UNDER WATER

CONCRETING
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Objectives

1.Introduction.
2.Types of material used and its mix
proportions.
3.Concreting and Concreting Methods.
4.Precautions required during under water
concreting.
5.Under water repair works.
6.Conclusion.
7.Reference.

INTRODUCTION

There are often situations, such as

basements, sewerage and marine works, in
which concrete is to be placed underwater. In
diaphragm wall construction, concrete is
placed in a trench filled with bentonite slurry.
The concrete should be plastic and cohesive
but should have good flow ability.
The proportions of fine and coarse aggregates
should be adjusted to produce the desired
workability with somewhat higher proportion of
fine aggregates than used for normal
conditions.

Performance requirements for UWC:

Workability & self compaction
Cohesion against washout, segregation

& laitance formation

Low bleeding
Low heat of hydration
Controlled set time
Compressive strength
Adequate bond

TYPES OF MATERIAL USED AND ITS MIX

PROPORTIONS.

Cement
Coarse

aggregates
Fine aggregates
Admixture

CEMENT
Ordinary Portland cement:
OPC having not more than 10% tri calcium aluminates is
suitable for underwater concrete construction where the
sulphate content of ground water does not exceed
1200ppm and for marine structures which are permanently
submerged.
Sulphate resisting Portland cement:
SRPC with its reduced tricalcium aluminates content should
be used where the sulphate content of ground water
exceed 1200ppm. Its use in marine structures in the splash
zone and above is less straight forward.

Low heat Portland

cement:
Large pores of concrete cast underwater are
particularly susceptible to thermal cracking as
relatively high cement content concretes are
used. LHPC not only reduces the rate of heat
evolutions but also provides protection against
sulphate attack owing to the low level of
tricalcium aluminate in this cement. The use of
cement replacement materials is an alternative
method of reducing the thermal effects and
provides additional benefits.

Aggregates:

As it is impossible to achieve detailed visual inspection

during the placing of the underwater concrete , and it is
usually necessary for the concrete to flow and self compact
, it is important to select aggregate and grading which are
particularly resistant to segregation and bleeding and which
and have high cohesion.

Coarse aggregates:
It is well known that rounded aggregates achieve more
dense packing and have reduced water demand for a given
degree of workability than do crushed rock aggregate.
Maximum Size - 1.5-2 inc (100% shall pass a 75 mm sieve )

Fine aggregates :
The only special requirement for sand fraction over and above those needed
for normal concreting mixes is that there should be significant proportions
with a particle size less than 300 At least 15 20% of sand fractions
should pass a 300 m sieve as this necessary to enhance the cohesive
property of concrete to be placed underwater. When suitable sand are
unavailable it is necessary to increase significantly the cement content of
mixes , or add pulverized fuel ash or ground granulated blast furnace sag .

The sand for the intruded grout shall be well graded, preferably of round
grains and shall conform to the following gradation:

Passing 1.18 mm sieve 95 - 100%

Passing 600 um sieve 60 - 85%
Passing 300 um sieve 20 - 45%
Passing 150 um sieve 15 - 30%
Passing 75 um sieve 0 - 10%

ADMIXTURES:
Admixtures are the chemical compounds in
concrete other than hydraulic cement, water and
aggregates, and mineral additives that are added to
the concrete mix immediately before or during
mixing to modify one or more of the specific
properties of concrete in the fresh or hardened state.

The Anti- washout admixtures

Hydrocem
Mellose
Rheomac uw-450

:Concreting methods :
The following are the principal techniques which
have been used for placing concrete
underwater.
Tremie method
Bucket placing
Placing in bags
Pre packed concrete

Tremie Method :

A tremie is watertight pipe, generally 250mm in diameter, having a funnel

shaped hopper at its upper end and a loose plug at the bottom or
discharge end. The valve at the discharge end is used to de-water the
tremie and control the distribution of the concrete .placing it is built up in
1to 3.5m sections. Thetremie is supported on working platform above
water level, and to facilitate the placing it is built up in 1 to 3.5 section.

During the concreting, air and water must be excluded from the tremie by
keeping the pipe full of concrete all the time; and for this reason the
capacity of the hopper should be at least equal to that of the tremie pipe.
In charging the tremie a plug formed of paper is first inserted into the top
of the pipe. As the hopper is filled the pressure of fresh concrete forces
the plug down the pipe and the water in the tremie is displaced by
concrete.

Bucket Placing :
This method has the advantage that
concreting can be carried out at
considerable depths. The buckets are
usually fitted with drop-bottom or
bottom-roller gates which open freely
outward when tripped as shown in fig.
The method permits the use of slightly
stiffer concrete than does tremie
method.

(a) FILLED

(b) DISCHARGING

BOTTOM OPENING BUCKET

Precautions required during underwater concreting :

Dry ingredients should not be dumped into water, nor

should the concrete be allowed to fall water from any
height.
No tamping, ramming or compaction of concrete should be
done until concrete surfaces raises above water level.
The concrete mix should be rich and have 10% to 30%
extra cement content of the concrete should not be less
than 380 -390 kg/m3 .
The aggregates should properly graded to reduce voids to
a minimum and produce a concrete mass of excellent
plasticity and strength.
Concrete should not be placed in very cold water, as this
causes hardening problems.

Under water repair works:

Defining the Area

Cleaning the Affected Area
Equipment Haulage
Use AWA
Personnel requirements
Inspection methods
Environment consideration

Conclusion:
Concrete is often placed beneath water surface
for the construction of offshore platforms , docks ,
harbors , bridge structures etc .
. We should take serious precautionary measures
and care while concreting beneath water level .
Since w/c plays an important role in attainment of
strength of concrete.
There may be possibilities of segregations ,
bleeding etc .Thus concreting underwater should
be carefully controlled and carried out.

References:

Bryant Mather , Effect of Marine Water on Concrete ,U. S.

Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station CORPS OF
ENGINEERS Vicksburg, Misissippi, December 1964.

Rui Miguel Ferreira ,Probability Based Durability Analysis

Of Concrete Structure in Marine Environment, November
2004.

"Chemistry and the oceans." Special report, Chemical and

Engineering News vol 42, No. 22 (1 June 1964), pp 1A-48A.

American Concrete Institute, ACI Standards, 1063, Detroit,

Mich.

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