Cold-Weather Concreting

AND

Under- Water Concreting

Introduction

Without curing, concrete is just like brittle mixture of various construction ingredients that can break down under excessive loads or even under normal loading conditions. Concrete under water curing, curing concrete below freezing and extremely hot temperatures needs special attention. Curing means hardening of concrete mix under controlled conditions. Temperature and moisture content of concrete are two important aspects of curing and depending upon these two factors, concrete achieve its strength. Efficient curing ensures that concrete is durable, resistive to corrosion and is resistant to wind and heat. Period of curing is different for different types of work and temperature conditions. In wet and freezing conditions conventional methods do not work.

Cold-Weather Concreting
Cold Weather

Average daily temperature <5C (40F) for 3 successive days Stays <10C (50F) for more than of any 24h period
AT THE PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE WHICH COLD WEATHER EFFECTS

RULE OF THUMB
For every 10C (18F) reduction in concrete temperature, the times of setting of the concrete double...

In its "plastic" state, concrete will freeze if its temperature falls below 25 degrees. If concrete freezes at this state, the potential strength can be reduced by more than 50% and durability will be adversely affected

Cold-Weather Concreting
Concrete can be successfully placed, finished and cured in winter so long as you understand what affect low temperatures have on the fresh and early age concrete. The setting of concrete involves a series of complex chemical reactions that are very sensitive to temperature. This reaction, under normal conditions, gives off a considerable amount of heat. If it is so cold that the reaction slows down, the reaction and heat evolution is delayed - consequently, the strength gain will be drastically reduced. The use of admixtures can over-ride some of the negative affects of low temperatures and enable you to continue to place concrete in low temperatures

Cold-Weather Concreting
Cold Weather
Unfavourable conditions? The unfavourable conditions include temperatures below 5 degrees on a falling thermometer, or 2 degrees on a rising thermometer, or where it becomes impractical to work and finish the concrete adequately. The precautions listed in the Standard include the use of air entrainers, using low slump concrete, using admixtures (accelerators and water reducers,) increasing cement contents, using some form of frost protection, and avoiding frozen ground.

Cold-Weather Concreting
Practical Site measures
1. Do not place concrete on frozen ground. If snow is forecast cover the sub-base to protect it or delay the pour. 2. Check the predicted temperatures for the day, and decide whether or not to proceed if temperatures are falling below 5 degrees, or if a frost is predicted overnight. 3. If a decision is made to proceed get the covers necessary to protect the concrete from freezing.

Cold-Weather Concreting
Placement
1. Place the concrete as early as practicable in the morning to give plenty of time to finish the surface in daylight. 2. Do not wet up the concrete. Ensure the slump is not above 80 mm. 3. Do not attempt to finish the concrete until all bleed water has evaporated. This can take some time on cold windless days. 4. It may be necessary to remove the bleed water on cold windless days. Whatever system you use take great care not to mix the water into the top of the concrete. This will lead to a soft dusty surface. 5. Do not spread cement onto the surface to dry up the top. This will lead to dusting and excessive crazing of the surface 6. Do not overwork slabs that have had a delayed set due to low temperature.

Cold-Weather Concreting
Curing conditions
If icy or frosty conditions are expected immediately after finishing operations have been completed, do not use water to cure the top surface as this will freeze and disrupt the top surface before it has had a chance to develop any strength. Cover the slab with straw and plastic to ensure the top of the slab remains above freezing point. If more severe weather is expected replace the insulation for at least the duration of the cold spell for good measure (or four days as a reasonable rule of thumb). Do not seal freshly placed concrete unless the sealer is specifically designed for application to new concrete at low or very low temperatures. If the concrete is warm after the use of the insulation, carefully remove the insulation in a way that will not drop the temperature of the concrete more than 20 degrees over a 24hour period. This will avoid the risk of thermal shock cracking developing

Cold-Weather Concreting
Stick to the design code, maintain proper water-cement ratio, and ensure a safe gap between the reinforcement bars. The water to cement ratio should not be more than 0.40 in wet and freezing conditions. In extremely cold regions, a propane heater and a polyethylene enclosure can be used to keep the temperature above the freezing point. Wet and freezing conditions mean moisture, which means corrosion when related to steel and concrete. Use Portland Type III cement as it helps in easy setting without degrading the quality of concrete. Use additives like fly ash, silica fume, and furnace slag as they help in controlling formation of chloride ions, which is one of the main reasons for steel corrosion in concrete. Concrete under water curing for flatwork applications becomes easy with previous concrete. Previous Concrete is all coarse aggregates and it contains a negligible percentage of fine aggregates, especially sand. Additives are mixed into it that do not allow water to penetrate inside the concrete surface. Use concrete sealants so that water does not seep inside the concrete. Sealants not only increase the life of concrete but also help in preventing concrete curing failure. In extremely cold regions, only a breathable concrete sealant must be used, as it will allow the evaporation of water and moisture, helping in fast setting of the concrete.

Effect of Low Temperatures on Strength

Hydration Ceases at 14 F

Effect of Freezing Fresh Concrete

Up to 50% reduction of ultimate strength can occur if frozen

Within a few hours Before reaching a strength of 3.5 MPa (500 psi)

Frozen only once at an early age

With curing nearly all strength can be restored Less resistance to weathering More permeable

Cold-Weather Concreting
Methods to accelerate strength gain:

Type III or HE high-early-strength cement Additional portland cement (60 to 120 kg/m3 or 100 to 200 lb/yd3) Chemical accelerators

Accelerating Admixtures
Accelerate the rate of: Hydration (setting) Early-age strength gain

Calcium chloride accelerators: Increase drying shrinkage, potential reinforcement corrosion, potential scaling Darken concrete

Preparations for Placing Concrete in Cold Weather

-Snow, ice, and frost should be removed. -Temperatures of surfaces and metals in contact with concrete should be above freezing...may require insulating or heating prior to placement. -Have materials and equipment in place to protect concrete during and after placement. -Insulated blankets, tarps, straw covered with plastic sheets -Heaters (make sure to vent to avoid carbonation..thus dusting) -Enclosures and possible insulated forms

BASIC COLD WEATHER CONCRETING GUIDELINES

1) Use air-entained concrete when exposed to freeze/thaw conditions.

2) Keep surfaces in contact with concrete free of ice & snow, and at a temperature above freezing.
3) Place and maintain concrete at recommended temperature. 4) Place at lowest possible slump. 5) Protect "plastic" concrete from freezing or drying. 6) Protect from early-age freeze/thaw cycles until adequate strength is achieved. 7) Limit rapid temperature changes when protective measures are removed

Underwater Concreting
-Underground construction always poses serious threats to curing of concrete. For example, underground curing of concrete in tunnels is always affected by seeping water. The surface always remains wet and setting of concrete takes time, rendering it weak and unstable. -Similarly working on a basement or foundation also has moisture issues. Working in watery conditions requires waterproofing, which increases costs and secondly drying the area also takes plenty of time. -Similarly, curing of concrete in wet conditions needs special care and treatment; you cannot just place it and forget about it. Despite the fact that curing is not possible without water, too much water will definitely render the concrete weak and result in cracks on the surface. In regions with high rainfall, concrete curing in time becomes very crucial. -Similarly in wet and waterlogged conditions, curing needs to be done carefully. If the surface is too wet, the first thing to do is to dry the surface by heating. It may not be possible to dry the surface completely and that is where the free water to cement ratio becomes crucial. -This ratio must be set according to the moisture content of the surface because if the water cement ratio exceeds the desired limits, it will result in capillary pores on the set concrete, resulting in poor strength and durability. Additives can also be used to speed up the process of concrete setting

Underwater Concreting
Performance Requirements for Underwater Concrete in Structural Applications
Flowability and Self-Compaction Workability Retention within Work Window Cohesion Against Washout, Segregation, and Laitance Formation Low Bleeding Low Heat of Hydration Controlled Set Time Compressive Strength Adequate Bond

Underwater Concreting
Principal Parameters in Mix Design
Particle Packing Characteristics - Sand

Content, Gradation, Size, and Shape The water-to-fine ratio - Enough Fine to Make It Flowable and Cohesive (0.85-1.0 by volume) Cementittious Material Content High Volume Fly Ash plus Silica Fume Dispersion characteristics - Proper Use of Chemical Admixtures HRWR and Set-retarder

Underwater Concreting
Coarse Aggregates
Specific Gravity: 2.85 Absorption: 1.1% Maximum Nominal Size: 3/4-inch Appearance: Clean and round-shaped with smooth surface texture

Fine Aggregates
Specific Gravity: 2.72 Fineness Modulus: 2.9 Absorption: 3.0% Natural River Sand

Underwater Concreting
High Volume Fly Ash Concrete for Underwater Repair
Reducting the heat of hydration in mass concrete Increasing concrete flowability without compromising cohesion Facilitating concrete flowability retention and extended set time

Underwater Concreting
For Structural concrete following must be considered
Coarse Aggregate: Gravel of 3/4" (20mm) max. size. Use 50-55 % of the total aggregate by weight. Sand, 45-50% of the total aggregate by weight. Cement: Type II ASTM (moderate heat of hydration), 600 lbs/yd3 Pozzolans: ASTM 616 Type N or F, 100 lbs/ yd3 Water/Cement Ratio: 0.42 (0.45 Maximum). Water-Reducing Admixture (preferably it is also plasticizer): Do not use superplasticizers. Air-Entrainment Admixtures: To give 6% total air. Retarding Admixture: To increase setting time to 4-24 hours, as required. Slump: 6 1/2" 1" This mix will develop compressive strength in the range of 5,600 - 7,000 psi(pounds per square inch) at 28 days.

Tremie method
Method on how to place concrete underwater, in offshore concreting, since cement looses its strength and fade away under water. Tremie Concrete is done by using a formwork/pipe which will have one end of the formwork/pipe above water and other bottom end immersed under the water and with the help of gravity. A tremie is a watertight pipe, generally 250mm in diameter, having a funnel shape hopper at its upper end and a loose plug at the bottom or discharge end. The valve at the discharge end is used to dewater the tremie and control the distribution of the concrete. The tremie is supported on a working platform above water level, and to facilitate the placing it is built up in 1 to 3.5m section.

Tremie method
During the concreting, air and water must be exclude from the tremie by keeping the pipe full of concrete all the time. In charging the tremie a plug formed of paper is first inserted into the pipe as the hopper is filled the pressure of fresh concrete forces the plug down the pipe, and the water in the tremie I displaced by concrete. For concreting, the tremie pipe is lowered into position and the discharge end is kept as deeply submerged beneath the surface of freshly placed concrete as the placed concrete as the head of concrete in tremie permits. As concreting proceeds the pipe is raised slightly and the concrete flows outwards. Care should be taken to maintain continuity of concreting without breaking the seal provided by the concrete cover over the discharge end. . The tremie should never be moved laterally though freshly placed concrete. It should be lifted vertically above the surface of concrete and shifted to its new position.

Tremie method
When large quantities of concrete are to be placed continuously, it is preferable to place concrete simultaneously and uniformly through a battery of tremies, rather than shift a single tremies from point to point. It has been recommended that the spacing of tremies be between 3.5 and 5m and that the end tremies should be about 2.5m from the formwork. The risk of segregation and non-uniform stiffening can be minimized by maintaining the surface of concrete in the forms as level as possible and by providing a continuous and rapid flow of concrete.

3-5 Times Depth of Tremie Pours

Pre Packed concrete

Description: Placing coarse aggregate in the form and filling the voids with grout. It is used on large repair jobs, and usually grout is pumped through grout pipes from the bottom up

Uses: Prepacked concrete is used where placement of cast-in-place concrete is not practical. It is also used underwater where the tremie or pumped methods are not practical due to inaccessibility. It is suitable for vertical surface repairs that have a minimum thickness of 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches)

Thank you.