Changes shown by

SCOPE
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1.1

This practice covers the design and construction of concrete structures.

1.2

An asterisk () indicates that additional information from the Owner is required or

approval by the Owner is required.

SUMMARY OF ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

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2.1

Table 1 lists the standards which shall be used as specified in this practice.

2.2

Table 2 lists the practices, publications and standards which shall be used with this
practice as applicable.
TABLE 1
STANDARDS

ACI Standards
301
Specifications for Structural Concrete for Buildings
117
Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials
308
Standard Practice for Curing Concrete
318
Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete
ASTM Standards
A615
Standard Specification for Deformed and Plain Billet-Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement
C31
Making and Curing Concrete Test Specimens in the Field
C94
Ready-Mixed Concrete
C150
Portland Cement
C192
Making and Curing Concrete Specimens in the Lab

TABLE 2
PRACTICES
IP 7-1-1 Fired Heaters
IP 16-3-1
Wiring Methods and Material Selection
STANDARDS AND PUBLICATIONS
ACI Publications
305R
Hot Weather Concreting
306R
Cold Weather Concreting
ACI Standards
350R
Environmental Engineering Concrete Structures
ASTM Standards
A767
Specification for Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement
A775
Specification for Epoxy-Coated Reinforcing Steel Bars

2.3

Local codes and standards may be substituted for the ones referenced herein
provided the following provisions are met:
a.

The resultant design meets the safety and serviceability criteria attained through
this practice.

b.

Substitution is accepted by the authorities where the facility is to be located and

by the Owners Engineer.

MATERIALS
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3.1
3.2

Concrete shall be per ACI 318.

All reinforcing bars shall be ASTM A615 Grade 60 unless specified otherwise.

3.3

Contractor shall submit a statement detailing the concrete mix design for approval by
the Owners Engineer. This statement shall include properties of the materials, the
proportions of cement, water and aggregates by weight and type and quantity of
admixtures (if any) proposed for each class of concrete required.

3.4

Design strength of concrete mixes shall be not less than those given in Table 3 and
the following:
a.

b.

In countries where testing is done on cubes, cylinders shall also be made and
tested in order to establish a correlation between the required strengths for the
cylinder and the cube specimens.
Lacking adequate laboratory facilities for testing such cylinders, the 28-day
compressive strengths of 4 in., 6 in. and 8 in. cubes (100, 150, and 200 mm)
must be at least 130%, 125%, and 120% respectively, of specified cylinder
strengths.

TABLE 3
APPLICATION AND COMPRESSIVE STRENGTHS OF CONCRETE
GROUP

APPLICATION

COMPRESSIVE
STRENGTH (2)
psi

MPa

Concrete for structures exposed to sea water environment

5000

34.5

Prestressed or precast concrete structures

Precast piling
Concrete for structures exposed continuously to fresh water environment
Liquid retaining structures
Concrete for fireproofing

4000

27.6

3500

24.1

3000

20.7

Precast pipe
Precast concrete sills, copings, and all ornamental concrete
Reinforced concrete chimneys
Foundations for tanks in sulfuric acid service

Girders, beams, walls, slabs, piers, and columns

Superstructure for docks and bridges
Pipe supports
Concrete on or below grade: such as footings, cast-in-place piles, pile
caps, tie beams, grade beams, anchor blocks, pump blocks, catch basins,
manholes, sidewalks and paving (1)
Concrete for structures not listed

Concrete for underground electrical (protective cover, etc.)

2000

13.8

Low strength concrete for filling purposes where mass, rather than
strength, is the principal requirement

1500

10.3

Notes:
(1)
For concrete exposed to moderate sulfate attack (per ACI 318) and where cement with
less than 8% C3A is not available, cement with up to 12% C3A may be used if approved by
Owners Engineer and provided that concrete strength is increased to at least 3500 psi.
(2)
The values above represents the 28-day compressive strength of normal Portland cement
concrete (or 7-day compressive strength of high-early strength concrete) as determined by
tests on 6 in. diameter by 12 in. high (150 x 300 mm) cylinders per ASTM C31 or ASTM
C192.

3.5

Cement shall be per ASTM C150 and the selection of cement type shall be
governed by the following:
a.
For concrete exposed to soils or other materials having low pH values (less than
5.0 if continuous replenishment of acidity), special cement type or other
measures may be required as directed by the Owners Engineer.
b.

Selection of cement type for concrete for structures exposed to seawater

environment shall be per ACI 318 for moderate exposure except that the
maximum water-cement ratio shall be 0.40.

3.6

Admixtures shall be approved by the Owners Engineer and calcium chloride

admixtures shall not be used.

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3.7
3.8

All reinforcement shall be bent-cold.

All concrete used for underground electrical work shall be per IP 16-3-1.

3.9

All concrete used for underground air ducts for fired heaters shall be per IP 7-1-1.

CONSTRUCTION
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4.1

Concrete construction shall be per ACI 301 and ACI 318 and the following:

PLACEMENT
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4.2

Concrete shall not be placed prior to approval from the Owners Engineer.

4.3

Concrete placement shall be in accordance with the recommendations per ACI 306R
when the ambient temperature drops below 40F (4C).

4.4

Concrete placement shall be in accordance with the recommendations per ACI 305R
when the ambient temperature exceeds 90F (32C).

4.5

Field alterations of the concrete mix proportions is prohibited unless approved by

the manufacturer and Owners Engineer.

4.6

Concrete poured against earth shall have the soil prewetted or sealed with a vapor
barrier to prevent excessive loss of moisture from the fresh concrete.

4.7

Construction, contraction and expansion joints shall be located as specified.

additional joints shall be approved by the Owners Engineer.

R,M

4.8

Surface finishes for horizontal surfaces shall be as specified in Table 4 unless

otherwise specified.

JOINTS
Any

FINISHING

TABLE 4
FINISHES FOR HORIZONTAL SURFACES
SURFACE

Broom or Belt

Compressor House Floors

Broom or Belt

Cooling Tower Basin, Flume

Curbs

Floated
Broom or Belt

Foundations and Pedestals to be Grouted

Scratched

Platforms, Stair Pads, Concrete Stairs

Broom or Belt

Pumps Slabs

Broom or Belt

Seal Slabs

None

Surfaces to be Covered with Resilient Flooring (Asphalt Tile, Etc.)

Troweled

Stucco or Mortar Base

Scratched

Suction Pits

Floated

Terrazzo Base

FINISH

Area Paving

4.9

Scratched

Unless otherwise specified, the vertical surfaces of walls, foundations, and other
formed structures shall be finished as follows:
a.

b.

Surfaces shall remain as they are when the forms are removed, except holes left
by withdrawal of form ties shall be filled solid with grout and finished to match the
surrounding surface.
Rubbing of surfaces is not required.

4.10

All exposed corners and edges of concrete shall have 3/4-inch chamfer unless
otherwise specified on the design drawings.

4.11

Concrete curing shall be per ACI 308. The minimum time for form removal after
concrete placement shall be per the table below provided that the forms are not
necessary for the structural support of the concrete.

MINIMUM TIME (HOURS)

STANDARD
(ASTM C150, TYPE I)
CEMENT CONCRETE

STANDARD
(ASTM C150, TYPE III)
CEMENT CONCRETE

Tank Rings, Pump Foundations and Similar

Low Structures

24

18

Walls, Columns, and Similar Tall Structures

48

24

Horizontal Beams or similar components

which require bottom support:
Bottom
Side Forms

168
24

72
18

TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION

CONCRETE DESIGN
5.1

Concrete design shall be per ACI 318.

O,R

5.2

For inground structures the safety factor against flotation shall be not less than
1.2 for both normal operation and erection. Buoyant forces shall be calculated with the
ground water level assumed to be at the finished grade elevation. Pressure relief
systems, deliberate flooding, or other extraordinary methods to prevent flotation shall
only be used if approved by the Owners Engineer.

5.3

The extent of paving and toes walls within process unit areas to control spillage,
and for drainage of storm, process and firewater will be specified.

5.4

Pump slab areas handling corrosive chemicals shall have the paved areas around
the pumps and other equipment and the toe walls coated as specified.

5.5

Concrete duct designs for air temperatures greater than 200F (93C) shall be
approved by the Owners Engineer.

INSPECTION AND TESTING

6.1

Concrete requiring a compressive strength of 3,000 psi (20.7 MPa) or more shall be
tested in accordance with ACI 318 except as follows:
a.
One test shall be taken for each days pour and at least one test be taken for
each 50 cubic yards (38 m3) placed. In addition, at least one test shall be made
for each foundation exceeding 20 cubic yards (15 m3).
b.

O,R

A test shall consist of four cylinders. One such cylinder shall be tested in the
laboratory after seven days and two after 28 days with results submitted to the
Owners Engineer as soon as possible. Testing of the remaining cylinder shall be
performed as directed by the Owners Engineer.

6.2

Concrete showing structural defects shall be repaired or replaced by a method which

has been approved by the Owners Engineer. Concrete showing surface defects shall
be patched.

6.3

Air content, slump, and temperature tests shall be taken from the concrete samples for
each strength test and whenever the consistency of the concrete appears to vary.

7.1

7.2

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MARINE STRUCTURES

The three zones of exposure to be considered on a marine structure are:
a.
The submerged zone, which can be assumed to be continuously covered by
water.
b.
The splash zone, the area subject to continuous wetting and drying.
c.
The atmospheric zone, the portion of the structure above the splash zone.
Minimum cover over reinforcing steel shall be as follows:
a.
b.
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7.3

2 in. (50 mm) for concrete in the submerged and atmospheric zones.
2.5 in. (65 mm) for concrete in the splash zone.

Where specified, reinforcing steel shall be galvanized per ASTM A767 or epoxy coated
per ASTM A775 to increase their corrosion resistance.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LIQUID RETAINING STRUCTURES

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8.1

Liquid retaining structures shall include inground concrete pits sensitive to

groundwater intrusion and above-ground or inground concrete structures
required to contain liquids.

8.2

Liquid retaining structures shall be designed and constructed for liquid tightness
according to the provisions of ACI 350R, except that the structural design
considerations shall be as clarified in Par. 8.3.

8.3

To minimize cracking and leakage, the design of concrete walls, slabs and other
elements which serve to retain liquids shall be in accordance with the following criteria:
a.

Minimum thicknesses and changes in thickness shall be as follows:

1.
Walls up to 10 ft (3 m) high shall have a minimum thickness of (4+0.8 H) in.
[(100+67 H) mm] but not less than 8 in. (200 mm) where H equals the wall
height in feet (meters). The minimum thickness for walls above 10 ft (3 m)
in height shall be 12 in. (305 mm).
2.
Slabs shall have a minimum thickness of 10 in. (250 mm).
3.

b.

Changes in wall or slab thickness shall be accomplished using tapered

sections having a minimum length of three times the change in thickness.

Reinforcing bar diameters shall not exceed 6% of the thickness of the wall or
slab.

c.

8.4

8.5

Expansion joints shall be spaced not more than 50 ft (15 m) apart for exposed
members and not more than 80 ft (24 m) apart for members completely
underground.
d.
Construction joints not shown on the drawings shall be approved by the
Owners Engineer.
Construction of liquid retaining structures shall conform to ACI 301 and the
following:
a.
The surface of the concrete at all joints shall be thoroughly cleaned and all
laitance removed before placing adjoining concrete.
b.
Special liners and coatings shall be used to protect concrete surfaces from
degradation by harmful liquids. Materials used for liners and coatings shall be
approved by the Owners Engineer.
Structures required to contain liquid shall pass a water-tightness test approved by the
Owners Engineer.

Revision Memo
Original Issue of Basic Practice
Revision 1
Revision 2
Revision 3
Revision 4
Revision 5

9/68
1/70
6/74
1/79
6/81
12/90
6/96
3/98

Revision 0 - Original Issue of International Practice

Revision 1
Complete rewrite and rationalization of IP to consolidate concrete design and construction
requirements of IP 4-5-4 (Concrete Liquid Retaining Structures) and IP 4-10-1 (Concrete
Design and Construction) into a single practice relying more on Building Codes and
Industry practices.
Exxon Research and Engineering Company, 1996, 1998