Civil Engineering

Materials
(Concrete technology Note)

Done by: Abdulla

Second Semester 2014/2015
‫ﻫﺬه اﳌﺬﻛﺮة )اﻟﻨﻮﺗﺎت( ﻋﺒﺎرة ﻋﻦ ﺗﺠﻤﻴﻊ ﻟﻠﻤﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت ﻣﻦ اﻟﻜﺘﺎب‪ ،‬واﻟﻌﺮوض اﻟﺘﻘﺪ�ﻴﺔ اﳌﺘﻮﻓﺮة‪ ،‬وﻣﺎ‬
‫ﻤﺗﻜﻨﺖ ﻣﻦ ﺗﺴﺠﻴﻠﻪ ﻣﻦ ﻣﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت ﺧﻼل اﳌﺤﺎﴐات اﻟﺘﻲ ﺣﴬﺗﻬﺎ ﰲ اﻟﻔﺼﻞ اﻟﺪراﳼ اﻟﺜﺎ� ﻟﻠﻌﺎم‬
‫اﻟﺪراﳼ ‪٢٠١٥-٢٠١٤‬؛ ﻷﻗﺪﻣﻬﺎ ﻟﻜﻢ ﺑﻬﺬه اﻟﺼﻮرة راﺟ ًﻴﺎ اﺳﺘﻔﺎدة اﻟﻄﻠﺒﺔ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ‪ .‬وﻫﻲ ﻣﺠﺮد وﺳﻴﻠﺔ‬
‫ً‬
‫ﻣﺘﻜﺎﻣﻼ‪ .‬ﻫﺬا أنَ اﻟﻜﺘﺎب واﳌﺤﺎﴐات اﳌﺼﺪر اﻟﺮﺋﻴﺲ‬ ‫ﻟﻠﻤﺮاﺟﻌﺔ واﻻﺳﺘﺬﻛﺎر‪ ،‬ﻓﻼ ﺗﻌﺪ ﻣﺮﺟ ًﻌﺎ أو ﻣﻨﻬ ًﺠﺎ‬
‫ﻟﻠ�دة‪.‬‬

‫رﻤﺑﺎ أﻛﻮن ﻗﺪ ﺑﺬﻟﺖ ﻗﺼﺎرى ﺟﻬﺪي ﻷﺟﻤﻊ وأﻧﻈﻢ ﻫﺬه اﳌﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت‪ ،‬إﻻ أن ﻣﺠﺎل اﻟﺨﻄﺄ وارد؛ وﺳﺒﺤﺎن‬
‫ﻣﻦ ﻻ ﻳﺨﻄﺊ‪ .‬ﻟﺬﻟﻚ واﻧﻄﻼﻗﺎ ﻣﻦ ﻫﺬا اﻟﺠﺎﻧﺐ ﻓﺈﻧﻪ ﻣﻦ واﺟﺐ اﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ اﻟﺒﺤﺚ واﻟﺘﺄﻛﺪ ﻣﻦ اﳌﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت‬
‫اﻟﻮاردة ﰲ ﻫﺬه اﳌﺬﻛﺮة ﻟﺘﺠﻨﺐ أي ﺧﻄﺄ ﻣﻤﻜﻦ أو أي ﻟﺒﺲ ﻗﺪ ﻳﺤﺪث ﰲ ﻫﺬه اﳌﺬﻛﺮة‪ .‬ﻛﺬﻟﻚ ﻳﺴﻬﻢ‬
‫اﻟﺒﺤﺚ واﻻﻃﻼع ﻋﲆ ﻓﻬﻢ واﺳﺘﻴﻌﺎب اﳌﺤﺘﻮى اﳌﻘﺮر ﻟﻠ�دة‪ ،‬وﻟﻌﻠﻬﺎ أﻫﻢ ﺳﻤﺔ ﻤﺗﻴﺰ اﳌﺮﺣﻠﺔ اﻟﺠﺎﻣﻌﻴﺔ‪.‬‬

‫ﻧُﻈﻤﺖ ﻫﺬه اﳌﺬﻛﺮة ﺑﺄﺳﻠﻮب ﺗﺠﻤﻊ ﻓﻴﻪ اﳌﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت ﺑﻄﺮﻳﻘﺔ ﻣﻨﻄﻘﻴﺔ ﻗﺪر اﻹﻣﻜﺎن؛ ﺣﺘﻰ ﻳﺘﺴﻨﻰ‬
‫ﻟﻠﻄﺎﻟﺐ أن ﻳﻬﻀﻤﻬﺎ ﺑﺸﻜﻞ أﺳﻬﻞ‪ .‬ﻓﻬﻲ ﺗﺤﺘﻮي ﻋﲆ اﻟﺼﻮر واﻟﺮﺳﻮم اﻟﺘﻮﺿﻴﺤﻴﺔ‪ ،‬ﻛ� أﺿﻔﺖ اﻟﻌﺪﻳﺪ‬
‫ﻣﻦ اﻷﺳﺌﻠﺔ اﳌﻬﻤﺔ‪.‬‬

‫ً‬
‫ﻣﺴﺘﻘﺒﻼ‪ ..‬وﻣﻦ اﻷﻣﻮر اﻟﺘﻲ أود أن أﺿﻴﻔﻬﺎ‪ :‬أﺟﻮﺑﺔ اﳌﺴﺎﺋﻞ اﳌﻄﺮوﺣﺔ ﰲ‬ ‫أﻃﻤﺢ ﻟﺘﻄﻮﻳﺮ ﻫﺬه اﳌﺬﻛﺮة‬
‫اﻟﻜﺘﺎب اﻟﺪراﳼ‪ ،‬واﳌﺰﻳﺪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺼﻮر واﻟﺮﺳﻮم اﻟﺘﻮﺿﻴﺤﻴﺔ‪ .‬أود أﻳﻀﺎ إرﻓﺎق اﳌﻌﺎ� ﻟﺒﻌﺾ ﻣﻔﺮدات‬
‫اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻹﻧﺠﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ اﻟﺼﻌﺒﺔ ﻟﻴﺘﻤﻜﻦ اﻟﻄﻠﺒﺔ اﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻳﻌﺎﻧﻮن ﻣﻦ ﺿﻌﻒ ﰲ اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻷﺟﻨﺒﻴﺔ ﻓﻬﻢ اﳌﻌﻠﻮﻣﺎت‬
‫ﺑﺸﻜﻞ أﻓﻀﻞ وأﻳﴪ‪.‬‬

‫ﺣﻈًﺎ ﻣﻮﻓﻘًﺎ‪...‬ﻣﺘﻤﻨ ًﻴﺎ ﻟﻜﻢ ً‬

‫ﻓﺼﻼ دراﺳ ًﻴﺎ ﻣﻠﻴ ًﺌﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺠﺎح واﻟﺘﻮﻓﻴﻖ‪.‬‬

‫‪Done by: Abdulla‬‬

What is concrete?
 Concrete: is composite material composed of water, cement,
aggregate, admixtures, and contains other things as well.
 Concrete mainly consist of:-
o Cement.
o Water.
o Aggregate (fine & coarse).
o Admixtures.

+ + + Admixtures

Water Cement Aggregate

Fresh concrete Hardened concrete

Good Concrete
Q: What is good concrete?
A: Good Concrete: is concrete which meets the requirements in its
hardened and fresh state.

 Good concrete and bad concrete have the same ingredients: cement,
water, aggregates and admixtures. The only difference is the “know-
how”.

Done by: Abdulla

Q: What is bad concrete?
A: Concrete which doesn’t meet the requirement, weak, non-
homogeneous, and honeycomb.

Good concrete Bad Concrete

o High compressive strength. o Non-homogeneous.
o Dense. o Honeycomb.
o Impermeable. o Weak mass.
o Durable.
o Resistance to abrasion.
o Resistance to impact.
o Resistance to chemical attack.

 Honey-combed Concrete

Done by: Abdulla

 Cement

Done by: Abdulla

 Cement: is the material which hardens under water and glue the
component of concrete.

Manufacture of Portland cement

Made by combination of calcareous materials limestone or
chalk and of silica & alumina found as clay or shale

Grinding the raw materials into very fine powder and

mixing them in predetermine proportions

Burning them at temperature 1400℃ in large rotary kiln

Clinker ¾ in Cooled and grinded with gypsum

(diameter) into fine powder
 Cement mainly consist of:-
o Lime
o Silica
o Alumina
o Iron oxides  Cement Clinker
Q: Why do we add gypsum in manufacturing of Portland cement?
A: It prevent flash setting of cement.

Done by: Abdulla

Basic Chemistry of cement
Q: What are the main compounds of cement? What are their role?
A: There are 4 major compounds in cement:-
Tricalcium Silicate (C3S) & Dicalcium Silicate (C2S)
The most important compounds, responsible for the strength of
cement paste (see Fig. 2.2).
o The most contribution to the strength during the first four
weeks are made by C3S.
o C2S influences the later gain in strength.
o At the age of one year they contributes equally to the strength.

Tricalcium Aluminate (C3A)

o It is undesirable because it contributes nothings to the strength
except at early ages.
o When cement paste attacked by sulfate the formation of
calcium sulfoaluminate may cause disruption of cement paste.
o It facilitates combination of lime and silica.
o Increases the fineness of cement.
o Responsible for the initial setting time of cement.
Tetracalcium aluminoferrite (C4AF)
o Present in small quantity and doesn’t affect the behavior of the
cement paste significantly
o It react with gypsum to form calcium sulfoferrite and may
accelerate the hydration process.

Done by: Abdulla

Q: What is the effect of excess gypsum on cement?
A: The excess of gypsum cause expansion and lead to disruption of the
set cement paste.

Q: What are the impurities? What are their effects?

A: There are two type of impurities that exist in calcium silicates:-
o Impure (C3S) known as alite
o Impure (C2S) known as belite
They have significant effect on:-
o Atomic arrangements.
o Crystal form
o Hydraulic properties of silicates.

Done by: Abdulla

 Minor Compounds of Cement
 Minor Compounds: Compounds exist in small quantities on cement
such as MgO, TiO2, Mn2O3, K2O, and Na2O.
Two of the minor compounds are of interest potassium oxide
(K2O) and sodium oxide (Na2O), known as Alkali.

They release potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide.

React with aggregate and produce alkali-aggregate reaction

Affect the rate of gain of strength in concrete. Disintegration of concrete

Hydration of cement
 Cement paste: is the product of reaction between cement and water.

Q: What are the main products of hydration of cement?

A: There are two main product of hydration
o Calcium Silicate Hydrates (C3S2H3):-
(20 – 25) % of the volume.
o Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2):-
(50 – 60) % of the volume.

Done by: Abdulla

 The rate of hydration depend on:-
o The relative properties of silicate and aluminate compounds.
o Fineness of cement.
o The ambient conditions.
 The spaces between the particles (known as gel pores or capillary
pores) occupy about 30% of the C-S-H volume.
Q: How does gypsum influence the hydration of C3A?
A: It slow down the reaction between C3A and water.
 Figure below shows the manufacturing and hydration process:-
Component
O2 Si Ca Al Fe
elements

Component
CaO SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3
Manufacturing oxides
process
Component
C3S C2S C3A C4AF
compounds

Portland
Various types
cements
Hydration
Process
Hydration
C-S-H gel Ca(OH)2
products
 Schematic representation of the formation and
hydration of Portland cement
Done by: Abdulla
Heat of Hydration
 The hydration of cement compounds are exothermic.
 The heat of hydration depend on:-
o The chemical composition of the cement (C3S, C2S and C3A
content).
o Fineness of cement affect the rate of heat development.
o The temperature at which the hydration occurs affect the rate
of heat development.
 The total heat liberated can be controlled by the amount of cement in
the mix.
Q: How can the heat of hydration of cement be reduced?
A: There are several option to minimize the heat of hydration
o Using the appropriate type of cement (Ex: low-heat cement).
o Cooling the mix water or add ice cubes.
o Cooling the ingredient of mixes.
o Cooling the surface of the concrete.
o Insulate the surface of the concrete.
o Using admixtures.
Q: Is there are any relation between heat of hydration and
cementing properties?
A: No.
 Insoluble residue in cement is arising from impurities in gypsum.
 Loss on Ignition shows the extent of carbonation and hydration of
free magnesia due to the exposure of cement to the atmosphere.

Done by: Abdulla

Types of Portland cement:-
Ordinary Portland cement (Type I)
The most common cement that used widely on all projects where there
are no exposure to sulfates in soil or groundwater.
Rapid-hardening Portland cement (Type III)
o Early removal of the framework
o Sufficient strength needed quickly for further constructions.
o Safeguard against early frost damage.
o It has a high heat of hydration.
Low-heat Portland cement (Type IV)
Cement which has low heat of hydration.
o Moderator heat of hydration is required.
o Used in dams and large bulk of concrete.
Modified cement (Type II)
o Moderator heat generation is required
o Moderator sulfate attack may occur.
o It is used both in large bulk of concrete and on sea water.
Sulfate Resistance cement (Type V)
o Underground and foundation to avoid sulfate attack form
outside the concrete.
o It has high resistance to chemical attacks.
Portland blast-furnace cement (Type IS)
Cement made by inter grinding cement clinker and granulated blast-
furnace slag.
o Mass cement because of low heat of hydration.
o Sea-water construction because of better sulfate resistance
o Used with aggregate with alkali reactivity.
White Portland cement
Used for architectural purposes.

Done by: Abdulla

 High-Alumina Cement
o Resistance against chemical attacks
o Rapid-hardening Cement.
Expansive Cement
Cement which doesn’t change its volume due to drying. This type are
used when change in volume is disadvantageous.

Done by: Abdulla

 Normal
Aggregate

Done by: Abdulla

 Aggregates occupy ¾ of the volume of concrete.
 Aggregate is not inert because its quality has a great effects on:-
o Strength of concrete.
o Durability of concrete.
o Structural performance of concrete.
 Properties of aggregate:-
o Chemical & mineral composition.
o Physical: shape, size, texture.
o Specific gravity.
o Hardness.
o Strength.
o Absorption.

Aggregate formed

Naturally by the Artificially by

process of crushing large
weathering and stones
abrasion

 Artificial aggregate are not good for the concrete and they are free
from lime.
 The strength of aggregate should not be less than 30 – 35 N.

Done by: Abdulla

Classification of Aggregate
Classifications

Size Petrographic Shape &

classification classification texture Unite weight
classification

Size Classification
Size classification

Fine: Coarse:
Most of it passes Most retained
5mm sieve. from 5mm sieve

 Sand (< 0.07 mm)

Silt (0.02 – 0.06 mm)
Clay (< 0.02 mm)
 Loam: a soft deposit containing sand, silt, and clay in equal
proportions.
 Coarse aggregate are described by its nominal size.
 Nominal size of 20 mm means that most of aggregate passes 20 mm
sieve.

Done by: Abdulla

Petrographic Classification
 Aggregates can be divided into groups of rocks having common
characteristics. “See table 3.1 page 42 in the textbook”
 Unsuitable material can be found in any group, although some groups
tend to have better record than others.
 Petrographic origin are useful in comparing a new aggregate with a
previous aggregate that we know.
 The presence of some unstable forms of silica can be detected.
 Many costumer trade name are not referring to the correct
petrographic classification.
“See page 41 and 42 in the book for more information”

Shape Classification
 Roundness measure the relative sharpness and angularity of the edges
and corners of particles.
 Sphericity (specific surface):- defined as the ratio of the surface area
to its volume.
 Particles with high ratio of surface area to volume lowers the
workability.
 Elongated and flaky particles are example of this type. Their presence
in excess of 10 to 15 percentage by mass of coarse aggregate are
considered undesirable because they tend to lower durability as water
and air voids formed underneath.
 Sea Aggregate may contains shells whose content need to be
controlled, because they are brittle and tend to reduce workability of
the mix.
Done by: Abdulla
 Classification Description Picture

Completely shaped by
Rounded
attrition

Irregular Naturally irregular

Has thickness small relative

Flaky
to the other dimension

Has length considerably

Elongated larger than the other two
dimension

Possessing well-defined
Angular
edges

Both Elongated and the

Flaky and
thickness is considerably
Elongated
smaller than the width

Done by: Abdulla

Texture Classification
 Surface texture is based on the degree to which particle surfaces are
polished or dull, smooth or rough.
 Surface texture has a strong influence on the water requirement of the
mix.
 More water are required when there are more voids.
 Flakiness and shape of coarse aggregate have an important effects on
the workability of concrete, the workability decreasing when there are
more voids.

Maximum aggregate size

 The larger the aggregate particles the smaller the surface area to be
wetted per unite mass.
 Extending the grading of particles to a maximum size reduces the
water requirement for a specific workability, which result in higher
strength.
 Maximum aggregate size ranges from 10 mm to 50 mm.
 There is a limit of the maximum aggregate size above which the
decrease offset by detrimental effects of:-
o Lower bond area.
o Discontinuities introduced by the very large aggregate.
In consequence, concrete becomes grossly heterogeneous, and lower in
strength.

Done by: Abdulla

 For sizes below 40 mm the advantages of lowering the water
requirement is dominant.
 For larger sizes, the balance between the two effects depend on the
richness of the mix:-
o In lean concrete containing 170 kg/m3, the use of 150 mm
aggregate is advantageous.
o In structural concrete, the maximum size is usually restricted to
25 mm or 40 mm because of the size of:-
• The size of concrete cross section.
• The spacing between reinforcement bars.
 The typical maximum aggregate size is 20 mm.
Q: What is lean concrete?
A: Low strength concrete with high aggregate/cement ratio and low
cement content used for non-structural applications.

Reinforcement
bars

 The aggregate size are limited by the

spacing between reinforcement bars.

Done by: Abdulla

Mechanical properties:-
Mechanical Properties

Bond Strength Toughness Hardness

1) Bond (Adhesion)
 Both the shape and the surface texture influence considerably the
strength of concrete.
 The bond (adhesion) are better with:
o Angular particles.
o A rougher texture
o Larger surface area of more angular aggregate.
o Softer, porous and heterogeneous particles.
Way of testing bond
 When the bond is good, a crushed concrete specimen should contains
some aggregate particles broken right through and some separated
from the paste matrix.
 If an excess of fractured particles suggests that the aggregate is too
weak.
 Flexural strength are more affected by bond than compressive
strength

Done by: Abdulla

2) Strength
 The compressive strength of concrete cannot significantly exceed that
of the major part of the aggregate contained therein, because of the
failure of bond between cement and other particles.
 Air voids can be viewed as aggregate particles with zero strength.
 Strength of aggregates can be tested by an indirect methods:
o Crushing strength of prepared sample.
o Crushing value of bulk aggregate.
o Performance of aggregate in concrete.
 A minimum value of:-
o 150 kN for heavy-duty concrete.
o 100 kN for concrete pavement.
o 50 kN when used in other concretes.
3) Toughness
 Toughness: defined as the resistance of aggregate to failure by impact.
 Toughness determined by the aggregate impact value test.\
 A maximum value of:-
o 25% for heavy-duty concrete.
o 30% for concrete pavement.
o 45% when used in other concretes.

Done by: Abdulla

4) Hardness
 Hardness: resistance to wear.
 Assessed by aggregate abrasion value, which is the percentage loss
on mass due to abrasion.
 This property used in roads an in floor surfaces subjected to heavy
traffic.

Physical properties
Physical Properties

Specific Porosity and

Hardness
gravity absorption

1) Specific gravity
 Specific surface: ratio of mass of a unit volume of material to the
mass of the same volume of water at the stated temperature.
Where:-
2) Porosity and absorption
 The porosity, permeability and absorption of aggregate influence:-
o The bond between it and the cement paste.
o The resistance of concrete to freezing and thawing
o Chemical stability
o The resistance to abrasion
o The specific gravity
Done by: Abdulla
 Porosity: the ability to absorb water.
 Permeability: the capability of porous material to permit the flow of
fluids through its pores spaces.
Named State
Saturated and
All pores are full of water
surface-dry
Air-dry If the aggregate are allowed to stand free in dry air
Oven-dry or
If we remove all the water using oven
Bone-dry
Moist If it is full of water and it is covered by moist

Done by: Abdulla

 The water absorption is determined by measuring the decrease in
mass of a saturated and surface dry sample after oven drying for 24
hours.
 The ratio of the decrease in mass to the mass of dry sample expressed
as a percentage is called absorption.
𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏(𝑨𝑨 − 𝑫𝑫)
% 𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂 =
𝑫𝑫
 The actual water absorption of the aggregate has to be deduced from
the total water requirement of the mix to obtain the effective
water/cement ratio.
 The better state for using on a concrete mix is saturated and surface-
dry as it doesn’t affect the water content of the mix.
 The effective water/cement ratio control both workability and strength
of concrete.
3) Moist content
 Moisture content: the water in excess of the saturated and surface-dry
condition.
 The total water of the mix equal to the sum of absorption and
moisture content.
 Moisture content most be allowed in calculation of batch quantity and
of the total water requirement of the mix.

Done by: Abdulla

Deleterious substances
 There are a deleterious substances found in aggregates:-
o Impurities: interfere with process of hydration of cement.
o Coating: prevent the development of good bond between
aggregate and cement paste.
o Sulfate and chloride salts.
o Weak or unsound particles.

Organic impurities
 Organic matter consist of products of decay of vegetable matter in the
form of humus or organic loam.
 It interfere with the hydration process.
 Organic matter found in sand rather than in coarse aggregate.
 Can be easily removed by washing.
Clay and other fine material
 Clay is present in aggregate in the form of surface coating which
interfere with the bond between the aggregate and cement paste.
 Clay and very fine materials should not be present in large quantities
because, due to their fineness and therefore large surface area, they
increase the amount of water necessary to wet all the particles in the
mix.

Done by: Abdulla

Sieve analysis
 Sieve analysis: The process of dividing a sample of aggregate into
fractions of same particle size.
 Its purpose is to determine the grading or size distribution of the
aggregate.
 5mm is the dividing line between the fine and coarse aggregate.
Fineness modulus
 Fineness modulus (FM): defined as the sum of the cumulative
percentage > 150 μm retained from the sieves of the standard series
divided by 100.

 Usually Fineness modulus is calculated for the fine aggregate rather

than for coarse aggregate.

Done by: Abdulla

 Typical values range from 2.3 and 3.0, a higher value indicating a
coarser grading.
 Fineness modulus detects the variations in the aggregate from the
same source which affect the workability of the fresh concrete.

Grading
 Grading: particle’s size distribution.
 Gap-Graded: Aggregate contains all sizes of particles, but some sizes
are missing.
 Well-Graded: Aggregate contains all sizes of particles and
incorporates with each other’s, where the smaller particles fill
the voids between larger particles.
 Grading is important because it affects workability. However
strength is independent grading.
 High strength require maximum compaction with a reasonable
amount of work, which can only be achieved with a sufficiently
workable mix.

Main influence factor on workability

 The influencing factors of the workability are:-
o Surface area of aggregate:
Which determines the amount of water necessary to wet the solid.
o Relative volume of occupied by the aggregate
o The tendency to segregation
o The amount of fines in the mix.

Done by: Abdulla

Gap-graded aggregate
 Particles sufficiently small only can fill the voids between larger
particles, which means that there must be a minimum difference in
size between aggregate particles.
 Sizes differing only slightly cannot be used side by side.
 Gap-graded is represented by a horizontal line over the range of sizes
omitted.
 Gap-graded can be used in any concrete, but there are particular uses:
o Preplaced aggregate concrete.
o Exposed aggregate concrete where a pleasing finish is obtained.
 To avoid segregation, gap-graded is recommended mainly for mixes
of relatively low workability that are to be compacted by vibration,
good control and care in handling are essential.
 Gap-Graded Curve:
Horizontal line from B to
D represent gap-graded.
“We can see that the percentage
of particles passing through
2.36 mm sieve are the same as
that of 600 μm”

 Well-Graded Curve

Done by: Abdulla

 Quality of
water

Done by: Abdulla

 The quality of the water is important because impurities in it may
interfere with the setting of the cement, which may affect the strength
of the concrete or cause staining of its surface, and may cause
corrosion of the reinforcement.
 Clear distinction must be made between the effects of mixing water
and the attack on hardened concrete by aggressive waters.

Mixing water
 Water used for drinking is suitable for mixing and curing, provided
that there is no high concentration of sodium and potassium.
 Water used to wash out truck mixers is satisfactory as mixing water.
(Because the solids in it are proper concrete ingredients)
 The use of potable water is generally safe.
 As a rule any water with a pH of 6.0 to 8.0 which doesn’t taste saline
or brackish is suitable for use.
 Dark color or a smell do not necessarily mean that deleterious
substances present.
 Water containing humic or other organic acids may affect the
hardening concrete.
 Water containing organic acids as well as alkaline water, should be
tested.
 The presence of algae in mixing water results in air entrainment with
a consequent loss of strength.
 Sometimes it may be difficult to obtain sufficient quantities of fresh
water and only brackish water is available, we can use this water if the
content of these substance doesn’t exceed some limits.

Done by: Abdulla

 For chloride ions a general limit of 500 ppm.
 For sulfate and alkali 1000 ppm.
The use of sea water
 Sea water leads to slightly higher early strength but a lower long-term
strength.
 The loss of strength usually doesn’t exceeds 15%, therefore it can be
tolerated.
 Sea water (or any water containing large quantities of chlorides) tends
to cause persistent dampness and efflorescence. Hence it shouldn’t be
used where the appearance is of importance or for plaster finishes.
 In case of reinforced concrete, sea water increase the risk of corrosion
of reinforcement.
 Corrosion appears on:-
o Structure exposed to humidity.
o When concrete are not sufficiently dense.
o Permanently in water either sea or fresh.

Curing water
 Water suitable for mixing is also suitable for curing eve if it has a
color.
 Iron or organic matter may cause staining, particularly if water flows
slowly over concrete and evaporate rapidly.
 It is essential that curing water be free from substances that attacks
hardened concrete.

Done by: Abdulla

Tests on water
 A simple way to test mixing water is to prepare two cubes one with
distilled water and the second with the water that we need to test,
compare the setting time and strength.
 The initial setting time shouldn’t be lee than 1 hour and the final
setting time shall not exceed 12 hours, and both shall be within 25%
of the result of distilled water.
 A tolerance of 30 min in initial setting time and 10% for strength is
recommended.

Done by: Abdulla

 Fresh concrete

Done by: Abdulla

 Long-term properties of hardened concrete:-
o Strength
o Volume stability
o Durability
 Long-term properties of hardened concrete are seriously affected by
the degree of compaction.
 For fresh concrete we need to achieve a consistence or workability
such that concrete can be properly compacted, transported, placed
and finished easily without segregation.

Workability
 Workability: the amount of useful internal work necessary to produce
a full compaction.
 The internal work is the work or energy required to overcome the
internal friction between the individual particles in the concrete.
 Practically, additional energy is required to overcome the surface
friction and wasted energy from vibrating concrete which is already
compacted, thus it is difficult to measure workability as it is defined.
 Consistency: the ease with which concrete will flow.
 Wet concrete are more workable than dry one.
 Concretes with same consistence vary in workability. Because the
strength is affected by the presence of voids.
 It is vital to achieve a maximum possible density to achieve a full
compaction.
This requires a sufficient workability for virtually full compaction.
 The presence of 5% of voids reduces the strength by 30%.

Done by: Abdulla

  Voids are either bubbles of entrapped air or spaces left after excess
water has been removed.
 The volume of voids depend on the water/cement ratio and the
grading of the fine particles.

Factor affecting workability

 There are 6 factors affecting the workability:-
1) Water/cement ratio:
The main factor, since by simple adding water the interparticle
lubrication increased.
2) Aggregate type and grading:
o Finer particles requires more water to wet their large
specific surface.
Decrease
o Irregular shape and rough texture of an angular aggregate
workability
demand more water than round aggregate.
o The porosity and absorption of aggregate lower
workability as it absorb part of the water require for
interparticle lubrication.
o Lightweight aggregate tend to lower workability.
Increase o Too many coarse aggregate can result in segregation and
workability lower workability.
o Too many fine aggregate lead to higher workability, but it
makes concrete less durable.
3) Aggregate/cement ratio:
Increase the workability, because the amount of water needed to
wet the total surface increased.

Done by: Abdulla

 4) Admixture: As it does reduces the water requirements, hence
increase the workability.
5) Fineness of cement:
The finer the cement the grater the water demand, which
decreases workability.
6) Time and temperature.
o Fresh concrete stiffens with time, because some of the mixing
water lost by:-
• Water absorbed by aggregate.
• Evaporation (especially when concrete exposed to sun
or wind).
• Initial chemical reaction (it consume some of the
water).
o A higher temperature reduces the workability and increase the
slump loss.
 Slump loss: The loss of workability with time. Affected by:-
o Richness of the mix.
o Type of cement.
o Temperature of concrete.
o The Initial workability.

Done by: Abdulla

Cohesion and segregation
 The absence of segregation is essential if full compaction is to be
achieved.
 Segregation: separation of constituents of a heterogeneous mixture, so
that their distribution would be non-uniform.
 The primer cause of segregation is the difference in particles size
“Can be controlled by choosing a suitable grading a care in handling.”
 Segregation depends on the method of handling and placing.
 There are two forms of segregation:-
o When the mix is to dry: the coarser particles tend to separate out
since they travel further along the slope or settle more than
finer particles.
o When the mix is too wet: separation of grout (cement + water)
from the mix, this occur in wet mixes.
 If the concrete doesn’t have to travel far and is transformed directly
from the skip or the wheelbarrow to the final position on the
framework, the danger of segregation is small.
 Under some circumstances the danger of segregation is large:-
o Dropping the concrete from a considerable height.
o Passing along chute.
o Change of direction
o Discharge against obstacles.
Under such circumstances a particular cohesive mix should be used.
 Using too much coarse aggregate, which has higher specific surface
increase segregation.

Done by: Abdulla

Q: How can we reduce segregation?
o Using correct method of handling, transporting and placing.
o Using air entrainment.
o Avoid using viberator to spread a heap of concrete over a large
area.
o Avoid using vibrator for too long (over vibrations).
o The concrete should always be placed direct in the final position
and it should not be worked along the form.
o Choosing a suitable grading of particles.
Q: How can over vibration be tested on the lab?
A: A practical test is to vibrate a concrete cube or cylinder for about 10
minutes and then strip it to observe the distribution of coarse aggregate
(any segregation will be easily seen).

Separation of the large particles to the

Over vibration
bottom and of cement paste to the top.

Weak layer of laitance

 Laitance: A soft, weak layer of mortar appearing on the top of a

horizontal surface of concrete due to segregation.
 Laitance should always be removed by brushing and washing.
 Vibration provide the most valuable means of compaction, but
because of the large amount of work being done to concrete the
danger of segregation increased with improper use of vibrator.

Done by: Abdulla

 Segregation
Bleeding (water gain)
 Bleeding (water gain): some of the water tend to rise to the surface of
freshly placed concrete.
Inability of the solids constituents to hold
the nixing water.

Bleeding (water gain)

The top of every lift layer become too wet

A weak layer of non-durable concrete will

form.

Done by: Abdulla

 If the bleeding water is remixed during the finishing, a weak wearing
surface will result.
 This can be avoided by:
o Delaying the finishing until all water has evaporated.
o Using wood floats and by avoiding over-working the surface.
 If evaporation of water is faster than bleeding, plastic shrinkage
cracks may result.

Some of the water rising get trapped underneath of

Lower the large aggregate particles or reinforcement
strength
Create zones of poor bond

All voids oriented in same direction

May increase
permeability
Permeability may be increase

 Bleeding is not necessarily harmful if it is undisturbed and water

evaporates. That will result in lower water/cement ratio and higher
strength.
 If the rising water caries a considerable amount of fine cement
particles, a layer of laitance will be formed.
o At the top of the slab: a permanent dusty surface will form.
o At the top of a lift: a plan of weakness and low bond with next
layer will form.

Done by: Abdulla

 Factor affecting bleeding:-
o Segregation.
o High water/cement ratio.
o Properties of cement (bleeding is lower with finer cement).
o Bleeding is lower when:-
• High alkali content.
• High C3A content.
• Calcium chloride added.
o High temperature increase the rate of bleeding, but the total
bleeding are unaffected.
o The bleeding can be reduced by adding pozzolans or
Aluminum powder.
o Air entrainment reduces bleeding.

Slump test
 In lean mix, the slump test is unreliable because different values of
slump can be obtained in different samples from the same mix.
 Slump: the decrease in height of the center of slumped concrete.
 In order to reduce the influence on slump of the surface friction the
inside of the mould should be always wet before every test.
 IF one-half of the cone slides down an inclined plane, it is called shear
slump and the test has to be repeated.
 If the shear slump are persistent, this indicates lack of cohesion of the
mix.

Done by: Abdulla

 The slump test are useful on site a check on the day-by-day or hour-
by-hour.
 Table below shows the magnitude of slump for different workabilities
with different aggregates
Degree of Slump
Use for which concrete is suitable
workability (mm)
Roads vibrated by power-operated machine. At
the more workable end of this group, concrete
Very low 0-25
may be compacted in certain cases with hand-
operated machine.
Roads vibrated by power-operated machine. At
the more workable end of this group, concrete
may be manually compacted in roads using
Low 25-50
aggregate or rounded or irregular shape. Mass
concrete foundation without vibration or
lightly reinforced sections with vibration.
At the less workable end of this group,
manually compacted flat slabs using crushed
Medium 25-100 aggregates. Normal reinforced concrete
manually compacted, and heavily reinforced
sections with vibration.
Section with congested reinforcement. Not
High 100-175
normally suitable for vibrations

Done by: Abdulla

Done by: Abdulla
 Strength of
concrete

Done by: Abdulla

 Strength of concrete is the most important properties of concrete,
because it gives an overall picture of the quality of concrete because it
is directly related to the structure of cement paste.
 Strength depends on the physical structure of the products of
hydration of cement and their relative volumetric proportions.
 Strength: the maximum load (stress) that concrete can carry per unit
area (N/mm2).

Strength

Compressive Tensile Flexural

Strength Strength Strength

Q: Why do we need to combine concrete with steel?

A: Concrete are weak in tension and strong in compression, while Steel
are strong in tension and weak in compression.
Q: Strength of concrete are the most important property of
hardened concrete. Why?
o Quality of concrete is judged by strength.
o Used in construction industry for specification and quality control.

 Strength of concrete at age of 28 days is a measure of strength (design

strength).
 Concrete cubes, cylinders, or prisms are used to determine the
compressive strength of concrete.

Done by: Abdulla

 Test specimen are casted, cured and crushed at the site at age of:-
o 7 days as a guide to the rate of hardening and its strength are
equal to ¾ the strength at 28 days.
o 28 days are the measure to the designed strength.
 The main factor affecting the strength of concrete are water/cement
ratio.
 Two main source of weakness are porosity and aggregate.
 Porosity expressed as the total percentage volume of voids in concrete.
 The risk on aggregate came from the micro cracks at the tranzation
zone.
 Tranzation zone are the area located at the interface between
aggregate and hardened cement paste.
 With ordinary Portland cement concrete, about 60% of the strength is
reached at 28 days, 70% in 2 months, and 95 % in 6 months.

Factor in strength of concrete

 There are 9 factors which affects the strength:-
o Water/cement ratio.
o Cement
o Degree of compaction
o Age
o Temperature
o Aggregate/cement ratio
o Curing
o Steps of concrete preparation
o Admixture

Done by: Abdulla

 Water/cement ratio (Abraham’s law):-
Strength of concrete are inversely proportional to the water/cement
ratio.
Q: What is effective water/cement ratio?
A: The total mixing water less absorbed water divided by the weight of
cement.
𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻𝑻 𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕 𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎 𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘 − 𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨 𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘𝒘
𝑾𝑾. 𝑪𝑪. %𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆𝒆 =
𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾𝑾 𝒐𝒐𝒐𝒐 𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕 𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄𝒄

Type (OPC, SRC, RHPC …)

 Cement
Fineness
Type: Angular crushed aggregate has better bond and
less microcracking than smooth aggregate.
Shape Affects Workability Reduces
 Aggregate Quality voids
Size and Cleanliness
Maximum size Lead Less water to be wetted

Done by: Abdulla

 Aggregate/cement ratio:-
Because of lower volume of voids
 Compaction (5% voids Lead 30% Strength).
No full compaction Lead Porous, honey-combed
concrete at low strength
Q: What is Honey-combed concrete?
A: Honey-combs are pores and cavities in the surface or inside concrete
where concrete couldn’t reach.
 Curing:-
The strength of concrete only fully developed with curing.

 Age:-
With increase in age, the strength increases because degree of
hydration increases.
 Temperature:-
High temperature increases early strength of concrete but it
lowers long term strength.

Done by: Abdulla

 Steps of concrete preparation:-
Proper mixing, handling, transporting, placing.
o The time interval between mixing and placing the
concrete should be reduced to the minimum possible.
 Admixtures:-
As it reduces water requirement and cement content (result in
lower temperature) and increase workability.
 Microcracks:-
It is very fine cracks exist at the interface between coarse
aggregate and hydrated cement paste.
 Sources of weakness in strength of concrete:
o Pores and voids.
o Microcracking.
o High water/cement ratio.
o Improper compaction.
o Poor curing.

Strength properties of concrete

 Durability: how much your concrete can withstand the conditions for
which it has been designed.
Durability are affected by:-
o External factors: environment, freezing and thawing, wetting
and drying, abrasion , chemical attack
o Internal factors: volume change, corrosion and alkali aggregate
reaction.

Done by: Abdulla

 Permeability: It is the property of concrete which permits liquids to
pass through it.
Influencing the durability and strength of concrete.
 Porosity: is the property in which liquids can penetrate into it by
capillary action.
It depends on the total volume of the spaces occupied by air or water
between solid matters in hardened concrete.
 A higher permeability or porosity leads to deterioration of concrete.
 Causes of voids in concrete:-
o High Water/cement ratio: excess water leaves voids and cavities
after evaporation.
o Poor compaction results in accumulation of air voids.
o Porous aggregate.
o Poor curing increase permeability.
Q: How to make concrete less permeable?
A: By good mix design with appropriate water/cement ratio followed by
careful placing, compacting, and curing.
 In order to have low permeability concrete, the structural concrete
should have a w/c ratio of not more than 0.50 for exposure to fresh
water and not more than 0.40 for exposure to sea water.
 Permeable Concrete liquid
can pass through it.

Done by: Abdulla

 Shrinkage: contraction that occur in concrete when it dries and
hardens.
Shrinkage Volume changes Cracks in concrete
 There are two type of shrinkages:-
o Plastic shrinkage: it takes place before concrete has set and
caused by:-
• Water evaporation
• Wend
• Temperature
• Humidity
o Drying shrinkage: It takes place after the concrete is set and
hardened.
It is directly proportional to the w/c ratio and inversely
proportional to the aggregate /cement ratio.
o Autogenous shrinkage: It is self-produced shrinkage occurs due
to hydration and aging within the concrete.

Shrinkage cracks

Done by: Abdulla

 Admixtures

Done by: Abdulla

 Additive refer to substance added to cement at the manufacturing
state.
 Admixture: these are chemicals added to concrete at mixing stage in
order to significantly change its fresh and hardened properties and
behavior.
 In general the amount of admixture added to the mix should not
exceed 5% by mass of cement.
 We should always follow the manufacturer recommendations when
admixture are added.
 Chemical admixtures are essentially:
o Plasticizers: water reducers.
o Superplasticizers.
o Retarders.
o Accelerators.
o Air-entraining agents: protects concrete from the deleterious
effects of freezing and thawing.
 When admixture are added you should always take cautious approach
and do performance tests.

Accelerators
 Accelerators: these are admixture which accelerate the hardening
(development of early strength) of concrete.
 It need not have an effects of the setting time, but in practice, it dose
reduce the setting time.
 This admixture are used for early removal of framework or for urgent
quick repair work.

Done by: Abdulla

 Set-accelerators (quick-setting): these are admixture which specially
reduce setting time.
 Example of set-accelerators is sodium carbonate, which is used to
promote a flash set in shotcreting, this adversely affects strength but
makes urgent repair work possible.
 Other example are:-
o Aluminum chloride.
o Potassium carbonate.
o Sodium fluoride.
o Sodium aluminate.
o Ferric salts.
o Calcium chloride.
None of these should be used without a full study of the consequence.
 The most common one are calcium chloride which accelerate the early
development of strength.
 This admixture sometimes used when concrete is to be placed at low
temperature or for urgent repair works.
 Calcium chloride acts as a catalyst for C3S and C2S.
 The hydration of C3A is delayed, but the normal hydration process is
not change.
 Calcium chloride may be added to rapid-hardening as well as
ordinary Portland cement but not high alumina cement.
 The long-term strength is believed to be unaffected.
 The quantity of calcium chloride most be controlled, because of the
addition of 1% of it will increase the temperature as much as 6o.

Done by: Abdulla

 The addition of 1% to 2% is sufficient more than that could lead to
flash setting.
 Calcium chloride most be uniformly distributed, this can be achieved
by dissolving the admixture in the mixing water.
 Disadvantages of calcium chloride:-
o Reduces the resistance against sulfate attack.
o Increases the risk of alkali-aggregate reaction.
o Increases shrinkage and creep.
o Lowers the resistance of air-entrained concrete to freezing and
thawing at later ages.
o May cause corrosion to reinforcement.
 Risk of corrosion can be prevented by the use of very rapid hardening
cements or of chloride-free admixtures.

Set-retarders
 These are admixture used to delay the hydration and hardening of the
concrete.
 Set-retarder are used when:-
o In hot weather: where setting time is shortened.
o To prevent cold joint between successive lifts.
o To obtain architectural finish of exposed aggregate.
o To obtain more time to deliver ready mix.
o In mass concrete where high temperature can reduce the normal
setting and hardening time.

Done by: Abdulla

 An examples are:-
o Sugar.
o Carbohydrate derivatives.
o Soluble zinc salts.
o Soluble borate and others.
 0.05 percent of sugar by mass of cement will delay the setting time by
about 4 hours.
“This depend on the exact composition of cement”
 Trial mixes with actual cement is a most.
 A large quantity of sugar, 0.2 to 1 percent, of the mass of cement, will
prevent the setting of cement. This is useful in case of malfunctioning
of a concrete mixer.
 Increase in retardation occur with cement which have higher content
of C3A.
 Use of retarding admixtures reduces the early strength but later the
rate of strength development is higher, so the longer-term strength is
not much different.

Water-reducer (plasticizers)
 Water reducers (plasticizers): these are admixtures which is mainly
reduces the water requirement.
 This admixtures are used for:-
o Achieve a higher strength with same water/cement ratio and
workability.
o To reduce cement content with same workability to reduce heat
of hydration.
o Increase workability to ease placing on inaccessible location.
Done by: Abdulla
 5% to 15% of the water reduced, this depend on:-
o Cement content.
o Aggregate type.
o Pozzolans.
o Air-entraining agent.
 Trial mixes are must:-
o To achieve optimum properties.
o To ascertain any possible undesirable side effects.
 Dosage level is only a fraction of one percent of the mass of cement.
 Advantages of plasticizers:-
o Increase in strength at early ages due to a greater surface area of
cement exposed to hydration.
o Improvement of long term strength because of a more uniform
distribution of the cement throughout the concrete.
o Improvement in durability of concrete.

Superplasticizers
 These are more recent and more effective type of water reducers.
 Superplasticizers are used when:-
o Flowing concrete is required in situations where placing is
inaccessible.
o Very rapid placing is required.
o Very high strength concrete is required, using normal
workability but a very low water/cement ratio.
 Its dosage level is higher than plasticizers and its side effects are lower
because they do not entrain a significant amount of air.

Done by: Abdulla

 25% to 35% of water reduced.
 A strength of 100 N/mm2 are achieved at 28 days at w/c = 0.28.
 Improved workability last for 30 to 90 minutes then returns to
normal, thus we should add this admixture at the site before
concreting.
 The only real disadvantages of this admixture is its high coast.
Q: What is the difference between plasticizers and
superplasticizers?
A:
Plasticizers Superplasticizers
normal water reducers (5-15)% high range water reducers (25-350%
more recent and more effectives
increase workability flowing concrete
high strength concrete very high strength concrete
dosage level is only a fraction of dosage level are higher
cement content
have less side effects

Done by: Abdulla

 Development
of Strength

Done by: Abdulla

 Curing: the process of protecting concrete from loss of moisture and
kept within a reasonable temperature so the hydration process can
continue.
 Curing affects the strength and durability of concrete.
 Concrete allowed to dry on air gains only 5% of the strength of fully
cured concrete.
 The objective of curing is to prevent evaporation of water from the
surface and keep the concrete saturated as long as possible to allow
the hydration of cement products to continue.
 Evaporation of water depends on:-
o Temperature.
o Relative humidity.
o Velocity of the wind.
 Poor curing reduce rate of chemical reaction, reduce strength, affect
durability and result in shrinkage cracking.
 Methods of curing:-
o Leaving the forms in place for some time and wetting during
hardening.
o Wrapping with polythene sheets.
o In case of dry weather or rain, suspend a covering above the
concrete surface.
o Spraying or flooding (ponding), or covering the concrete with
wet sand, hessian or cotton mats.
o Seal the concrete surface with membrane. However, this will
reduce the degree and rate of hydration compared with wet
curing.
 A minimum of 7 days curing should be maintained.

Done by: Abdulla

 Curing must start as soon as possible as early drying lead to shrinkage
and cracking.
 Influence of temperature:
o It is important to reduce the temperature of fresh concrete in
hot climate because the higher the temperature at placement the
greater the initial rate of strength development but the lower
the long term strength.
o With a high initial temperature, there is insufficient time
available for the products of hydration to diffuse away from the
cement grain to fill the space causing concentration of
hydration products in the vicinity of the hydrating cement
grains which retard subsequent hydration preventing
development of longer-term strength.
 Concrete cast and made in summer can be expected to have a lower
strength than the same mix in winter.
 Steam curing:
o It is accelerated curing or moist curing used when high early age
strength is required in concrete and when it is still wet.
o It is mainly used with precast products.
 Effects of poor curing:
o Lack of curing increase the degree of cracking within a concrete
structure.
o Early termination of curing will allow for increased shrinkage.
o Decrease in long term strength.
o Reduction in durability of the structure.
o Increase amount of gel pores and capillary pores.

Done by: Abdulla

 Cement
Replacement
Materials

Done by: Abdulla

 Cement Replacement Materials (CRM): these are materials that when
used in conjunction with Portland or blended cement, contributes to
the properties of hardened concrete through hydraulic or pozzolanic
activity or both.
 Types:-
o Fly ash (FA).
o Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS).
o Silica fume (SF).
o Natural pozzolans.
 Pozzolan: a siliceous or aluminosiliceous materials that with presence
of moisture, chemically reacts with the calcium hydroxide released by
the hydration of Portland cement to form calcium silica hydrate.
 Cement replacement materials can be added to concrete in two ways:-
o They may be used in addition or as a partial replacement of
Portland cement.
o Blended cement in concrete.
 Testing are necessary to determine:-
o Whether the materials indeed improving the property.
o The correct dosage rate.
 The correct dosage rate is important as:-
o An overdose can be harmful.
o An underdoes may not achieve the desirable effects.
 CRM react differently with different cement.

Done by: Abdulla

Q: Why do we use CRM? In which projects do we used them?
A: They are used to improve a particular concrete property, such as
mitigation of deleterious alkali-aggregate reactivity. It is used In High
Performance Concrete and in concrete column to reduce its sectional
size.
Q: Can CRM be used together? Why?
A: yes, Concrete product can use combine two or more of these
materials in order to optimize concrete properties.
 Concrete using three cementing materials called ternary mixtures.
Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag
“GGBS”
 It is a waste product in production of pig iron.
 It is a mixture of lime, silica, and alumina.
“Same oxides that make Portland cement but different proportions”
 It is highly reactive, the smallness of the particles speed up the
reaction with calcium hydroxide produced by Portland cement
hydration.
 Portland blast-furnace cement: a blending of Portland cement and
GGBS.
 It reduce the water demand and improve workability.

Done by: Abdulla

Flay Ash (pulverized-fuel ash) “PFA”
 It is ash precipitated electrostatically or mechanically from exhaust
gases of coal-fired power stations.
 The particles are spherical (advantageous from water requirement
point of view).
 Have a higher fineness.
 It reduce the water demand and improve workability.

Silica Fume (microsilica) “SF”

 It is by-product of the manufacture of silicon and ferrosilicon alloys.
 Silica fume is highly reactive, the smallness of the particles speed up
the reaction with calcium hydroxide produced by Portland cement
hydration.
 Very small particles of silica fume can enter the space between the
particles of cement, thus it improves packing, and therefore, it will
Increase the Strength, durability, and permeability of concrete.
 Silica fume is usually incorporated in the mix at the batcher.
 Blended cement containing silica fume (6 ½ to 8% by mass).

Done by: Abdulla

High Performance Concrete “HPC”
 High Performance Concrete: concrete having a high durability,
permeability as well as high strength.
 Compressive strength exceeds 80 MPa to 100 MPa.
 High performance concrete contains:-
o Good quality aggregate.
o Ordinary Portland cement (Rapid-hardening cement when
needed):- 450 to 550 kg/m3.
o 5 to 15 % of silica fume and sometimes flay ash or ground
granulated blast-furnace slag.
o Always contains superplasticizers at high dosages.
o A very low water/cement ratio: 0.25 and sometimes lower than
0.2.
 High performance concrete are very dense and has low porosity with
very fine, segmented pores.
 The Advantages of high performance concrete is:-
o Concrete section can be reduced or, for same cross-section the
amount of steel reinforcement can be reduced.
o In building there is an economical advantage, because of
increase the floor rentals.
o In bridges the number of beams can be reduced.
 Disadvantages are:-
o Relatively lower shear strength.
o Increased creep.
o Increased autogenous shrinkage.

Done by: Abdulla

Q: What is the difference between HPC and Normal Concrete?
A:
Comparison HPC Normal Concrete
Compressive Strength (80-100) MPa (35-50) MPa
Cement content (450-550) kg/m3 (250-350) kg/m3
Water/Cement ratio 0.25 sometimes below 0.2 0.45
Superplasticizer High dosage -
SF (5-15)% and
CRM -
sometimes FA or GGBS
Density Very dense Normal Density
Porosity Low porosity Normal porosity

Done by: Abdulla

 Temperature
Problems in
Concreting

Done by: Abdulla

 The environment in the Gulf region is very aggressive to concrete.
This is mainly due to hot and dry weather.
 High temperature lead to the following:
o Increase rat of evaporation
o More rapid hydration of cement
o Accelerated setting
o Lower long term strength of hardened concrete
o Higher loss of workability
o Higher plastic shrinkage and crazing
 Measures to be taken to prevent these problems:
o Cool down the ingredient of Concrete by:
• Use cold water or ice in mixing. When using ice ensure
the ice is melted completely before the completion of
mixing
• Shade the aggregate stockpiles from the direct rays of the
sun or by controlled sprinkling of stockpiles.
• The cement content should be as low as possible so that
the total heat of hydration is low.
o Ensure the temperature of the concrete delivered to site is low
and not to exceed 32°C
o Prevent evaporation from the surface of concrete by proper
curing.
o Evaporation rate should not exceed 0.25 kg/m² per hour of the
exposed concrete surface, otherwise plastic shrinkage will
develop.

Done by: Abdulla

 Rate of evaporation depends on the following:
o Air temperature
o Concrete temperature
o Relative humidity of the air
o Wind speed

Done by: Abdulla

Done by: Abdulla