CE-201

Lt Col G M Faruque
CE Dept, MIST
e-mail: faruquegm@yahoo.com
 Concrete

An artificial stone-like material used for various

structural purposes. It is made by mixing cement and
various aggregates, such as sand, pebbles, gravel, shale,
etc., with water and allowing the mixture to harden
by hydration.

Concrete is everywhere!! Roads, sidewalks, houses,

bridges, skyscrapers, pipes, dams, canals, missile silos,
nuclear waste containment and various types of
stuctures.
 Concrete
1. When was concrete first made?
– 9000 BC 500 BC 100 AD 1756 1824
2. Circle the possible components of concrete.
– water cement gravel sand air steel rods
3. What is the purpose of cement in concrete?
4. What role does water play in producing concrete?
5. Why does concrete harden?
6. Why does concrete set (harden) slowly?
7. How can you make concrete set:
– faster? / slower?
8. Is concrete stronger in compression, tension, or the same in either?
9. How strong can concrete or cement be (in pounds per square inch
(psi))
– 50,000 20,000 5000 2000
10. How long can concrete last (in years)?
– 50,000 5000 500 50
 Concrete
1. When was concrete first made?
9000 BC 500 BC 100 AD 1756 1824
2. Circle the possible components of concrete.
water cement gravel sand air
3. What is the purpose of cement in concrete?
It acts as a primary binder to join the aggregate into a solid mass.
4. What role does water play in producing concrete?
Water is required for the cement to hydrate and solidify.
5. Why does concrete harden?
The chemical process called cement hydration produces crystals that
interlock and bind together.
6. Why does concrete set (harden) slowly?
It takes time for the hydrated cement crystals to form
7. How can you make concrete set:
faster? add calcium chloride or "accelerator"
slower? add sugar or "set retarder"
8. Is concrete stronger in compression, tension, or the same in either?
It is stronger in compression.
9. How strong can concrete or cement be (in pounds per square inch (psi))?
50,000 20,000 5000 2000
10. How long can concrete last (in years)?
50,000 5000 500 50
 Concrete
 Slightly more than a ton of concrete is produced every year
for each person on the planet, approx. 6 billion tons per yr.
 By weight, one-half to two-thirds of our infrastructures are
made of concrete such as: roads, bridges, buildings,
airports, sewers, canals, dams, and subways.
 Approximately 60% of our concrete highways need repair
and 40% of our concrete highway bridges are structurally
deficient or functionally obsolete.
 Large cities lose up to 30% of their daily water supply due
to leaks in concrete water pipes.
 It has been estimated that the necessary repairs and
improvements to our infrastructures will cost $3.3 trillion
over a nineteen-year period. $1 trillion of that is needed for
repairing.
 Concrete
Concrete is a heterogeneous system of solid, discrete, gradiently
sized, inorganic mineral aggregates, usually plutonic or
sedimentary-calcareous in origin, embedded in a matrix
compounded of synthesized polybasic alkaline and alkaloidal
silicates held in aqueous solution and co-precipitate dispersion
with other amphoteric oxides, this matrix being originally
capable of progressive dissolution, hydration, re-precipitation,
gelation and solidification through a continuous and co-existent
series of crystalline, amorphous, colloidal and cryptocrystalline
states and ultimately subject to thermo-allotriomorphic alteration,
the system when first conjoined being plastic during which stage
it is impressed to a predetermined form into which it finally
consolidates, thus providing a structure relatively impermeable
and with useful capacity to transmit tensile, compressive, and
shear stresses.
 Concrete
 Most widely used construction material
 In many countries of the world, the ration of concrete
consumption to steel consumption exceeds 10 to 1.
 It is estimated that the present consumption of concrete
in the world is of the order of 33 billion metric tonnes
every year.
 Reasons of widely use:
 Possesses excellent resistance to water. The use of plain
concrete for dams, canal linings and pavements is now a
common sight almost everywhere in the world.
 The ease with which structural concrete elements can be
formed into a variety of shapes and sizes.
 Usually the cheapest and most readily available material
on job.
 Components of Concrete
Concrete is composed mainly of cement (commonly Portland
cement), aggregate, water, and chemical admixtures.

Portland Cement Coarse Aggregate

Fine Aggregate Chemical Admixtures

 Concrete

• A mixture of:
– Portland Cement
– Fine Aggregate
– Coarse Aggregate
– Water
– Air
• Cement and water combine,
changing from a moist,
plastic consistency to a
strong, durable rock-like
construction material by
means of a chemical
reaction called “hydration”
 Concrete
Concrete has many applications and is used to make pavements,
pipe, structures, foundations, roads, bridges/overpasses, walls and
footings for gates.
 Ingredients of Concrete
• Cement
– We need to learn what are
available in our market
– ASTM Type I, II, …
– CEM I, II, ….
– Composite Cement
• Water.
• Aggregates
– Fine Agg
– Coarse Agg
• Admixtures.
• Concrete is a composite
material that consists of a
binding medium embedded
with fine aggregate and
coarse aggregate
• Water
– Drinking water is the best
• Admixtures
– Basic needs first
– Then spices
– Admixtures are spices to
satisfy the local conditions
– Spices increase taste?
• Mix Ratio (vol. or wt.) ?
– C : FA : CA
– 1: 2 : 4
– 1: 3 : 6
• w/c ratio = 0.5 (wt.) ?
• Agg/cement = ?
• Concrete >> Mortar >>
Grout?
Types of Concrete
 Types of Concrete
Based on compressive strength
• Low-strength concrete: less than 20 MPa (3000 psi)
• Moderate-strength concrete: 20 to 40 Mpa (3000 to 6000 psi)
• High-strength concrete: more than 40 MPa (6000 psi)
Ingredients
Cement 255 356 510
Water 178 178 178
Fine Agg 801 848 890
Coarse Agg 1169 1032 872
Cement Paste Proportion
Percent by mass 18 22.1 28.1
Percent by volume 26 29.3 34.3
Water/cement by mass 0.70 0.50 0.35
Strength, MPa 18 30 60
 Terminologies for fresh Concrete
• Workability • Workability
– Consistence (Degree of • Amount of useful
wetness) internal work necessary
– Factors to produce full
• Water, agg, agg/cement
compaction
– Measurement of
workability (e.g. Slump • Workability is inverse
test) of energy required
• Segregation • Energy/work is required
– Opposite of Cohesion to overcome internal
• Bleeding friction between the
– Or Water gain
individual particles
 Strength ratio

10% reduction of
density leads to 50%
reduction of strength

Density ratio
 Factor Affecting Workability of Concrete

• Advise • Water content

– Pls read pp. 63-64 of • Aggregate
Concrete Technology (by – Agg type
Neville and Brooks)
– Grading ***
– Try to memorize with
understanding • Agg/cement ratio
– Effect of grading on – Inverse relation
workability is best • Admixture
described here
• Fineness of cement
– Factors are interacting.
– Why? How?
 Effect of Grading of Aggregate
on Workability
• Four interacting factors
– Surface area,
– Agg/cement,
– Segregation potential,
– Amount of fines
• Surface Area
– Smaller particles need
more cement paste and
water
– But fine particle (less than
150 micron) act as
lubricant
• Agg/cement ratio
– Well graded agg and
cement paste exactly
necessary to coat the
particles  harsh and
unworkable mix
– Excess cement increase
workability
– Excess mortar improves
workability
 Effect of Grading of Aggregate
on Workability
• Segregation Potential • Amount of fines in agg
– Well graded agg lead to a – Less than 300 micron
dense concrete
– But small particles can For a satisfactorily workable mix
segregate in dry state without harshness
creating voids in agg
– What is the relation with Maximum Absolute volume of
workability? aggregate size fines as fraction of
(mm) volume of concrete
• Segregation leads to 8 0.165
less workable mix 16 0.14
32 0.125
63 0.11
 True Slump

Slump Test Shear Slump

Disadvantage
• Lean Mix > Shear type or
collapse at low w/c ratio
Collapse Slump
Degree of workability depends on w/c
within a range
 Segregation

• For full compaction of • Remedies

concrete, mix should be – Proper gradation and mix
cohesive ratios
• Segregation is opposite of – Mixing, handling and
cohesion placing
• Three forms of Segregation • See figures in pp. 130-139
– 1. Coarser Particles travel long
distance
• Lean and dry mix
– 2. Separation of grout
• High w/c ratio
– 3. Water gain or Bleeding
 Bleeding or Water Gain

• A form of segregation • Remedies

of water from mix – Make rich mix
• Measure settlement per – Add Pozzolans or fly ash
unit height of concrete in addition to cement
• Causes – Wait for evaporation
– high w/c ratio and/or – Increase alkali content
(but)
– High agg/cement ratio
– Increase C3A content
• Or Lean mix
(but)
• Results
– Formation of weak layer
– Dusty surface on top
(laitance)
– Reduction of strength
 Strength of Concrete

• Factors affecting • Primary factor is

strength of concrete • POROSITY
– w/c ratio, degree of – The relative volume of
compaction pores or voids in the
cement paste
– Agg/cement ratio
– Agg properties • Then
– Flaws and
• Shape of agg
– Discontiuities
• Size and grading of
agg • Stress concentration is
– Age the mechanism
Compaction of Concrete

Fully compacted
concrete

Concrete
 Density of Concrete

10% reduction of
density leads to 50%
reduction of strength
 Porosity in Concrete
• Three forms of H2O in Concrete
– Combined Water >> 23% dry cement mass
– Gel Water >> 28% of cement gel volume
– Capillary Water >> minimum 18.5% of dry cement vol.

• Combined water: combined physically or chemically with

C-S-H Gel

• Gel water: held physically or adsorbed on surfaces of C-S-H

Gel, gel pore dia = 2 nm

• Capillary water: dry cement vol + H2O vol > C-S-H Gel >>
minimum capillary pore = 18.5%; capillary pore dia = 1000
nm
 Total porosity
Porosity (%)

Degree of
Hydration

Capillary porosity

Water/Cement ratio
(a) Concrete (b)
Concrete
Mix proportion =
1:2:4
w/c = 0.55
70% hydration

Concrete
 Some Facts about Porosity
• Cement paste contains an interconnected system of pores,
when partially hydrated
– >> lower strength, higher permeability >> vulnerable
to chemical, freezing-thawing
• Pore system become segmented/isolated when degree of
hydration is sufficiently high
Query ?
Thank You