DURABILITY

OF CONCRETE
by

P.GOWTHAM
(M.E structures)
CONTENTS
JOINTS
FIRE RESISTANCE
FREEZING AND THAWING
MOISTURE MOVEMENT
TRANSITIONAL ZONE
BIOLOGICAL PROCESS
STRUCTURAL DESIGN DEFICIENCIES
JOINTS IN CONCRETE

Construction joints
Expansion joints
Contraction joints
Isolation joints
Construction joints

Construction joints are temporary joints that are

left between subsequent concreting operations .

These joints can not be placed at the point of

maximum B.M or maximum Shear Force.

Joints will be made at extreme positions of one

third.

Badly made and unmasked construction joint

will give an ugly appearance.
Expansion joints
Expansion is a function of length.

in case of small buildings the magnitude of

expansion is not much therefore no joint is
necessary either in the floor or in the roof.

A large building experience large expansions.

Structures exceeding 45m e in length shall be

divided by one or more expansion joints.
Spacing of expansion joints

Period of Degree of roughness Maximum expansion

construction of subgrade/sub base spacing(m)slab
thickness

20cm 30cm 40cm

Winter smooth 50 50 60
(oct-march)
rough 140 140 140

Summer smooth 90 90 120

(april-sept) rough 140 140 140
Contraction joints
con
 Spacing of contraction joints
Slab Air-cured Weight of
thickness(cm) spacing reinforcement for
concrete joints reinforced slabs
spacing(m) (kg/m)
A unreinforced
slabs
10 4.5
15 4.5
20 4.5
A reinforced
slabs
10 7.5 2.2
15 13 2.7
20 14 3.8
25 and above 17 5.5
Isolation joints
Joining of beam to column , Beam to
slab , Column to slab ,Column to
foundation etc. acts as a isolated
joints in the structure.

The width of the joint is kept about

10 to 12mm.

To avoid ingress of moisture joints

are filled with a resilient material .
Concrete subjected to high
temperature

Fire resistance
concrete does not resist
temperature more than 250 c due to loss in
temperature takes place.
Freezing and Thawing
Deicing effect of salts

when salt is added to the forzen ice it

melts hence the effect of frost decreases.
Moisture movement

SHRINKAGE

SWELLING
Transition zone
Due to poor w/c ratio

Bleeding

Lack ofbond

Formation of micro cracks

Biological process
Growth of plants

Grow of algae ,fungi

Stagination of water results in evolution of

gases
Structural design defficiencies
The permissible crack width

interior members
0.35mm

exterior members under normal

conditions 0.25mm

exterior members under agrassive

conditions 0.15mm
Thank you