CONCRETE NOTES

1. Concrete shall not be dropped freely to avoid segregation by more than 1

meter.

2. Equipment made of the aluminum shall not be used for pumps, lines etc. for
discharging concrete.

3. Maximum TDS (Total Dissolved Solis) in water curing (sweet water) shall
be 1000 ppm (Parts per Million).

4. Maximum TDS in mixing water shall be 500 ppm.

5. Concrete curing shall be continuous for 7 days.

6. Water curing shall be continuous until the strength has reached 70%.

7. Start the curing after the concrete has initially set.

8. Purpose of curing is to maintain the amount of water for cement hydration

and minimize the hairline cracks.

9. Types of curing: a) Water curing, as in ponding, burlap, spraying, wet sand

and wet earth. b) Membrane curing, as in plastic film, liquid membrane curing
compound & reinforced paper. c) Steam curing.

10.Proper curing of concrete with water requires are burlap & polyethylene
sheet.

11.Curing membrane is a curing compound applied at the concrete surface to

prevent rapid evaporation of water and to reflect sun’s rays of sunlight thereby
reducing the temperature.
12.Curing membrane applying at least two times, the second application is
perpendicular to the 1st and applied after the first application has set.

13.Reasons behind cracks is poor curing practice, poor design, poor vibration
which result in segregation, less rebar covering, poor quality of concrete,
movement of false work or forms and higher water cement ratio.

14.Hydration is the formation of a compound by the combination of water and

other substances in concrete, it is the chemical reaction between water and
cement.

15.All concrete surfaces direct contact with Earth shall be coated APCS 3 with
2 coats bitumen of coal tar.

16.Minimum clear distance from anchor bolt to edge of concrete shall be 100
mm.

17.Minimum cover between reinforcement and anchor flanges or pipes shall be

100 mm. Anchor bolts shall not be in contact with reinforcing steel.

18.Post installed anchor bolts shall not be used, if approved it shall be designed
per ACI 318 appendix D.

19.The minimum anchor bolt diameter shall be 20 mm unless otherwise

specified or for small misc. steel.

20.Anchor bolts subject to uplift or vibration shall be equipped with an

additional nut to serve as lock-nut.

21.Anchor bolts that are exposed to the weather in coastal areas, subjected to
frequent wash downs or fire water deluge testing shall have their diameters
increased by 3 mm as a corrosion allowance.
22.Two basic types of concrete as per SAES-Q-001 is Structural and
Nonstructural concrete.

23.Two basic types of pre stressed concrete is pre tensioned concrete = The
tendons are tensioned to a desired force before pouring of concrete, then
released after the concrete has attained the desired strength.

24.Water cement ratio for structural concrete is 0.4% by weight of cement.

25.Water cement ratio for nonstructural concrete is 0.6.

26.Concrete surfaces contact with cementitious grout shall be saturated with

clear water for a minimum of 24 hours.

27.Released strength for pre-stressed concrete grout shall be 3500 psi.

28.Minimum cement content in grout shall be 250 Kg/cum.

29.TDS for grout mixing water is 500 ppm.

30.Water cement ratio for grout shall be 0.8.

31.When water cement ratio for cementious grout is 4 or less, grout shall be
continuously water cured minimum of 7 days.

32.Maximum & minimum temperature for non-shrink grout is 23 ± 3 0C.

33.Design strength of epoxy grout for machinery support after 7 days shall be
14,000 psi.

34.Working time of epoxy grout for machinery support is 50 minutes @ 32 0C.

35.If grout is 100 mm or deeper, install reinforcement as per manufacturer

recommendation.
36.The minimum thickness of grout shall be 25 mm.

37.The corner of mounting plate to epoxy grout shall be rounded for at least 50
mm radius.

38.Concrete surface shall be soaked with water for 24 hours for non-shrink
cementitious grout.

39.Non-shrink Cementitious grout is min compressive strength @ 7 days is 35

Mpa (5000 psi) & min working time is 60 minutes.

40.Epoxy grout: Cured grout shall be resistant to oil, synthetic lubricants, water
& chemical. Min comp strength @ 7 days is 96 mpa & min working time is 45
minutes.

41.Grout shall be mixed, placed & cured as per manufacturers

recommendations, epoxy grout cannot be chamfered after initially set. Chamfer
edges shall be fixed to the formwork. A mortar mixer with moving paddles shall
be used to mix epoxy grout. Epoxy grout shall be placed in one direction only
to prevent trapping of air. The grout for all skid-mounted equipment’s shall be
placed under the structural members/areas secured by anchor bolts. The
remaining voids shall be filled with non-shrink cementitious grout.

42.Sloped pockets shall be provided for bolt holes for easy placement of grout.

43.For grouting, concrete surface shall be roughened by mechanical means or

by chipping with 6 mm amplitude.

44.Recommended ratio of cement, sand and hydrated lime for grouted rip rap is
1:3:1/5.

45.When repairing shrinkage cracks in bridge deck use grouting with epoxy
coating (resin).

46.Standard cover for epoxy rebar’s coating is 09-SAMSS-106.

47.The manufacturer application procedures is applicable for grout.

48.Maximum cement content for structural concrete is 370 Kg/cum.

49.Minimum cement content for nonstructural concrete is 250 Kg/cum.

50.Minimum cement content for pre-cast concrete shall be 350 Kg/cum.

51.Maximum cement content for pre-cast concrete shall be 370 Kg/cum.

52.When concrete pumps are used, slump should be checked at discharging

point of concrete placement.

53.Number of concrete cylinders shall be 4.

54.The age of concrete cylinder test is 3, 7, 28 days (1+1+2 cylinders).

55.Size of concrete test cylinder: 15 cm diameter x 30 cm height.

56.Concrete samples are cylinder and cubes.

57.Difference in cubes and cylinder for preferable: The difference is in their

deformation when subjected to compressive loads. The deformation in cylinder
is bigger than in the cube. The cube can withstand bigger load because of its
L/D ratio. But the strength of cylinder is nearer to the actual strength of the
structure being poured than the strength of the cube. That’s why when we use
the cube, we multiply the strength that was gotten by a correction factor
depending on L/D ratio, while in cylinder there is no correction factor applied.
For this reason, cylinder sample is more preferable.
58.Make concrete cylinder specimen in field: place mold on level, rigid surface
free from vibration. Place the concrete in the mold in three layers approximately
of equal volume. Each layer have to receive 25 blows. After Roding all layers,
tap outside of mold lightly 10 to 15 times with mallet, to remove any air left in
fresh concrete. Spade the mold with trowel to get smooth clear surface.

59.Curing of freshly molded cylinder in field: In order to prevent moisture loss

the concrete cylinder must be cured in temperature between16 to 27 0C. For
initial curing, for concrete above 6000 psi, the curing temperature should be 20
to 26 0C. To create satisfactory temperature environment, the specimen can be
covered by following manner.

1. Immerse molded specimen with plastic lids in water saturated with calcium
hydroxide. 2. Store in proper constructed wooden box or structure. 3. Place in
damp sand pit or plastic bags. 4. Cover with non-absorbent plastic sheet or wet
burlap to cause any damage to the fresh concrete surface.

60.Cylinder specimen should be transported to lab after final setting of 8 hours.

61.Maximum allowed time for transported specimen to lab is 4 hours.

62.Cylinder samples are cured in laboratory, in water tank saturated with lime at
23 ± 1.7 0C. It is also advisable to cure in the field, same as the structure being
represented.

63.The height of slump measuring cone: 30 cm.

64.If slump is more or less than the approved mix design, concrete truck is
rejected.

65.Maximum PH (Acid & Alkalis) for mixing water shall be 8.

66.Minimum PH for mixing water shall be 6.

67.Test to check TDS in mixing water shall be carried out weekly.

68.Test to check PH in mixing water shall be carried out weekly.

69.Concrete delivered at a temperature of maximum 32 0C & minimum 10 0C.

70.Maximum time of concrete truck pouring is 90 minutes.

71.If agitated concrete is discharged after more than 90 minutes, the concrete is
over mixed, becomes hot and the strength is reduced.

72.Allowable time gap in concrete pouring, after discontinued pour: Allowable

time gap is equivalent to initial setting time of concrete. After the elapse of the
time limit, a cold joint will occur. Or 20 to 30 minutes.

73.Initial setting time of concrete mix is 35 to 40 minutes.

74.The concrete has attained its initially set: If there is no more water seen
(brightness) on the surface of the concrete, or if there is no water on the surface
of the concrete.

75.Rotation of RMC (Ready Mixed Concrete) drum shall not be more than 300
when reached at site.

76.The minimum velocity rpm of a truck mixer before the sample test is 10
rotations.

77.Concrete trucks without revolution counter shall be rejected.

78.Mixing time of a stationary or central batching plant (concrete) is 50 to 90

seconds.
79.The agitating speed of the mixer is 2 to 6 revolution per minute (rpm).

80.The mixing speed of the mixer is 6 to 18 rpm.

81.Atmospheric temperature allowed for pouring of concrete is 33 0C maximum

and 4 0C minimum.

82.If the air temperature is greater than 33 0C, precautionary measures – make
shades, cool the water by using ice cubes, spray the aggregates especially the
coarse with cold water, wet the forms and reinforcement.

83.Silica fumes when used as mineral additive shall not be less than 7% by
weight of cement with ASTM-1240, as replacement.

84.Design strength for cement based non-shrink grout after 28 days shall be
5000 psi.

85.Purpose of slump test is to determine the consistency or workability of the

concrete mix.

86.Maximum slump allowed for concrete is 125 mm and minimum slump is 75

mm.

87.Removing the slump cone time is 5 ± 2 seconds.

88.Slump test: Take sample from the concrete mix, put in the mold and rod it 25
times in each layer, for three equal layers.

89.The diameter of standard tamping rod use for slump test is 5/8’’ (16 mm) and
its length is 24’’ (600 mm).

90.The type of bolts are used for structural steel connectors is A 325.

91.Red is the color of dye mixed in concrete for electrical duct bank.
92.Underground electrical ducts shall be colored red by adding 1 kg red oxide
to 100 kg of cement.

93.Orange is the color of dye mixed in concrete for communication duct bank.

94.Vibrator and raking not used for moving concrete in formwork use shovel.

95.Concrete placed to its final position by shovel.

96.For concrete coating relative humidity shall be less than 85%.

97.Design strength for standard concrete after 28 days shall be 4000 psi.

98.The minimum compressive strength of structural concrete at 28 days is 4000

psi.

99.Design strength for nonstructural concrete after 28 days shall be 2000 psi.

100. Design strength for pre-stressed concrete after 28 days shall be 4000
psi.

101. The minimum compressive strength of precast concrete is 5000 psi.

102. Minimum compressive strength of concrete before applying the force

at least 350 kg/cm2.

103. Concrete material shall be in accordance with 09 SAMSS 097.

104. Fusion bond epoxy (FBE) for re-enforcement shall be in accordance

with 09 SAMSS 106.

105. Minimum concrete cover for slabs, walls and joist shall be 25 mm.

106. Minimum concrete cover for columns and beams shall be 50 mm.
107. Minimum concrete cover for walk way and side walk shall be 50mm.

108. Minimum concrete cover exposed to weather shall be 50 mm.

109. Minimum concrete cover for foundations shall be 75 mm.

110. Minimum concrete cover for cast against soil shall be 75 mm.

111. Minimum concrete cover for parking lots shall be 75 mm.

112. Minimum concrete cover for plinth beam shall be 75 mm.

113. Minimum concrete cover for supporting process equipment shall be

75 mm.

114. Minimum concrete cover for concrete exposed to sea water shall be
75 mm.

115. Effects of sea water in concrete: It increase the risk of corrosion of re-
bars, it weakens the strength of concrete, cracks occur due to the crystallization
of salts in the concrete mix.

116. If suitable fresh water is not available, we can be use the sea water as
mixing water in concrete and or embankment.

117. Retarder are used to increase initial setting and accelerate the effect of
hot weather on the setting of concrete.

118. Plasticizers are used for low water cement ratio to increase
workability & use for pre stressed concrete.

119. Super plasticizers are used to early strength.

120. Silica fumes is a retarder.

121. Construction joint shall be max of 6 m & inside walls construction
joints shall provide at a maximum of 6m.

122. Control joint shall be max of 1.5 m.

123. Expansion joint shall be max of 15 m, otherwise as per construction

drawing.

124. For lifting of concrete panel the bar for hook shall be 16 mm.

125. For lifting of concrete panel’s minimum diameter of hook shall be 12

mm.

126. Maximum size of coarse aggregates in structural concrete is 1 inch.

127. Minimum size of coarse aggregates in structural concrete shall be 3/4

inches.

128. Maximum size of coarse aggregates used for reinforced concrete of

4000 psi is 3/4 inches (20 mm).

129. Minimum size of coarse aggregates used for reinforced concrete of

4000 psi is 3/8 inches (10 mm).

130. Maximum size of aggregates used for screed is 1/2 inch.

131. Lean concrete used for provide a leveled surface to foundation.

132. Maximum acid soluble chloride ions in concrete shall not exceed
0.25% by weight of cement.

133. Maximum sulfate (SO3) in concrete shall not exceed 4% by weight of

cement.
134. Temperature of steam curing shall be minimum of 65 0C.

135. Vapor barrier to be used below the concrete shall be 0.15 mm (6 mils).

136. Concrete surfaces shall be covered with burlaps and vapor barriers.

137. Hot weather concreting shall be in accordance with ACI 305 R.

138. For concrete surface coating percentage of moisture is checked by

Eicometer.

139. Measurement of humidity is done by Eicometer.

140. Surface temperature of concrete shall be not less than 10 0C.

141. Holes and cracks of concrete surface less than 10 mm shall be filled
with epoxy grout.

142. Tensile strength for heavy duty surface shall be not less than 250 psi.

143. Tensile strength for heavy light surface shall be not less than 175 psi.

144. If surface of concrete subject to coating is chemically contaminated

then it washed with clean water.

145. Long period contaminated surface for coating shall be neutralized by

soaking 24 hours.

146. Foundations supporting steel bases, top of concrete shall be a

minimum of 150 mm above finished grade.

147. Slab mounted pedestals may only be used when all the requirements
are meet 1) Sufficient strength by calculation 2) Concrete paving at least 150
mm thickness 3) Top of pedestal at least 150 mm above finish paving elevation
4) Compressive load less than 2000 kg, not settlement sensitive nor subject to
vibration 5) Applied load do not create tension to the pedestal dowel 6) The
pedestal not located within 150 mm of paving joint.

148. Precast concrete foundations may only be used when the foundation
alignment in planed elevation are not critical or minor variations in the precise
location/elevation can be accommodated and shall not be used for supporting
heavy machinery as defined in SAES-Q-007.

149. Before installation of precast concrete foundations install 50 mm fresh

lean concrete or max 50 mm sand with 0.15 mm plastic (vapor barrier).

150. Concrete mix design: To select a fixed proportion of the ingredients

(Having limiting values of their properties after laboratory tests), When mixed
mechanically to give the desired specification of the concrete for a particular
usage.

151. Water cement ratio: It is the ratio of mixing water to quantity of

cement.

152. When water cement ratio increase: Concrete becomes more workable
(High Slump) but decreases in the strength.

153. When water cement ratio decreases: Concrete mix becomes drier
because of lower water content and increased strength, increased water
tightness, lower absorption, increase resistance to weathering & better bond
between concrete and reinforcement.

154. Water cement ratio determined by calculating the total weight of water
to weight of cement.
155. A greater water to cement ratio means greater the water content &
lesser strength.

156. Factors affecting workability of mix design: Ratio of coarse and fine
aggregates.

157. Factors affecting to increase strength of mix design: Water cement

ratio, size of coarse aggregates, grading of fine aggregates.

158. By adding chemicals (Admixtures) it is possible to high early

strengths (3-day results).

159. Effect of air voids: They increase permeability of water and that
makes concrete weak. And produces porosity that causes cracks.

160. Checking tensile strength of concrete: For Flexural stress. Concrete is

not expected to resist high direct tensile stresses because of its low tensile
strength and brittle nature. Tensile strength is of importance with regard to
crack formation.

161. High strength concrete mix design (4000 psi) used for the foundations
of heavy machinery and equipment.

162. Reason of temperature rise in concrete: Chemical reaction resulting

hydration causes the rise in temperature and it is control by using chilled water
or ice, washing or sprinkling of aggregates and shading the wash aggregate bays
to maximum evaporative cooling.

163. When increase the size of coarse aggregates in concrete mix design:
Effects workability and causes segregation. Maximum density.

164. Major difference in the ingredients of 2000 psi and 4000 psi concrete:
4000 psi has less of a water to cement ratio.

165. Volume batching as per 09-SAMSS-097 is not allowed. Aramco

allowed the concrete mixing by weight for ready mixed concrete plants.

166. Initial setting time of cement determining: By vacates apparatus.

167. Vibrator used for: Consolidation of concrete to minimize air voids.

168. The form of chloride and sulfate found in aggregate: Calcium sulfate
and sodium chloride are the common forms of chloride and sulfate found in
aggregates.

169. When & where Type I & Type V cement used: As per requirements of
exposure 1 to 5.

170. Concrete without rebar attacked of chemical causes expansion in

concrete mass and cracking the structure.

171. Types of cement:

Type I – Normal or standard cement (for general use), Ordinary Portland

Cement (OPC) with SSA 143.

Type I-A – Air entraining cement same as type I.

Type II – Moderate sulfate resistance cement.

Type II-A – Air entraining cement same as type II.

Type III – High early strength cement (use in pre stressed concrete).

Type IV – Low sulfate resistance cement.

Type V – High Sulfate Resistance Portland cement (SRC) with ASTM C-150.
172. Different types of cement: Rapid hardening cement, low heat cement,
high alumina cement, quick setting cement, expanding cement, white Portland
cement, colored cement, super sulfated cement, pozzoulanic cement, sulfate
resisting cement and air entraining cement.

173. Type of concrete mostly use in Aramco are type I & type V.

174. Concrete pouring inspection: 1st of all we will check the arrival time
of concrete & will check the batching slip & time it should not be more than 90
minutes. Then we will check the revolution of truck which should not exceed
than 300 times. Then we will check the temperature & slump. Slump should
between 100 mm (±25) & temperature should not be more than 32 0C. Before
start concrete inside formwork, there should not be any standing water & area
should be clean.

175. Concrete truck receiving: Tack the ticket & checked for concrete
signature & slump value of plant, revolution counter, temperature test, slump
test, assure third party inspector is present at site and performs testing, 4
cylinders (1 set) should be taken every 115 cubic meter concrete.

176. Standard use for structural concrete constructions is SAES-Q-001.

177. Standard use for concrete foundation is SAES-Q-005.

178. Standard use for mortar/grout is SAES-Q-010.

179. Standard use for building code is SAES-M-100.

180. Standard use for SA STD covers coating requirements for concrete
surface is SAES-H-003.

181. Standard use for coating is SAES-H-100.

182. Important points in concrete formworks prior to pouring concrete:
a)Tightness, cleanness, plumb ness (vertical alignment), steadiness, shoring &
bracing, concrete cover and concrete top level mark correctness. b) Vapor
barrier must be installed prior to pouring on grade. c) Grade must receive
termite chemical spray protection prior to vapor barrier placement.

183. In formwork inspection, first of all we check the location of

foundation center to center, check the concrete cover which will be 50 mm
outside & 75 mm inside and there should not be any hole in formwork, level of
concrete should be fixed on formwork, clean everything inside the formwork
and all dimension of formwork should be as per approved drawing, check
alignment of formwork & it should be coated with releasing agent.

184. Essential elements of concrete placement is a) Maximum height of

concrete drop is 1 meter. b) Segregation must be prevented by ensuring transit
mixture is approved, has operating revolution counter, no adding water after
batching, and concrete is placed in such a manner to prevent segregation (i.e.
only shovel can be used to move concrete inside the forms, no raking allowed.
Vibrators should not be used for that purpose. c) Proper vibration must be
implemented. (Proper vibrating, dropping the vibrating under its own weight
until it gets to the desired drop height, then leaving it there for 3 - 7 seconds
then pulling at the count of 3 – 4 seconds. When vibrating sub-sequent layers,
vibrator must penetrate a centimeter in to older layer. d) Some labors must be
continuously watching the forms in case a wall is being poured, proper height
(maximum height) of each concrete lift must be observed, such as the usual 600
mm stated normally in project specifications, also tamping on the wall is
necessary to assist in the consolidation process. e) The concrete temperature and
the slump are two strong indicators of inspector’s knowledge. A slump between
75 mm and 100 mm is normal for normal pours. The maximum allowed
temperature for concrete when arriving at project site is 32 degree Celsius.

185. 210/25 means when related to concrete: 210 is the compressive

strength in kg/cm2 & 25 is the maximum size of aggregates.

186. Comparing the compressive strength of concrete of 7 days is 70 to

75% of that 28 days strength.

187. Required slump for class ‘A’ vibrated concrete is 25 mm to 75 mm or

as per project specification.

188. Maximum and minimum chutes used in pouring concrete: Maximum

slope is 1:2 (vertical to horizontal) and minimum slope is 1:3.

189. Removal of formworks of structures: Arc & center = 14 days, Beam &
girder = 10 days, Slabs not more than 3 m = 4 days, Slabs more than 3 m but
less than 6 m = 7 days, Slabs more than 6 m but less than 14 m = 10 days.

190. Composite structure is a structure composed of two materials as in

steel & concrete.

191. Non composite structure is a structure made of either concrete or steel.

192. Concrete fatigue is the weakening of material cause by repeated loads.

193. Creep is the deformation due to the sustained load.

194. Bleeding is the flow of water in the mix or on the surface of the mix
because of the settlement of the mass in concrete mix.

195. The min requirement of protection of concrete under FDS or slab is 50

mm lean concrete or 0.15 mm vapor barrier.
196. The min overlapped joint size of vapor barrier is 150 mm.

197. After removal of formworks, if surface reveals small holes & minor
honey combing less than 10 mm x 10 mm size, which do not impair strength
shall be filled with mortar of same composition of surrounding concrete.

198. All exposed/exterior corners shall be chamfered to produce 25 mm

beveled edges.

199. Tolerance in buried concrete = + 15 mm, – 6 mm & floor slabs or

paving in 3 m = ± 3 mm.

200. Correlation of drilled core to the standard cured cylinder is 85%.

201. Minimum age of concrete before curing is 14 days.
202. Preferred diameter of core as per standard is 95 mm.

203. The preferred length of core as per standard for compressive strength
is 1.9 to 2.1 time of diameter.

204. Cure the cores before testing, keep the core in air temperature between
16 to 27 0C at 50% humidity for five days.

205. Cement stabilized sand or CLSM: Cement stabilize sand may be used
as an alternate backfill material, locally in area requiring greater support or
where compaction is not possible. Mix ratio of cement stabilized sand shall be 1
sack of cement (41 kg) per ton of sand, other CLSM (Controlled Low Strength
Material) may be used as approved by client.