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CE 165 HW 4 SOLUTIONS

Concrete Placement
1. Explain the operations covered by the following terms, and discuss the significance of these
operations.
a. Retempering – adding extra water (within the permissible water/cement ratio) just
before placement and remixing the concrete mixture thoroughly. Retempering is not
recommended in most construction practices because the addition of water is often
unmeasured and excessive. The resulting high water/cement ratio leads to weaker
concrete.
b. Revibration – vibration of the concrete one or two hours after initial consolidation to
ensure that successive pours are integrated (welded) together. Revibration helps to
remove cracks, voids, or weak areas caused by settlement or bleeding, especially
around reinforcing steel or other embedded materials.
c. Screeding – removal of excess concrete and fill in low areas of the surface. This is
accomplished by pulling a straight edge (usually 2x piece of wood) across the surface
of the concrete, using a saw-like motion.
d. Bullfloating – using a wood or magnesium bullfloat to smooth the concrete surface
and push large aggregates slightly below the concrete surface so they are well
embedded into the concrete matrix.

2. How would you define workability?


Definition of workability (ASTM C 125): the effort required to manipulate a freshly mixed
quantity of concrete with minimum loss of homogeneity.
Definition of workability (informal): the ease of placing and moving concrete around in the
formwork and around reinforcement.
a. Is workability a fundamental property of fresh concrete? If not, why?
Workability is not a fundamental property of fresh concrete. Workability of fresh
concrete depends on the type of construction, methods of placement, compacting and
finishing.
b. What are the principal components of workability and their significance in the concrete
construction practice?
i. Consistency – the ease of flow.
In construction, a concrete mix must flow easily in forms and around reinforcing
steel. If the mix does not flow easily and is not properly vibrated, large voids may occur
in the finished concrete.

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CE 165 HW 4 SOLUTIONS
Concrete Placement
ii. Cohesiveness – the tendency to bleed or segregate
Segregation of concrete means that the aggregate separates from the
concrete mixture. When concrete segregates, the aggregate usually falls to the
bottom, leaving a non-uniform conglomeration of cement paste and aggregate.
This creates weaker concrete structures.
Bleeding of concrete means that the water separates from the cement
paste and rises toward the top. Bleed water can get trapped beneath aggregates
and form weak points within the concrete.

3. Suggest at least two methods by which you can reduce “bleeding” of a concrete mixture.
a. Increase the cement content
b. Use mineral admixtures and air entrainment
c. Use high C3A-high alkali cements

4. Define the following phenomena and give their significance and the factors affecting them.
a. Slump loss – the loss of consistency in fresh concrete over time, results from gradual
stiffening and setting of hydrated Portland cement paste.
i. Significance – slump loss could…
1. Require an increase in mixer drum torque
2. Require extra water in the mixer or job site
3. Cause hang-up of concrete within the drum of a truck mixer
4. Cause difficulty in pumping and placing concrete
5. Require extra labor for placement and finishing operations
6. Lead to loss of production and quality of workmanship
7. Lead to loss of strength, durability and other properties when
retempering water is excessive or not thoroughly mixed.
ii. Factors – the use of abnormal-setting cement, unusually long time for
mixing, conveying, placement, compaction, or finishing, high ambient
temperature, excessive heat of hydration
b. Segregation (traditionally of dry mixtures) – separation of mortar from the body of
the concrete (aggregates)
i. Significance - If a concrete mix segregates, then full compaction cannot be
achieved and the concrete won’t be able to attain its maximum strength
potential.

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CE 165 HW 4 SOLUTIONS
Concrete Placement
ii. Factors – improper consistency, water content, aggregate density, aggregate
gradation, presence of less fines (due to low cement/sand contents, and
poorly graded sands), placing and compacting methods, mix proportions.
c. Bleeding – separation of water from the concrete mix because water is light and rises
to the top. Some of the water reaches the surface but some of the water gets trapped
beneath large aggregate and horizontal reinforcing bars near the top surface.
i. Significance – bleed water gets trapped under large aggregate particles and
rebar near the top of the concrete, which leads to weaker concrete and rebar-
bond near the top.
ii. Factors – water content, cement content, aggregate gradation.

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