I) Field Tests Of Building Materials(Bricks, Sand & Cement): Posted by 

Ranadip
Chakraborty 
Field test of brick, cement, sand and stone chips are very much essential as they are the most
common construction materials which are used in almost all of the civil engineering construction from
brickwork to floor finishing everywhere. As a civil engineer, working in a site is the challenging one,
as on the site engineer all the responsibility and liabilities depends upon for good quality
construction.  But alone a good supervision is not enough for a good construction having required
properties and durability. A proper quality control is essential at all the stages, specially at the very
start , where we have to select right materials for a type of construction, as the materials are the cell of
each structure. A Civil Engineer may not always have the facility of laboratory at the site for the
testing of materials so as to ascertain the quality of a material weather it is bad or good, suitable or not.
So a civil engineer should be able to judge the quality of the basic construction materials such as
Brick, Cement, Sand and Stone Chips by means of Visual Inspection of those materials, which can be
done by doing the Field Test on those materials. Here I’ve listed the different field tests for basic
construction materials which becomes necessary in day to day work. 

How To Check If A Brick Is Good? ==>

BRICK STACK

The following field tests are to be performed in order to determine if a Brick is good :- 

1. A good brick should be of proper shape and standard specified size, the edges of it
should be sharp, there should not be any cracks and fissures on the brick. 
2. The colour of a good brick should be copper red colour. A yellowish tint on brick
indicates that it is under burnt and hence possessing of lower strength, and if a brick is
of dark blackish blue colour then it indicates the brick is over burnt and is brittle in
nature. 
3. When a brick is struck by a hammer or against another brick, it should emit a clear
metallic ringing sound, it should not be dull. 
4. A freshly fractured brick should show a homogeneous compact structure without any
lumps. 
5. If a brick is dropped from about a height of 1m on a hard ground or on another brick, it
should not break. 
6. When a brick is scratched with finger nail it should not leave any impression on the
brick. 
7. A good brick (1st Class) should not absorb water by not more than 20% of its own Dry
weight when immersed in water for a period of 24 Hours.
How To Check If Cement Is Good? ==>

CEMENT STACK

The following field tests should be performed to determine if the cement is of good quality :-

1. The cement should be of Greenish Gray colour for Ordinary Portland Cement, and
Blackish Gray colour for Portland Pozzulana Cement and Whitish Gray colour for
Portland Slag Cement.
2. There should not be any hard lumps on cement, the cement should be finely powdered.
If cement contains hard lumps, then it must be rejected. 
3. The cement when rubbed between fingers should feel smooth, it should not feel
granular. If it is granular then it means adulteration with sand. 
4. A cement paste should feel sticky in between fingers. 
5. When hand is dipped into a heap or into a bag of cement, it should feel cool, not warm. 
6. If a hand full of cement is thrown into a bucket of water, the cement should sink, not
float as the Specific Gravity of Cement is greater than that of Water. 
7. If a thick cement paste made on a glass and immersed in water should set, not crack.

How To Check If  Sand Is Good? ==>

GOLDEN YELLOW SAND, A SIGN OF GOOD QUALITY

SAND

The following tests should be performed to determine the quality of Sand :-

 1. The Sand should be free from organic impurities and mineral salts, The maximum
permissible quantity of organic impurities should be restricted to 5%. 
2. The Sand should be of Golden Yellow colour. 
3. The Sand particles should be sharp and angular to increase the interlocking property
between the sand particles. 
4. The sand should coarse for Concreting and medium sand may be allowed in brickwork
and is preferable for plastering works. 

How To Check If Stone Chips Are Good? ==>

STONE CHIPS STACK

The visual tests or field tests for Coarse aggregate, that is stone chips are very limited though there are
many laboratory tests are available. Mainly the following things are observed as for Field Test :-

1. The Stone Chips are to be well graded to increase the mechanical interlocking
between them. 
2. Stone Chips should be Angular as far as possible and be porous. 
3. The Stone Chips should not be flaky and elongated. 
4. The Stone Chips should not contain organic and other impurities, as only 5% clay
content in concrete can reduce the strength of the concrete as much as 20%.

I hope this article will help you in your day to day work, as a Civil Engineer I feel these small
little things are very much important as a good material is inevitably necessary to produce good
construction. Taking care of these small things can turn out great results, which otherwise may not be
achieved by higher designing standards. Quality control is the key to the construction, as the Ingredient
of good quality will surely produce better taste isn’t it?.

In my next article I will discuss about the Top 10 Faults which are done by mason, and which
are mostly ignored by the engineers but which may cause disastrous results in the ultimate structure.

II) Concrete Mix Design As Per IS 10262-2009 With Example : (Posted by Ranadip
Chakraborty )
Concrete Mix Design or Mix Design of Concrete is a procedure of determining the relative
quantities and proportions of different ingredients of the concrete i.e. Cement, Water, Fine Aggregate,
Coarse Aggregate, with the object of producing homogeneous fully compactable concrete having
required Strength and Properties with economy.
Now a Days with the advancement of concrete technology, the mix design of concrete is in a
boom due to the requirements of High Grades of Concretes having required amount of workability,
durability and other properties but the main factor is that these all things are achieved by mix design
also with economy, that is there is nothing more in quantities of any ingredients of concrete than that
required for producing particular type of concrete grade. Nominal Mixes can be adopted only upto the
grade of M20, but above m20 grade, a concrete must be mix designed as per code provisions. Though
most of us uses Nominal mix of 1:1:2 for M25 Grade, but it shouldn’t be done. There are various
methods of concrete mix design, some of them are as follows :-
 Indian Standard I.S: 10262-2009 method. 
 Arbitrary Proportioning or Trial and Error method 
 American Concrete Institute, ACI Committee 211 method 
 Indian Road Congress, IRC 44 method 
 Road Note 4 method 
 Maximum Density and  Minimum Voids method 
 High Strength Concrete Mix Design  method 
 Mix Design of Pumpable Concrete 
 British DoE method etc.

Today in this Article I will illustrate the method of Mix Design of Concrete with Example and
providing a very easy and engaging Step By Step Approach as you have found in my other Articles. I
will use The Latest Revision of The Indian Standard Code of Practice for Concrete Mix Design that is
I.S.: 10262-2009 for the below illustration.

STEP 1 – Understand the Requirements of the Problem or Situation :-

First of collect the data and write down the following things
a) Grade of Concrete to be designed
b) Amount of Slump Required.
c) Exposure Type it will have in its service life
d) Any other special requirements like delayed setting etc.
e) Air Content
f) Will it be Reinforced or Plain Concrete

For our example let us consider M30 Grade of Concrete with 75-100mm Slump which will be
exposed to mild exposure conditions and there is delayed setting is required by using Superplasticizer
and with 2% Air Content and will be used in Reinforced Concrete Structure.

STEP 2 – Collect Data About the Available Materials for the Production of
Concrete :-
Perform Tests where ever required and collect the following data for concrete producing materials
which will be used
a) Type and Grade of Cement
b) Specific Gravity of the Cement
c) Nominal Maximum size of the coarse aggregate
d) Grading Zone of fine aggregate
e) Specific Gravity of the coarse and fine aggregate
f) Moisture Content in coarse and fine aggregate
g) Specific Gravity of the Admixture to be used
h) Shape of the Aggregate
In our example let us consider the following data :
We are using 43 Grade OPC of Specific Gravity 3.15, the Nominal Maximum size of the
coarse aggregate is 20mm, Sand is of Zone-II , the specific gravity of coarse and fine aggregates are
2.67 and 2.62 respectively. Moisture content in the coarse and fine aggregate are 1% (Including 0.5%
Absorbed) and 4% (Including 1% Absorbed)  respectively. The specific gravity of the admixture is
1.145 and Aggregates are Angular.
STEP 3 - Computation of Target Mean Strength of Concrete :
All concretes are composed of various materials like cement, sand, stone chips and water
mainly, which vary from time to time and batch to batch, and also after concrete is placed it undergoes
different atmosphere in different cases, and concrete will also have different types of workmanship,
compactions and other conditions at different cases, thus In production and casting of concrete nothing
is constant, almost everything is variable, so we have to provide a suitable allowance for this variation,
thus we need to design the concrete for some higher strength than the grade which is required so that it
can compensate all those variables. For this reason we have to design the concrete for Target Mean
Strength fck’ or ft. The Target Mean Strength is computed as follows :
fck’= fck + (k x s)
Where, fck’ = Target Mean Strength N/mm2
fck = Characteristics Compressive Strength of Concrete in N/mm2
k = A Statistical Co-efficient
s = Standar Deviation N/mm2
Now in our example fck = 30 N/mm2 for M30 Grade of concrete, k = 1.65 as per I.S. 456-2000
for 5% Tolerance, as adopted in the definition of Characteristics Compressive Strength, The value of
‘s’ first time design of M30 grade Concrete is 5 N/mm2 [I.S.: 456-2000 Page 23 Table-8 or I.S.:
10262-2009 Page-2 Table-1]

Therefore, fck’ = fck + (k x s) = 30 + (1.65x5) = 38.25 N/mm2

Therefore we have to design the concrete for 38.25 N/mm2  strength.

STEP 4 – Determination of the Free Water-Cement Ratio :

Now from the curve of Compressive Strength vs Water-Cement Ratio we have to find out the
required Free Water-Cement Ratio for the strength 38.25 N/mm2 from the particular curve of the grade
of cement to be used, or it can also be found out from the generalized curve of BIS, and also consider
the value of Maximum Free Water-Cement Ratio from the I.S.: 456-2000 [Page 20 Table-5] and take
lower of those two values.

 
 COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH vs WATER-CEMENT RATION CURVE

From the above curve it is found out that the Water-Cement Ratio corresponding to the 38.25MPa and
43 Grade OPC is or from the Generalized curve of BIS is found out as 0.40 and as per I.S. 456-2000 is
0.45, Hence we must take the Free Water-Cement Ratio as 0.40

STEP 5 – Determination of the quantity of Water required per cu.m. of Concrete :

Now the quantity of water required for the production of concrete is to be determined as per
I.S.: 10262-2009 Page-3 Table-2 and adjustments are to be made if required as per the code provisions.
The basic selection of water is based on the Nominal Maximum size of the aggregate which is in our
case is 20 mm so from the table we get Water content corresponding to the 20 mm Maximum Nominal
size aggregate is 186 ltr. or 186 kg. But these values are for 25-50mm slump, but we need 75mm-
100mm slump. Therefore we have to do the adjustments. Here the slump difference between the
standardize and required value is (100mm – 50mm) = 50mm and as per I.S.: 10262-2009 we have to
increase the water content given in the table by 3% for each increase of 25mm slump above 50mm
(standardize value). Therefore in our case the required increase I water content will be ((Slump
Difference/25)*3)%  = ((50/25)*3)% = 6%. Thus we need to increase the water content by 6%.
Therefore the adjusted water content is (186 + 6% of 186) = (186+((6/100)*186)) = 197.16 kg [See
I.S.: 10262-2009 Page- 2 Clause – 4.2]. In our case the aggregates are angular hence no adjustments
are needed for water content. But we are using superplastisizer, hence the water content can be reduced
by 20% minimum or as per manufacturers specification. Thus reducing the water content by 20% we
get the final water content as (197.16 – ((20/100)*197.16)) = 157.73 kg.

STEP 6 – Determination of Cement Content :

Now as we know that Water-Cement Ratio = (Weight of Water/Weight of Cement) , therefore we get

Weight of Cement = (Weight of Water/Water-Cement Ratio)

In our case it will be Weight of Cement = (157.73/0.40) = 394.33 kg per cu.m. of concrete

As per I.S.: 456-2000 Page-20 Table-5 we get for Reinforced Concrete of M30 Grade the Minimum
Cement Content is 320kg per cu.m. of concrete, and Maximum cement content for any grade of
concrete is 450kg per cu.m. of concrete. Hence our calculated value of cement content satisfies both
the minimum and maximum cement content criteria hence okay. If our value would have fall below
the minimum vale then we had to take the grater of the calculated and the minimum value of cement
content.

STEP 7 – Calculation of Quantities of Coarse and Fine Aggregates :

The percentage of coarse aggregate of the total volume of aggregate have to be determined as
per I.S.: 10262-2009 Page-3 Table-3 corresponding to the Nominal Maximum size of coarse aggregate
ad Zoning of fine aggregate. In our case we have considered Nominal Maximum size as 20mm and
Fine Aggregate as Zone-II, therefore the percentage of coarse aggregate by volume of total aggregate
is 0.62 or 62%. This values of table are for Water-Cement Ratio of 0.50, and for other Water-Cement
Ratios adjustments are to be made as Percentage of Coarse Aggregate is increased by 0.01 or 1% for
every 0.05 decrease in Water-Cement Ratio from 0.50, and Percentage of Coarse Aggregate is
decreased by 0.01 or 1% for every 0.05 Increase in Water-Cement Ratio from 0.50. In our case the
Water-Cement Ratio is decreased by (0.50-0.40) = 0.10 hence the volume of Coarse Aggregate have to
be increased by 2% or 0.02. Therefore the adjusted percentage of coarse aggregate is (0.62+0.02) =
0.64 or 64% of the Total Volume of Aggregate.

Now we have to compute the Total Volume of Aggregate by the following

Va = 1.0 - [v + {C/(Scx1000)} + (W/1000) + {S/(Ssx1000)}]

Where, Va = Total Volume of Aggregates in cu.m.
v = Air Content expressed in Decimal [ e.g. 2%=0.02]
C = Mass of Cement in kg
Sc = Specific Gravity of the Cement
W = Mass of Water in g
S = Mass of Admixture in kg
Ss = Specific Gravity of the Admixture
Considering Admixture content as 2% by weight of Cement In our example we get,
Va = 1.0 - [0.02 + {394.33/(3.15x1000)} + (157.73/1000) + {7.89/(1.145x1000)}]
= 0.69 cu.m.
Therefore Volume of Coarse Aggregate required = 64% of 0.69 cum. = (64/100)x0.69 = 0.442 cu.m.
 Now we know that:
Total Volume of Aggregate = Volume of Coarse Aggregate + Volume of Fine Aggregate
Or Volume of Fine Aggregate = Total Volume of Aggregate – Volume of Coarse Aggregate
Therefore in our example Volume of Fine Aggregate = 0.690 – 0.442 = 0.248 cum.
Now we need to to convert their volume into mass as weight batching will be done.
Mass of Any Substance = (Specific Gravity of that Substance x 1000) x Volume of that
Substance
Therefore we get,
Mass of Coarse Aggregate Required = (2.67x1000) x 0.442 = 1180.14 kg
 Considering 55% 20mm Aggregate = 55% of 1180.14 = 649.1 kg
Considering 45% 10mm Aggregate = 45% of 1180.14 = 531.04 kg
Mass of Fine Aggregate Required = (2.62x1000) x 0.248 = 649.76 kg
STEP 8 – Arranging the Proportions of Different Ingredients :
Now the Proportions are to be computed of different ingredients of concrete as per the
materials calculated in the previous steps.

Mix Proportions by Mass :

Cement = 394.33 kg [1]

Water = 157.73 kg (Water-Cement Ratio =0.40)

Fine Aggregate = 649.76 kg [1.648]

Coarse Aggregate = 1180.14 kg [2.993] (20mm = 649.1kg [1.646]  10mm = 531.04 kg

[1.347] )

Admixture = 7.89 kg [2% by weight of Cement]

Hence Cement : Fine Aggregate : Coarse Aggregate = 1 : 1.648 : 2.993

STEP 9 – Final Adjustments for Moisture Contents in Aggregates :

The Aggregates which are used may contain some moisture in absorbed or both in absorbed
and free surface moisture form. If necessary corrections in the quantity of mixing water and in the
content of aggregates will not be adjusted then the Water-Cement Ratio in actual will increase and the
Aggregate Content in actual will decrease due to the free water in the aggregates which will increase
the water content, and at the same time which would occupy the volume of aggregate. Thus we have to
make necessary corrections for this are to be made so that the calculated water content and aggregate
content does not increase and decrease respectively.

In our example the coarse aggregate has 1% moisture in which 0.5% is absorbed into the
aggregate it self, therefore the free water is (1%-0.5%) = 0.5%. And in the case of fine aggregate it has
4% moisture in which 1% is absorbed in it self, therefore free moisture is (4%-1%) = 3%.

It means that if we use the calculated value of coarse aggregate then it will include 0.5% of
water by its weight and in case of fine aggregate the inclusion of water will be 3% of the weight of fine
aggregate.

Total amount of inclusion of water from aggregates are (0.5% of Coarse Aggregate + 3% of
Fine Aggregate) = [{1180.14x(0.5/100)}+{649.76x(3/100)}] = 25.39 kg

Therefore amount of water actually to be added at the time of mixing is = 157.73 – 25.39 =
132.34 kg

It also means that if we use the calculated value of coarse aggregate then it will not include 1%
of coarse aggregate by its weight which have been occupied by water and in case of fine aggregate the
non-inclusion of fine aggregate will be 4% of the weight of fine aggregate.

Thus the actual amount of Coarse Aggregate required at the time of missing will be (1180.14 +
1%) = [1180.14 + (1180.14*(1/100)}] = 1191.94 kg comprising of 55% of 20mm = 655.78 kg and
45% 10mm = 536.37 kg
 Thus the actual amount of Fine Aggregate required at the time of mixing will be (649.76 + 4%)
= [649.76 + {649.76*(4/100)}] = 675.75 kg

Therefore the Final Mix Proportions After all the Adjustments are as follows :

Cement = 394.33 kg [1]

Water = 132.34 kg (Free Water-Cement Ratio =0.40)
Fine Aggregate = 675.75 kg [1.714]
Coarse Aggregate = 1191.94 kg [3.023] (20mm = 655.78 kg [1.663]  10mm = 536.37 kg
[1.360] )
Admixture = 7.89 kg [2% by weight of Cement]
Hence Cement : Fine Aggregate : Coarse Aggregate = 1 : 1.714 : 3.023
Now Trial Cubes are to be prepared and tested to see the results.

I hope I have been able to make the topic clear, easy and understandable. Please do share the
Link of Techno Genome which is  www.technogenome.com . Thank You and Have A Good Day.

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How To Design R.C.C. Column In Limit State Method
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Top 5 Mistakes In Concreting Operations

III) Top 5 Concrete Problems Turning Catastrophic: (Posted by Ranadip

Chakraborty )
The Top 5 Constructional Mistakes and Concrete Problems which can bring disastrous results
if ignored are not the huge ones but very common in every construction work, which gets out of the
notice of the Engineer-In-Charge in most of the cases. As I feel most of the bad construction takes
places not due to the unwillingness of the Engineers, but mostly due to the lack of awareness about
those small things which they take lightly and thinks they are of no major importance and will not
affect the ultimate construction. I do partially agree with them to the fact that it will not harm the
ultimate construction. But How long? How long that improperly made structure be durable and
sustainable to the causes of failures? Though this constructional errors may not hamper it all or
partially the structure in short run, say about for 10 to 15 years after the construction but in the long
run it will cost a massive amount for its restoration due to the degradation through which it will
undergo in the future. No one of us like You and me would like to construct a permanent structure
which only lasts for 15 years safely, do we? So for assuring the safety to the structure, its durability to
withstand all probable condition in future and for preventing the costly restoration works we must take
care strictly to the following things, which in general larger part of us don’t really bother about. Here I
will discuss about those Top mighty mistakes and their consequences if not corrected at the time of
occurring.

1) Clear Cover Of Column, Beam and Slab :-

 Clear Cover means the clear distance between the exterior face of the reinforcements towards
the nearest surface of the RCC Section and the exterior face of that section. In most of the general
cases the values of clear cover are 50mm for Foundation, 40mm for Column, 25mm for Beam, 15mm
for Slab and Stair.
Now I’ve seen In most cases that people tend to ignore this cover value about weather it is maintained
correctly or not, in cases I found that there may be unequal cover provided on column sides like in one
side mason has given 20mm cover and on the other side it is 75mm. This occurs mainly due to the not
properly using Cover Blocks for maintain the cover. In case of Beam, Slab the same thing occurs, the
mason either may have increased the cover or may have decreased the value than what is actually to be
provided. In either way it’s harmful and may bring catastrophic results.

EFFECT OF MOISTURE PENETRATION

As a result of the of the above the consequence will follow like this way, if we provide
insufficient cover then after 5-15 years later depending upon the exposure the insufficient cover will be
easily penetrated by the moisture as the cover is insufficient to resist the penetration and also due to the
fact that if cover is too little then the concrete cover at the face of reinforcement will be so thin that it
will have a tendency to crack and hence will ease the entrance of moisture, which in turn will corrode
the reinforcement then the structure will lose it’s capacity of taking loads as rusting in the Steel is
made of loose particles hence the Bond between the steel and the concrete will be totally lost, and  will
cause a failure of the structure under the Load. If the cover is increased than what has been specified
by the Designing sheets then there will lie a huge risk of flexural failure of the structure due to the fact
if the cover is increased then it means the effective depth of the structure will be decreased also, due to
this decrease in the effective depth in the section, the Moment of Resistance of the section will get
reduced drastically even with a small increase in the cover than what is specified. Therefore the
structure will not be capable of taking up the Designed Bending Moment. So we now see that the
ignorance of the cover must be avoided, and the specified cover in the designing sheet must be strictly
followed to.

2) Addition Of Extra Water For Better Workability :-

This is one of the biggest silly mistake that sometime happens. This specially takes place in
areas where weather is Hot, and the Water from the Green Concrete (Fresh Concrete) is evaporating at
a very fast rate. In those conditions Fresh Concrete becomes dry and less workable and harsh. For this
reason it becomes very difficult to place the concrete and compact it properly, and as a cure to this
many a people adds water to the concrete to make it workable again. This will cause catastrophic
results, as addition of further water to the concrete will change the Water-Cement Ratio of the
concrete, and the increase in the Water-Cement Ration beyond what is specified for that particular mix
will reduce the strength as we know from the Abrams Law of Water-Cement Ratio that The Strength
of Concrete is Inversely Proportional to the Water-Cement Ration of Concrete Mix, other factors
remaining constant. Therefore this addition of water for the sake of improving the workability will not
improve the quality of concrete, rather it will destroy it absolutely.

It is my earnest requests to everyone please don’t do this, please don’t let others to do this also in front
of you. I know how hard it is concreting in the hot zone due to the rapid evaporation of moisture from
the Fresh Concrete, but we can steel make it our way, Don’t We? We can use Admixture to solve this.
Water Reducers can be used as Admixture, like PCE that is Poly Carboxylic Ether. But dosing must be
carefully done or all the concrete will become useless mass. Now You may say that for small
constructions like Residential Buildings, other small castings where Admixtures may not be available,
then What to do there? This can be solved by synchronizing the rate of production of concrete with the
rate of placement of concrete. Don’t make concrete of too much quantity that it cannot be used at that
rate, hence there is being stored a heap of concrete which is taking time to be consumed on and dries
up. Match the rate of production with the rate of consumption and keep the mixing plant as close as
possible to the spot of placing of concrete. In this way you will surely be able to solve out the problem
of drying out of fresh concrete and becoming it less workable.
 
3) Free Fall Of Concrete :-

Concrete is the conglomeration of Binding Material (Cement), Fine Aggregate (Sand), Coarse
Aggregate (Stone Chips) with right proportion of water based on the Water-Cement Ratio. As the
Specific Gravity of different ingredients of concrete varies hence when concrete is dropped at the time
of placing of concrete the different ingredients tends to fall at different rate under the action of
Gravitational Pull. Therefore all the ingredients has a tendency to get separated from each other, but if
the fall of concrete is not from much height then these ingredients does not get separated from each
other due to the binding of cement paste. But if the Concrete is dropped from a greater height then the
cement paste fails to hold them as a homogeneous mixture and all the ingredients separates and gets
deposited in layers according to their specific gravity, hence the Stone Chips silts at the bottom, then
over it sand silts then over it cement slurry of the greater portion.

CONCRETE
SEGREGATION
This phenomenon is known as the Segregation of Concrete. Therefore in this case the concrete
does not remains actually concrete, and losses almost its all properties and strength, and such a
structure collapses under Design Load. This can be prevented by dropping the concrete from a
maximum height of 1.5m. I’ve seen in casting of column, many people are casting the full length of
column at a time, which means a full length of column say about 2.7m is being caste at a time, hence
the concrete dropping from the top is falling through a height of more than 1.5m, as a result
segregation takes place at the bottom of the column, and the whole column becomes unstable under the
loads and have greater chance of collapsing. And one more thing, Patching up the segregated column
with Rich Mortar say of proportion 1:3 will not cure it, this patch will only hide the Scar beneath. Only
cure is to dismantle the column and reconstructing it.
4) Improper Compaction :-

Compaction is a very essential process in concreting practice. Proper compaction makes a

concrete dense, and hence the harden concrete results in having greater density which in turn gives
higher durability to the concrete, making it impervious to moisture and other harmful chemicals. As
the density increases with good quality compaction hence it gives greater strength, and also the
honeycombing can be avoided.

HONEY COMBING DUE TO BAD COMPACTION

If Compactions is not good then durability of the concrete will be reduced and also strength
will be reduced. Improper Compaction causes air voids in the concrete which reduces the strength of
the concrete. Only About 5% Voids can reduce the strength of the concrete up to 30%. Hence this
becomes very necessary to do proper compaction to the concrete. The Concrete in Beam, Lintel and in
other type of section where Depth is 150mm or more in those cases Concrete should be placed in layer
and after compaction of a layer the next layer should be laid and the compaction should be done and
then the next layer and compaction again so as to achieve a Compact and Homogeneous Concrete.

5) Too Early Removal Of Formworks :-

This is another thing which is being done all around mostly in case of the construction of
Residential Complexes. A concrete structure gains strength with age, and the design strength which we
target for is achieved at 28 days. So logically a structure should be given support by means of props for
full period of 28 days, but the fact is that after a structure is ready and has gained its design strength
even then at that time it is not subjected to full design load as the whole structures including finishing
works cannot be complete within that period and hence we can flexibly remove the props when a
structure gains about 70% - 80% of the design strength. This much strength is generally gained at 7
Days, but before this the props must not be removed. As for this reason the minimum period for which
props are to be provided is 7 days, no matter how short is the span and how unimportant it is. But in
actual practice the Time frame for which support of the props are to be provided depends upon the type
of structure and the span of it. Generally for Slabs props must be provided for 7 Days in case where the
span is up to 4.5m and for span over 4.5m the time of supporting is 14 Days. In case of Beam for span
up to 6m the time for which props are to be provided is 14 Days and for span over 6m the time for
supporting is 21 Days. For all the structures the side shuttering may be removed after 16 hours – 24
hours.

So the main problem in removal the formworks early is that the structure will not have enough
strength to resist the design loads which will then cause failure of the structure.
I hope You have enjoyed this article, I will be posting on my next article about Common mistakes
made in Brickwork.