CONCRETING IN HOT AND COLD

WEATHER CONDITIONS

PRESENTED BY
DIVYA . K

CONCRETING IN HOT AND COLD

CONDITIONS

INTRODUCTION

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

EFFECTS OF HOT WEATHER ON CONCRETE

PRECAUTIONS

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

EFFECTS OF COLD WEATHER ON CONCRETE

PRECAUTIONS

A CASE OF COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

CONCLUSIONS

INTRODUCTION

Weather is the condition of the air that surrounds the earth.

The weather may be hot or cold, cloudy or clear, windy or calm. And
it may bring frost, rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

The weather affects our lives in numerous ways. For example, the type
of clothing we wear depends largely on the weather.

The weather has an enormous impact on agriculture. Farmers need

clear weather to plant and harvest their crops. Industry, transportation,
and communication also suffer during bad weather.

INTRODUCTION

The construction of buildings, bridges, and roads may be delayed by

rain, snow, or extreme cold.

Concrete sometimes behave as a non versatile material when placed in

extreme conditions.

Concreting in extreme conditions include concreting in places of high

pressure,under water and also in extreme weather conditions like hot
and cold weather.

The concrete placed at a atmospheric temperature above 40 o C is

considered as hot weather concreting.

INTRODUCTION

Cold weather concreting is concreting when temperature is low or

below freezing point

Hot weather concreting may be challenging due to accelerated

setting caused by heat and humidity.

At higher temperature concrete hardens more rapidly which can

cause problem with placing and finishing.

INTRODUCTION

The production of concrete in cold weather introduces special and

peculiar problems, such as delay in setting and hardening, damage to
concrete in plastic condition when exposed to below freezing point.

One area frequently overlooked, or misunderstood, is the relationship

between temperature and concrete.

Difficult weather does not have to mean the end of placing concrete.
Thus whenever concrete is to be placed in extreme conditions its
performance is adversely affected unless appropriate measures are
taken to control it.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

WHAT IS HOT WEATHER CONCRETING ?

Hot weather concreting is regarded as the concrete placed at an

atmospheric temperature above 40oC.
Hot weather concreting is any combination of the following
conditions:
High ambient temperature.
Low relative humidity.
Solar radiation.
Wind velocity
tending to impair the quality of fresh or hardened concrete
or otherwise resulting in abnormal properties.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

EFFECTS OF HOT WEATHER ON CONCRETE

At higher temperature certain special problems are encountered. They are:

Rapid rate of hydration :

At high ambient temperature the setting time of the cement is reduced

considerably .

With the result early stiffening takes place which makes the concrete lose
the workability.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

The concrete placed in hot

weather no doubt develops
high early strength ,but will
suffer certain loss of long
term strength.

The graph beside shows the

effect of temperature on one
day and 28 days
compressive strength.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

Rapid evaporation of mixing water :

Hot weather condition is normally associated with relatively lower

relative humidity. On account of this, the water mixed with the
concrete to give required workability will be lost.

Greater plastic shrinkage:

Rapid evaporation leads to plastic shrinkage cracking and

subsequent cooling of hardened concrete introduces tensile
stresses.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

Less time for finishing:

In hot weather,finishing must be done as early as possible after

placing. In certain cases if early finishing is not possible due to faster
stiffening and quicker evaporation of water ,quality of finishing will be
of poor standard.

Absorption of water from the concrete by the sub grade and form
work.

In hot weather regions the sub grade is normally dry and absorptive.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

Curing :

In hot weather comparatively early curing becomes necessary.

Hot weather requires a continuous effort of curing. If there is any

lapse, the concrete surface dries up fast and interrupts the
continuous hydration.

Once interruption takes place , the subsequent wetting does not

fully contribute to the development of full strength.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

Difficulty in controlling the air entrainment:

At higher temperature it is more difficult to control the air content

in air entrained concrete.

This adds to the difficulty of controlling workability.

For a given amount of air entraining agent, hot concrete entrains

less air than does concrete at normal temperature.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

RECOMMENDED PRACTICES AND PRECAUTIONS :

Temperature control of concrete ingredients :

The temperature of the concrete can be kept down by controlling

the temperature of the ingredients.

The aggregates may be protected from direct sunrays by erecting

temporary sheds or shelters over the aggregate stockpiles.Water
may also be sprinkled on to the aggregate before using them in
concrete.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

The mixing water has the

greatest effect on the
temperature of the concrete.
Even though weight of water
used is less than other
ingredients,the use of cold
mixing water will effect good
reduction of concrete
temperature.

The graph shows effect of cold

water at 5oC on concrete
temperature.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

If the ambient temperature is very high, the use of cooled water

may not be fully effective. Use of ice may be made as a part of
mixing water. It shall be ensured that ice crystals should be
completely melted by the time of mixing.

Proportioning of concrete mix :

The mix should be designed to have minimum cement content

consistent with other functional requirements.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

As far as possible, cement with lower heat of hydration should be preferred to those
having greater fineness and heat of hydration.

Use of water reducing or set-retarding admixtures are beneficial. Carbon fiber reinforced
concrete is used in hot weather concreting.

Production and delivery :

The temperature of aggregates,water and cement should be maintained at the lowest

level so that temperature of concrete is below 40 oC at the time of placing.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

The temperature of the concrete at the time of leaving the batching

plant should be measured with a suitable metal clad thermometer.

The period between mixing and delivering should be kept to an

absolute minimum by coordinating the delivery of concrete with its
rate of placement.

Placement and curing :

The formwork,reinforcement and sub grade should be sprinkled

with cool water just before placement of concrete.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

Speed of placement and finishing helps minimizing problems in

hot weather concreting.

Immediately after compaction, the concrete should be protected

to prevent the evaporation of moisture by means of wet gunny
bags,hessian,etc.

Continuous curing is important because the volume changes due

to alternate wetting and drying promote the development of
surface cracking.

HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

The best practice is to cover the concrete with moist covering for
about 24 hours and then apply water by spraying or by ponding.

When the day temperature is very high, it is better to do the

concreting operations during the evening time.

Remember to protect the crew in high temperatures. Drink plenty

of fluids and be careful with long exposure to the sun.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

WHAT IS COLD WEATHER CONCRETING ?

Any concreting done at a temperature below 5oC is termed as cold weather

concreting.

The production of concrete in cold weather introduces special and peculiar

problems, such as delay in setting and hardening, damage to concrete in plastic
condition when exposed to below freezing point owing to the formation of ice
lenses.

The lowest temperature ever recorded on earth was a mind-boggling -128.6 F (89.2 C). It was recorded July 21, 1983, on a Russian scientific research base in
Antarctica.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

EFFECTS OF COLD WEATHER ON CONCRETE :

Delay in setting and hardening :

At lower temperature , the development of concrete strength is retarded as compared with the development at
normal temperatures.

The setting period necessary before removal of formwork is thus increased.The delay in setting time makes
concrete vulnerable to frost attack and other disturbance.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

Also the rate of progress of

work will be very slow, all of
which will affects economy.

The graph shows effect of

ambient temperature on
setting time.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

Early freezing of concrete :

When the temperature goes below freezing point , the free water
contained in the plastic concrete freezes.

Freezing of water, not only prevents the hydration of cement but

also make concrete expand. This expansion causes disruption of
concrete due to which irreparable loss of strength and quality
takes place.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

Freezing and thawing :

Due to varied behaviour of climatic conditions in the cold weather

regions, the fresh concrete or hardened concrete gets subjected
to freezing and thawing cycles.

The durability of concrete gets greatly impaired due to this

alternate freezing and thawing.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

RECOMMENDED PRACTICES AND PRECAUTIONS :

Temperature control of ingredients :

The temperature at the time of setting of concrete can be raised

by heating the ingredients of the concrete mix.

The temperature of the water should not exceed 65oC as the

flash set of cement will occur when the hot water and cement
come in contact in the mixer.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

The aggregates are heated by passing steam through pipes

embedded in aggregate storage bins.

The temperature should be so decided that the resulting concrete

sets at a temperature of 10oC to 20oC.

Use of insulating formwork :

Insulating formwork covers are used so that heat generated

during heat of hydration is conserved.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

The formwork covers can be of timber, clean

straw,blankets,tarpaulines,plastic sheeting and are used in conjunction
with an air gap as insulation.

Proportioning of concrete ingredients :

Since the quantity of cement in the mix affects the rate of increase in
temperature, an additional quantity of cement may be used.

It is preferable to use high alumina cement during frost condition,the

advantage being that a higher heat of hydration is generated during the
first 24 hrs.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

Air entraining agents are generally recommended for use in cold

weather which not only increases resistance of the hardened
concrete to freezing and thawing and also improves workability.

Accelerating admixtures are used which also works as anti

freezing elements.The most commonly adopted material is
Calcium Chloride.Sodium chloride is also used as admixture

This some times may also cause corrosion of reinforcing

steel.The suggested quantities of the salt mixtures is shown in
the table

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

OPEN AIR
% contents of salts per
TEMPERATURE degree fall of temperature
by weight of mixing water

Quantity of CaCl2 and Nacl

by weight of mixing water

From 0oC 5oC

3%CaCl2+3.5%NaCl

1.3

Or 6.5%NaCl,6.5CaCl2
From 6oC 10oC

1.2

4%CaCl2+8%NaCl or
12%NaCl or
6%CaCl2+6%NaCl

From 11oC 15oC

1.1

10%CaCl2+6%NaCl or
8%CaCl2+8%NaCl

From 16oC 20oC

1.0

15%CaCl2+5%NaCl or
10%CaCl2+10%NaCl

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

Placement and curing :

Before placing all ice,snow and frost should be completely removed.

Care should be taken to see that the surface on which the concrete is
to be placed is sufficiently warm.

During the periods of freezing or near freezing conditions, water

curing is not applicable.It is better to cure first with steam curing
during initial period of protection and then apply curing compound.

COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

Delayed removal of formwork :

Because of slower rate of gain of strength during the cold weather,

the formwork and props have to be kept in place for a long time.

The problem of concreting can be minimized by adopting precast

construction of structures.

During cold weather, inspection personnel should keep a record of

the date,time,outside air temperature,temperature of concrete at the
time of placing and general weather.

A CASE OF COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

The figure beside shows cold

weather concreting done for
side walk in Concord,New
Hampshire.
To prepare the ground to
receive the new
concrete,frozen material was
removed and replaced with
crushed aggregates.

A CASE OF COLD WEATHER CONCRETING

To avoid too much slump loss during transit, no admixtures were

placed in the concrete at the ready-mix plant. The only ingredients
placed into the truck were cement (658 pcy, Type II), sand, coarse
aggregate, and water (80oF) to make 6.0 yd3 of concrete with an
expected water/concrete (w/c) ratio of 0.25.

Because the concrete was so stiff during the first part of the job, the
concrete finishers had to apply extra effort to move it around and
consolidate it in the forms. the sidewalk was covered with a sheet of
plastic and a 1-in.-thick layer of insulation. The Concord sidewalk,
came close to utilizing the full antifreeze potential of the admixture.

CONCLUSIONS

Hot and cold weather conditions can challenge the way you think
about concrete, but should not impact the quality of your final
product.

Controlling concrete temperature in cold weather is tricky. Since

cold weather conditions can affect slump, initial set and concrete
temperature, we should plan ahead.

We should not forget to prevent wind from drying out the

concrete surface. Install wind breaks if necessary.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to remain informed about the weather conditions

that will impact our facility so that we will be able to implement
our hot and cold -weather plans in a timely manner.

Adverse conditions do not have to mean the end of a building

project. However, it does force the builders, contractors, and
architects to make additional decisions based upon the working
environment.