Date: 10-03-2023

QMS-QI-01/2023

Hot Weather Concreting – Effects & Precautions

❑ INTRODUCTION

Hot weather conditions are commonly

encountered during summer and cause several
problems related to concrete placement &
finishes due to early evaporation of moisture.
Unless handled properly, this situation may lead
to plastic shrinkage cracks and/or thermal cracks
in hardened concrete. The hot weather is any
combination of conditions like high ambient
temperature, low relative humidity & high wind
speed, which may impair the intended quality of
concrete. The adverse effects on various
properties of concrete can be mitigated by taking
certain precautions and would result in concrete
possessing improved characteristics in the fresh
and hardened state.

“Plan ahead to avoid problems caused by high temperatures and dry conditions “
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❑ WHAT IS HOT WEATHER CONCRETING?

Any operation of concreting done at atmospheric

temperatures above 40°C or any operation of
concreting (other than steam curing) where the
temperature of concrete at time of its placement is
expected to be beyond 40°C.

It is important that hot weather be taken into

account when planning concrete projects because
of the potential effects on fresh and hardened
concrete.

Evaporation rate approaching one kg of water per square

metre of concrete per hour (1.0 kg/m2/hr) requires
precautions against premature drying & plastic shrinkage
cracking.

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 Date: 10-03-2023
QMS-QI-01/2023

❑ EFFECTS OF HOT WEATHER ON CONCRETE

❑ EFFECTS OF HOT WEATHER AT VARIOUS STATES OF CONCRETE

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Fresh state Hardened state

Increased water demand Decreased 28 days concrete cube strengths
Rapid slump loss Increased tendency for drying shrinkage and differential
thermal cracking
Increased rate of setting Decreased durability
Greater difficulty while handling, compacting & Greater variability of surface appearance such as cold
finishing joints or colour differences
Greater risk of cold joints Increased permeability
Increased tendency for plastic shrinkage cracking Increased potential of steel corrosion through cracks

Increased difficulty in controlling entrained air content

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 Date: 10-03-2023
QMS-QI-01/2023

❑ PRECAUTIONS DURING HOT WEATHER CONCRETING

Following precautions are recommended while undertaking concreting during hot weather to achieve
the desired quality of concrete .

1. Placement of Concrete shall preferably be

planned during receding sun / cool time of the
day such as late afternoon or early morning.
2. Store aggregate under shed . Spray water on the
aggregates with fine nozzle to keep the
aggregate cool prior to batching. The water shall
evaporate instantly and no additional correction
in moisture content is required for this.
3. Transit Mixer drum shall be wrapped with
hessian and kept moist by sprinkling water from
time to time when concrete is loaded inside or
Paint mixer drums white or yellow colour so
they do not absorb as much heat.

4. Before loading concrete into Transit mixers,

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the drum shall be thoroughly washed with

water to bring down the inside temperature.
5. Rotation of Transit mixer drum shall not
exceed 5 RPM, which also increases the
temperature of concrete.
6. In case of temperature-controlled concrete,
use of chilled water (at 5°C) or ice flakes as
part of mix water are recommended to keep
the fresh concrete cool to the specified range
7. Avoid delays at all stages i.e. during
transportation-placement-compaction.

8. If steel form is used, water should be sprinkled

to keep the form cool.
9. Slump shall be kept slightly higher than other
seasons by using plasticizers considering
relatively rapid loss of workability in summer.
10. In case workability still falls below the
requirement at the pouring point, re-dosing of
same plasticizer @ 0.1 % may be done to regain
the same. Properties of concrete after re-
dosing shall be tested & established at lab
before application.

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 Date: 10-03-2023
QMS-QI-01/2023

11. At the pouring point, unformed concrete

surface shall be covered with polythene
sheet/windbreaks after compaction &
surface finish to prevent rapid loss of
moisture. This is primarily applicable for
structures where exposed area is substantial
(e.g. slab).
12. Curing shall start immediately after concrete
hardens by wet gunny bags/hessian cloth
etc. followed by moist curing when concrete
has attained sufficient strength to withstand
any surface damage ( approx. 8-10 hrs
after mixing ) .
13. Fog sprays applied shortly after placement
and before finishing, have been found to be
particularly effective in preventing plastic
shrinkage crack when other means have
failed
14. Concrete shall be delivered completely to
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the site of work within 90 mins of batching.

Any other precautions as deemed necessary as per site
condition shall also be implemented to restrict early
evaporation of moisture or stiffening of concrete.

❑ CONCLUSION
A successful, well-run, hot-weather project is
the result of thorough and careful planning. By
carefully selecting concreting materials and
construction methods, speed of placement and
finishing helps to minimize problems in hot
weather concreting. For detailed calculations of
replacing water with cold water or Ice, refer IS
7861 P1, 1975 (RA 2016) APPENDIX B.

“Less water for mixing – more water for curing”

❑ REFERENCES

❖ IS 7861(Part I) – 1975 (Reaffirmed 2016)

❖ Concrete Technology – A.M. Neville & J.J.B An evening time where the concrete pour is ready..

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