DEBRE BIRHAN UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF COTM

Abayneh Ashebir
CHAPTER – 1

CONCRETE
 Presentation Outline

1. Introduction to concrete
2. Concrete making materials
3. Properties of fresh concrete
 1. Introduction to concrete
• Concrete is basically a mixture of two components:
aggregates and paste.
• The paste, comprised of cement and water, binds the
aggregates (usually sand and gravel or crushed stone)

Portland Cement
Water Paste
Air (entrapped or entrained)
Concrete
Fine aggregate (sand) Aggregate
Coarse aggregate(gravel)
Admixture (if required) 4
 1. Introduction to concrete
• For practical concrete mixes, the cement, water and
aggregates should be proportioned so that the resulting
concrete has the following properties:
1. When freshly mixed it is workable enough and easy
uniform placement, but not excessively fluid.
2. When hardened it possesses strength and durability
adequate to the purpose for which it is intended.
3. It involves minimum cost consistent with acceptable
quality.
• Voids ---------------------- (1 - 2 %)
• Cement paste (cement + water)-----( 25 – 40 %)
• Aggregates (course + fine)---------( 60 – 75)
5
 1.1. Function of concrete making materials
1) Cement
– To bind the sand and coarse aggregate together
– To fill the voids in between the sand and coarse aggregate
– To form a compact mass
2) Water
– Enabling chemical reaction which causing hardening and
setting
– To lubricate the mixture of cement and aggregates
3) Aggregates (sand + coarse agg.)
– Used as filler materials
– Reduces the volume change that occurs from setting and
hardening process and moisture change in the paste.
6
 1.1. Function of concrete making materials
4) Admixtures
– For chemical modification of the properties of
concrete
– Example, for accelerating or retarding the setting
time, reduce water tightness etc.

7
 1.1. Function of concrete making materials
• The paste which is the active component of concrete
has two function
1) It fills the voids between the particles of inert aggregates
and provides lubrication of the fresh plastic mass and
up on hardening.
– It acts as a binder cementing the particles of
aggregates.
2) It gives strength and water tightness to hardened
concrete mass.

8
 1.2. Concrete making materials
1. Water
• Water fit for drinking is generally suitable for making
concrete.
• The total amount of water required per unit volume of
fresh concrete depends on the following factors.
1. The desired consistency/plasticity of concrete
2. The maximum size, particle shape and grading of the
aggregate.
3. Water reducing or air entraining admixtures.

9
 1.2. Concrete making materials
• Some of the impurities in mixing water that cause
undesirable effects in the final concrete are:
— Dissolved Chemicals(nitrate, chloride…)
— Seawater
— Sugar
— Algae
• Impurities in mixing water may cause any one or all of
the following:
— Abnormal setting time
— Decreased strength
— Volume change
— Efflorescence
— Corrosion of reinforcement 10
 1.2. Concrete making materials
Water/Cement Ratio
• For a given consistency, the lower the water cement ratio
in the fresh concrete, the less voids and more strength,
less drying shrinkage and more durability, meaning all in
all a better resulting concrete.

11
 1.2. Concrete making materials
❖ Amount of water used during strength of concrete
the preparation of the mix

W /c high strength but workability

w/c good workability but low strength

• Therefore, a careful balance of W/ C is required when preparing the

mix.
• W/ C in the range between 40 and 60 percent by weight provide a
good workability without compromising the quality of the concrete.
12
 1.2. Concrete making materials
2. Aggregates
• Aggregates can be obtained either from natural
sources, such as gravel deposits and crushed rocks, or
specifically manufactured for use in concrete.
• Aggregates are generally classified based on their
source, their weight, their size or the mode of
preparation.
1) Based on source
• Natural aggregates: obtained from river beds (sand,
gravel) or the quarries (crashed rock)
• Artificial aggregates: generally obtained from
industrial wastes such as the blast furnace slag.
13
 1.2. Concrete making materials
2) Based on weight
• Heavy weight aggregates (2800 – 6400 Kg/m3)
– includes hematite, barite, limonite, magnetite, and
iron and steel-punching
• Normal weight aggregates (2160 – 2560 Kg/m3)
– includes sand, gravel, crushed stone, and air cooled
blast furnace
• Lightweight aggregates (1360 – 1840 Kg/m3)
– for structural concrete, expanded clay, shale, slate, and
slag are used whereas for insulating concrete pumice,
scoria, vermiculite, and diatomite are used.

14
 1.2. Concrete making materials
3) Based on size (widely used classification method)
1. Fine aggregate: aggregate particles passing the No. 4 (4.75mm)
sieve and retained on the No. 200 (75- µm) sieve.
– Naturally occurring sand
2. Coarse aggregate: aggregate predominantly retained on the No.4
(4.75mm) sieve. Crushed stones or gravels

15
 1.2. Concrete making materials
3. Admixtures (Additives)
• Admixtures are those ingredients in concrete other than
cement, water and aggregates
• Added to the mixture immediately before or during
mixing.
• Admixtures are added in small quantities related to the
mass of cement to modify the properties in the fresh
or hardened state”.

16
 1.2. Concrete making materials
Types of admixtures
1. Air-entraining admixture
– Are used to purposely introduce and stabilize
microscopic air bubbles in concrete.
– It will improve the durability of concrete exposed to
cycles of freezing and thawing.
2. Water reducing admixture
– are used to reduce the quantity of mixing water
required to produce concrete of a certain slump,
reduce water-cement ratio, reduce cement content,
or increase slump.

17
 1.2. Concrete making materials
Types of admixtures
3. Set accelerating (accelerators)
– is used to accelerate the rate of hydration (setting) and
strength development of concrete at an early age.
4. Set retarding (retarders)
– The function of retarder is to delay or extend the
setting time of cement paste in concrete.

18
 1.3. Batching of concrete ingredients
• Batching is the process of measurement of concrete
ingredients such as cement, water, fine aggregate and
coarse aggregate
Method of batching
1. By volume( volume batching)
2. By weight (weight batching)
— Volume batching - a gauge box is used for batching of
fine and coarse aggregate by volumes.
— Weight batching: -In weight batching the ingredient
of concrete are measured by weight.
• Batches of concrete are based either on one bag of
cement or its multiples.
• Weight batching is preferred over volume batching 19
 1.4. Properties of fresh concrete
A. Workability
– The ease of placing, consolidating, and finishing freshly
mixed concrete without segregation is called workability.
– Concrete should be workable but the ingredients should not
separate during transport and handling.
– Factors that influence the workability of concrete are:
1) The method and duration of transportation
2) Quantity and characteristics of cementitious materials
3) Concrete consistency (slump)
4) Grading, shape, and surface texture of fine and coarse
aggregates
5) Entrained air
6) Water content
7) Concrete and ambient air temperatures
8) Admixtures. 20
 1.4. Properties of fresh concrete
B. Bleeding and Settlement
– Bleeding is the development of a layer of water at the
top or surface of freshly placed concrete.
– It is the tendency for water to rise to the surface.

– Caused by: Excess water, insufficient fines (cement,

sand) in mix.
– Problem: Cause weakness on concrete surface or
develop line of weakness between pours.
– Can be avoided by using finer cement, less water
content & richer mix. 21
 1.4. Properties of fresh concrete
C. Segregation
– The tendency for sand-cement mortar to separate
from coarse aggregate or
– Cement paste to separate from fine aggregate.

22
 1.4. Properties of fresh concrete
Causes of Segregation
• Excessive or inadequate vibration
• Dropping fresh concrete from a height
• Excess water content or poor grading (excess coarse
aggregate).

– Problem: Reduction in strength

23
 1.5. Tests to Measure Workability
1. Slump test
• The slump test is the most widely used test of workability.
• It is gives a good indication of consistency from one batch to
the next, but it is not effective for very dry or very wet mixes.
• Cone is the apparatus used for slump test.

24
 1.5. Tests to Measure Workability
Slump test
• Procedures
• The cone is filled in three equal layers. Each being tampered
25 times with a tampering rod.

25
 1.5. Tests to Measure Workability
1. Slump test
• Types of slump test

26
 1.5. Tests to Measure Workability

Table: Recommended slumps for various types of construction

Maximum Slump
Types of construction Minimum Slump (mm)
(mm)
Reinforced foundation
75 25
walls and footings
Plain footings and
75 25
substructure walls
Beams and reinforced
100 25
walls
Building columns 100 25
Pavements and slabs 75 25
Mass concrete 75 25

27
 Compaction factor test
• Measure the degree of compaction required for a
concrete. Suitable for all mixes.

Method

• Concrete mixture is put in top hopper

• Allowed to fall into 2nd hopper then
cylinder
• Top of cylinder is struck off. Concrete is
weighed.
• Compared with weight of fully
compacted concrete in cylinder
28
 Compaction factor test

Compaction factor
= weight of partially compacted concrete
weight of fully compacted concrete

(compacted in 4 layers, 25 x tempering each layer )

Example:
weight of concrete partially compacted = 11.02 kg
weight of concrete fully compacted = 12.04 kg
Compaction factor = 11.02 kg / 12.04 kg
= 0.915
29
 1.6. Methods of Concrete Mixing
• Concrete mixing may takes place by two methods:
1. Manual mixing or
2. Mechanical mixing

1. Manual mixing

30
 1.6. Methods of Concrete Mixing
2. Mechanical Mixing
• A mechanical mixer will save you a lot of work if you are casting
large quantity of concrete.
1. Depending on the magnitude of the work choose the correct
capacity of mixer that fits your work
2. Installing mixer,
3. Feeding materials into mixer,
4. Mixing operation,
5. Discharging and
6. Closing down of the
mixer after use are important
steps in operating a mixer.
Drum mixer
31
 1.7. Methods for transporting concrete
Wheelbarrow
Concrete buggy

Concrete pump

Chute (through pipe)

Bucket
(Concrete transported (Large & massive
to lower level) construction. Handled
by crane) 32
 1.8. Methods of Compaction
Internal vibration
• This is the most common type of vibrator
• Rodding – for thin sections by pushing iron bar
inside and outside of concrete

Vibrating rod (poker)

34
 1.8. Methods of Compaction
External vibration
• Vibrators are clamped to formwork and vibrated.
• Surface vibration
• Concrete is vibrated from the surface when screening
(striking off) the concrete is carried out. (For pavements
and slabs).

35
 1.9. Concrete Curing
• Curing is the process of keeping the fresh concrete under
moist condition and favorable temperatures so that
hydration may continue till concrete gains strength.
• Proper curing has the following influences on the
properties of hardened concrete:
– Increase durability
– Increase strength and abrasion resistance
– Volume stability and
– Resistance to freezing and thawing

36
 1.9. Concrete Curing
Curing Methods
• Concrete can be kept moist by three curing methods:
1. Methods that maintain the presence of mixing water in the
concrete during the early hardening period. These include
a) ponding or immersion,
b) spraying or fogging, and
c) saturated wet coverings.
2. Methods that reduce the loss of mixing water from the
surface of the concrete. This can be done by covering the
concrete with impervious paper or plastic sheets.
3. Methods that accelerate strength gain by supplying heat
and additional moisture to the concrete.
– This is usually accomplished with live steam, heating coils,
or electrically heated forms 37
 1.9. Concrete Curing
Curing Methods
a) Ponding or immersion,
– This method is commonly used in the laboratory for
curing concrete test specimens
b) Spraying or fogging

38
 1.9. Concrete Curing
Curing Methods
c) Wet coverings
– Wet coverings of earth, sand, or sawdust are effective for
curing and are often useful on small jobs.
d) Impervious Paper

39
 1.9. Concrete Curing
Curing Methods
e) Plastic Sheets

40
 1.9. Concrete Curing
Duration of Curing
– Concrete mix design strength is determined on
specimens cured under water for 28 days.
– The test samples for quality control of construction are
also cured for 28 days.
Advantages of Curing
A. Improves wearing quality of the concrete
B. Accelerating and improves the strength of the concrete
C. Improves the impermeability of the concrete
depending on the grade of the concrete
D. Improves the durability of the concrete
41
Thank you!
42