CEMENT CONCRETE

Materials used in R.C.C. work:

Following four materials are required for making R.C.C.:

1. Cement
2. Aggregates
3. Steel
4. Water.
1. Cement
Before the introduction of ordinary Portland cement, thee lime was used as a
cementing material. Most of the cement concrete work in building construction is done with
ordinary Portland cement at present. But other special varieties of cement such as rapid
hardening cement and high alumina cement are used under certain circumstance. The cement
should comply with all the standard requirements.
2. Aggregates
These are the inert or chemically inactive materials which form the bulk of cement
concrete. These aggregates are bound together by means of cement. The aggregates are
classified into two categories: fine and coarse.
The material which is passed through BIS test sieve no. 480 is termed as a fine
aggregate. Usually, the natural river sand is used as a fine aggregate. But at places, where
natural sand is not available economically, the finely crushed stone may be used as a fine
aggregate.
The material which is retained on BIS test sieve no. 480 is termed as a coarse
aggregate. The broken stone is generally used as a coarse aggregate. The nature of work
decides the maximum size of the coarse aggregate. For thin slabs and walls, the maximum
size of coarse aggregate should be limited to one-third the thickness of the concrete section.
The aggregates to be used for cement concrete work should be hard, durable and
clean. The aggregates should be completely free from lumps of clay, organic and vegetable
matter, find dust, etc. The presence of all such debris adhesive of aggregates and hence
reduces the strength of concrete.
3. Steel
The steel reinforcement is generally in the form of round bars of mild steel. The
diameters of bars vary from 5mm to 40mm. Sometimes the square bars or twisted bars or
ribbed-torsteel are used as steel reinforcement. For road slabs and such other constructions,
the reinforcement may also consist of sheets of rolled steel of suitable thickness. The hyrib
which is a steel lath may also be used as steel reinforcement.
4. Water
This is the least expansive but most important ingredient of concrete. The water,
which is used for making concrete, should be clean and free from harmful impurities such as
oil, alkali, acid, etc. In general, the water which is fit for drinking should be used for making
concrete.
It may be noted that sometimes the ingredients other than above are added in concrete
to give it certain improved qualities or for changing different physical properties in its fresh
and hardened stages. These ingredients or substances are known as the admixtures. The
addition of an admixture may improve the concrete with respect to its strength, hardness,
workability, water-resisting power, etc. Following are the commonly used admixtures:
 Alum, aluminium sulphate, barium oxide, bitumen, calcium chloride, coal ash,
common salt, iron oxide, lime, mineral oils, organic oils, potassium chloride, silicate of soda,
tar products, volcanic ashes, zinc chromate, etc. For instance, when calcium chloride (CaCl2)
is added as admixture, it absorbs water from the concrete and water-cement ratio falls down
and can even be brought down upto the limit of 0.25. Thus it gives quick setting concrete.
However the use of calcium chloride is not suitable for concrete with reinforcing bars.
It is necessary to know the complete detail of any admixture before its
recommendation together with the following factors:
1. Grading curves of aggregates and their respective properties,
2. Method of construction,
3. Quantity of cement per m3 of concrete,
4. Requirement of slump and retention,
5. Temperature variation,
6. Type and make of cement, and
7. Water-cement ratio.

Depending upon their respective activities in the concrete mix, the admixtures can be
classified in the five categories:

1. Accelerators,
2. Air entraining admixtures,
3. High range of water reducers or super plasticisers,
4. Normal range of water reducers or plasticisers, and
5. Retards.
It may be noted that some admixtures may have the combined effect of the above
individual activities. The popularity of various types of admixtures in concrete is increasing
rapidly because of the following advantages available from their use:
1. Adjusting the final setting times of concrete,
2. Higher early and unlimited strengths,
3. Higher slump and self-levelling concrete,
4. Increasing durability of concrete,
5. Lesser water-cement ratios,
6. Reducing quantity of cement,
7. Reduction in the permeability of concrete,
8. Time savings in terms of repair and maintenance, etc.

Water-cement ratio:

The water in concrete has to perform the following two functions:

1. The water enters into chemical action with cement and this action causes the setting and
hardening of concrete.
2. The water lubricates the aggregates and it facilities the passage of cement through voids of
aggregates. This means that water makes the concrete workable.

It is found theoretically that water required for these two functions is about 0.50 to 0.60 times the
weight of cement. This ratio of the amount of water to the amount of cement by weight is termed as
the water cement ratio and the strength and quality of concrete primarily depend upon this ratio.
 The quantity of water is usually expressed in litres per bag of cement and hence the water-
cement ratio reduces to the quantity of water required in litres per kg of cement as 1 litre of water
weighs 1 kg. For instance, if water required for 1 bag of cement is 30 litres, the water-cement ratio is
equal to 30/50 = 0.60.

The important points to be observed in connection with the water-cement ratio are as follows:

1. The minimum quantity of water should be used to have reasonable degree of workability. The
excess water occupies space in concrete and no evaporation, the voids are created in concrete.
Thus the excess water affects considerably the strength and durability of concrete. In general,
it may be stated that addition of one extra litre of water to the concrete of one bag of cement
will reduce its strength by about 1.47 N/mm2. In other words, the strength of concrete is
inversely proportional to the water-cement ratio.
2. The water-cement ratio for structures which are exposed to weather should be carefully
decided. For instance, for structures which are regularly wetting and drying, the water-cement
ratio by weight should be 0.45 and 0.55 for thin sections and mass concrete respectively. For
structures which are continuously under water, the water-cement ratio by weight should be
0.55 and 0.65 for thin sections and mass concrete respectively.
3. Some rules-of-thumb are developed for deciding the quantity of water in concrete. The two
such rules are mentioned below. The rules are for ordinary concrete and they assume that the
materials are non-absorbent and dry.
1. Weight of water = 28% of the weight of the cement + 4% of the weight to total aggregate.
2. Weight of water = 30% of the weight of the cement + 5% of the weight of total aggregates.
Table shows the strength of concrete with various water-cement ratios.

Net water-cement ratio Probable cube crushing

By weight strength in N/mm2
7 days 28 days
0.35 40 52.5
0.40 35 47
0.45 30 42
0.50 25 37
0.55 22 33
0.60 18 28
0.65 15.5 24.5
0.70 13.5 22
0.75 11.2 20
0.80 10.5 17.5

Workability:

The term workability is used to describe the case or difficulty with which the concrete is
handled, transported and placed between the forms with minimum loss of homogeneity. However this
gives a very loose description of this vital property of concrete which also depends on the means of
compaction available. For instance, the workability suitable for mass concrete is not necessarily
sufficient for thin, inaccessible or heavily reinforced sections. The compaction is achieved either by
ramming or by vibrating.
 The workability, as a physical property of concrete alone irrespective of a particular type of
construction, can be defined as the amount of useful internal work necessary to produce full
compaction.

If the concrete mixture is too wet, the coarse aggregates settle at the bottom of concrete mass
and the resulting concrete becomes of non-uniform composition. On the other hand, if the concrete
mixture is too dry, it will be difficult to handle and place it in position. Both these conflicting
condition should be correlated by proportioning carefully various components to concrete mixture.
The important facts in connection with workability are as follows:

1. If more water is added to attain the required degree of workmanship, it results into concrete of
low strength and poor durability.
2. If the strength of concrete is not to be affected, the degree of workability can be obtained:
1. By slightly changing the proportions of line and coarse aggregates, in case the concrete
mixture is too wet; and
2. By adding a small quantity of water cement paste in the proportion of original mix, in
case the concrete mixture is too dry.
3. A concrete mixture for one work may prove to be too stiff or too wet for another work. For
instance, the stiff concrete mixture will be required in case of vibrated work while wet
concrete mixture will be required for thin sections containing reinforcing bars.