CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIAL VAB 2023

FRESH CONCRETE: Production & Properties

By Prof Ir Dr Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin
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Production of Concrete
The sequence of operation in concrete is as follows:

Batching

Mixing

Transporting

Curing

Compaction

Placing

Batching of Material
Measurement of all materials used in the production of

concrete. 3 types of batching equipments:

Batching

Manual
For small jobs, using weighting scale
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Semiautomatic
Manually operated machine to measure aggregate

Automatic

Batching plant

 Batching plant

Mixing of Concrete Materials

Objective to coat the surface of all

aggregate particles with cement paste, and to blend all the ingredients of concrete into a uniform mass Concrete is normally mixed by machine. Mixing can be done on- site or be a Pre-Mixed concrete company
Pre-Mixed concrete is batched

(proportioned) at the plant to the job requirements

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Mixing of Concrete Materials

Site mixing Ready-mixed Concrete

Transporting of Concrete
Concrete should be transported to the point where it has to

be placed as rapidly as possible Methods: concrete truck, concrete pump, crane and bucket, chute, conveyor or hoist. Requirement to be fulfilled: i. No segregation or separation of materials in the concrete ii. Concrete delivered at the point of placing should be uniform and of proper consistency

Transporting of Concrete
Concrete pump Concrete truck

Crane and bucket

Chute

Placing of Concrete
Placing concrete in its final position. Before placing concrete, ensure: i. Formwork in correct alignment and adequate rigidity ii.Formwork is fully tight to avoid losses of cement mortar which may

result in honeycombing iii.The inside of the form is clean and treat with release agent (grease) Start placing from the corners of the formwork or, in the case of a sloping site, from the lowest level. use a hoe or shovel to move and fill areas

Compaction of Concrete
Compaction- process of removal of entrapped air in concrete.
Conducted during placement of concrete before its hardened Produced more dense, strong and durable concrete

Compaction of Concrete
External Vibration Screeding - using a timber beam for compacting and finishing slabs, paths or drives keep both ends pressed down to force the aggregates into the concrete

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Compaction of Concrete
Internal Vibration Using mechanical vibrator or poker vibrator. The vibrator is put into concrete and vibrated it from the inside Size of the poker determines how much concrete is vibrated at one time

Properties of Fresh Concrete

Workability

Segregation

Bleeding

Heat of hydration

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Segregation
Opposite of cohesive which is essential for full compaction The tendency for sand-cement mortar to separate from coarse aggregate cement mortar(grout) to separate from mix ( esp. in wet mixes) Caused by differences in the size of particles, poor grading handling, transportation & placing of concrete excessive vibration, distance from mixing and placing Dropping fresh concrete from a height High workability Mixes with no air entrainment
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Bleeding
Tendency for water to rise to the surface of freshly

placed concrete This will cause weakness or dustiness of the surface of the finished concrete, or a line of weakness between pours Bleeding affected largely by the properties of the cement. Avoided by
a finer cement high C3A content richer mix
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Bleeding

fresh concrete aggregates

paste

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Bleeding
Water rise to the surface

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Bleeding
Water accumulation on surface
Examine the concrete surface

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Bleeding
Interaction between bleeding and evaporation

Evaporation

surface water
Bleed water

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Bleed water = evaporation

Too much evaporation leads to surface cracking

Evaporation

no surface water
drying

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Bleed water < Evaporation

Side diagram of surface contraction

Wants to shrink

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Does not want to shrink

Curing
The time needed for the chemical reaction of Portland

cement with water. Glue is being made. concrete after 3 days of curing has completed only 40% of its potential. concrete after 7 days of curing has completed only 70% of its potential. 100 % at 28 days.

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Free Shrinkage, causes volume change, but no stresses

before shrinkage

After Shrinkage

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Restrained Shrinkage- creates stresses, which may cause cracking

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Restrained shrinkage cracking

Parallel cracking perpendicular to the direction of shrinkage

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Bleeding and its control

Creates problems:
poor pumpability delays in finishing high w/c at the top

poor bond between two

layers

Causes lack of fines too much water content Remedies more fines adjust grading entrained air reduce water content

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Causes of Plastic Shrinkage Cracking

water evaporates faster than it can reach the top surface

drying while plastic

cracking

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Plastic Shrinkage Cracking-Remedies

Control the wind velocity

reduce the concretes temperature

use ice as mixing water

increase the humidity at the surface

fogging cover w/polyethylene curing compound

Fiber reinforcement

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Heat of Hydration
The exothermic reaction during setting can cause a

significant temperature rise in large concrete pours. This causes expansion, then setting, then contraction. If the pour is restrained, or has a temperature differential, cracking may occur

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Heat of Hydration (large pours)

Temp (oC)

60

Interior 20oC Surface

Interior 20oC Surface

40 20
0 0 1

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2 3 Time (days)

1 2 Time (days)

Curing
If left in contact with water, concrete will continue to

gain strength for many months Otherwise all free water evaporates or is used up in the hydration process, and no further hydration can continue Curing ensures that water for hydration is available as long as possible

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Curing
Air-cured after 1 and 3 months, dry at test

Moist-cured, dry at test

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Moist cured, moist at test

Air-cured after 1 month, dry at test Water curing after 9 months

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Air-cured, dry at test Air-cured, saturated at test

0 0 6 Age (months)

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Curing tips
ample water do not let it dry dry concrete = dead concrete, all reactions stop can not revitalize concrete after it dries

keep temperature at a moderate level

concrete with flyash requires longer curing

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Temperature effects on curing

The higher the temperature the faster the curing

best temperature is room temperature

strongest concrete is made at temperature around

4oC.(not practical) If concrete freezes during the first 24 hrs., it may never be able to attain its original properties.

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Temperature effects on curing

real high temperatures above 50oC can cause serious

damage since cement may set too fast. accelerated curing procedures produce strong concrete, but durability might suffer. autoclave curing - curing under high pressure, high temperature

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Hydration
Hydration is the process whereby cement and water react to undergo an exothermic chemical reaction to form paste or gel which subsequently hardens.

It is important to control the heat generated as a by product of the hydration process.

Reduction of concrete temperature and setting time can prevent drying and plastic shrinkage cracking.
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Setting
Definition

It is the stiffening of the cement paste

It is a change from a fluid state to a rigid state Setting is caused by a selective hydration of cement

compounds; C3S and C3A are first to react Setting process is accompanied by release of heat Setting time decreases with a rise in temperature, lower the temperature longer the setting time.

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Curing
Concrete curing is the process of maintaining a constant excess of moisture and/or water sufficient to complete hydration. Curing promotes hydration of cement by means of a controlled temperature and moisture movements from and into concrete. The object of curing is to keep concrete saturated, or nearly saturated so that the originally water-filled space in the fresh concrete paste has been filled to the desired extent by the products of hydration. Loss of water by evaporation from the capillaries must be prevented in order to overcome porosity in concrete. Curing by ponding, wet hessians and water proof membrane for at least seven days is recommended.
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The rate at which a cementitious material cures is dependent upon material type, mix design, temperature and humidity.

Curing contd.
Proper curing allows for the replacement of water through evaporation in capillaries which in turn ensures higher strength and lower permeability. Evaporation of water from the concrete surface depends upon the temperature, and relative humidity of the surrounding air and on the wind velocity.

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Water
Water for making concrete should be clean potable water. Sea or (brackish) inland waters should never be used in reinforced concrete as high concentrations of chlorides promote corrosion in rebars.

Water-cement ration (w/c) affects strength gain, wear resistance and shrinkage properties of every concrete mix design. A good concrete mix design with the proper (w/c) ratio should : 1
2 Ensure that each aggregate particle is entirely coated with cement paste. Produce a hardened concrete that achieves the strength, durability and wear resistance required for the service conditions.

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3
4 5 6

Produce a concrete with the least amount of shrinkage and related cracking. Produce a concrete that offers sufficient workability to achieve the surface texture and flatness tolerances desired and specified. Produce a mix that offers good economy. Achieve good consolidation at form or rebar interface without segregation of aggregates or voids in the structure.

The total amount of water required to promote hydration is 0.19kg per kg of cement but 0.38kg per kg of cement is necessary because of gel pore surfaces. Increased water content increases shrinkage and contribute to the formation of cracks and continuous capillaries in the hardened concrete paste. Note : For a w/c of 0.38 the hydrated gel eliminates continuous capillaries and increases durability.
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Properties of fresh concrete

Important requirement of fresh concrete - consistence of

mix must ensure that the concrete can be compacted without excessive effort and the mix be cohesive enough to prevent segregation and to produce a homogenous product

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