing has been conducted.
• No addition of water after the admixture re-dosing.

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 THANK YOU

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