1.

Concrete: Definition and Composition

Concrete is a composite material composed of coarse granular material (the aggregate or filler)
embedded in a hard matrix of material (the cement or binder) that fills the space between the
aggregate particles and glues them together. We can also consider concrete as a composite
material that consists essentially of a binding medium within which are embedded particles or
fragments of aggregates. The simplest representation of concrete is:
Concrete = Filler + Binder
According to the type of binder used, there are many different kinds of concrete. For instance,
Portland cement concrete, asphalt concrete, and epoxy concrete. In concrete construction, the
Portland cement concrete is utilized the most. Thus, in our course, the term concrete usually
refers to Portland cement concrete. For this kind of concrete, the composition can be presented as
follows :

Here we should indicate that admixtures are almost always used in modern practice and thus
become an essential component of modern concrete. Admixtures are defined as materials other
than aggregate (fine and coarse), water, fibre and cement, which are added into concrete batch
immediately before or during mixing. The widespread use of admixture is mainly due to the
many benefits made possible by their application. For instance, chemical admixtures can modify
the setting and hardening characteristic of cement paste by influencing the rate of cement
hydration. Water-reducing admixture can plasticize fresh concrete mixtures by reducing surface
tension of water, air-entraining admixtures can improve the durability of concrete, and mineral
admixtures such as pozzolans (materials containing reactive silica) can reduce thermal cracking.
A detailed description of admixtures will be given in latter sections.

1.1

Concrete Mix Design

Concrete mix design consists in selecting and proportioning the constituents to give the required
strength, workability and durability. Mixes are defined in :
BS5328:1981 : Methods of Specifying Concrete including Ready-mixed Concrete
1. Designed mix, where strength testing forms an essential part of the requirements for
compliance
2. Prescribed mix, in which proportions of the constituent to give the required strength and
workability are specified; strength testing, is not required.
2.0

Method of testing-Compressive strength of concrete

Out of many test applied to the concrete, compressive strength test gives an idea about all the
characteristics of concrete. By this single test one judge that whether concreting has been done
properly or not. For cube test two types of specimens either cubes of 15 cm X 15 cm X 15 cm or
10cm X 10 cm x 10 cm depending upon the size of aggregate are used. For most of the works
cubical moulds of size 15 cm x 15cm x 15 cm are commonly used.
This concrete is poured in the mould and tempered properly so as not to have any voids. After 24
hours these moulds are removed and test specimens are put in water for curing. The top surface
of these specimen should be made even and smooth. This is done by putting cement paste and
spreading smoothly on whole area of specimen.
These specimens are tested by compression testing machine after 7 days curing or 28 days
curing. Load should be applied gradually at the rate of 140 kg/cm2 per minute till the Specimens
fails. Load at the failure divided by area of specimen gives the compressive strength of concrete.
2.1

Procedure for Compressive strength test of Concrete Cubes

2.1.1

Apparatus-Compression testing machine

2.1.2

Specimen- 6 cubes of 15 cm size Mix. M15 or above

 Mixing
1) Mix the cement and fine aggregate on a water tight none-absorbent platform until the
mixture is thoroughly blended and is of uniform colour
2) Add the coarse aggregate and mix with cement and fine aggregate until the coarse
aggregate is uniformly distributed throughout the batch
3) Add water and mix it until the concrete appears to be homogeneous and of the desired
consistency

1)
2)
3)

Sampling
Clean the mounds and apply oil
Fill the concrete in the molds in layers approximately 5cm thick
Compact each layer with not less than 35strokes per layer using a tamping rod (steel bar

16mm diameter and 60cm long, bullet pointed at lower end)

4) Level the top surface and smoothen it with a trowel

Curing
The test specimens are stored in moist air for 24hours and after this period the specimens
are marked and removed from the molds and kept submerged in clear fresh water until

taken out prior to test.

1) Remove the specimen from water after specified curing time and wipe out excess water
from the surface.
2) Take the dimension of the specimen to the nearest 0.2m
3) Clean the bearing surface of the testing machine
4) Place the specimen in the machine in such a manner that the load shall be applied to the
opposite sides of the cube cast.
5) Align the specimen centrally on the base plate of the machine.
6) Rotate the movable portion gently by hand so that it touches the top surface of the
specimen.
7) Apply the load gradually without shock and continuously at the rate of
140kg/cm2/minute till the specimen fails
8) Record the maximum load and note any unusual features in the type of failure.
4.0 Slump test (BS 1881: 102, ASTM C143):
The slump test is a means of assessing the consistency of fresh concrete. It is used,
indirectly, as a means of checking that the correct amount of water has been added to the mix.
Three different kinds of possible slumps exist, true slump, shear slump, and collapse slump. The
steel slump cone is placed on a solid, impermeable, level base and filled with the fresh concrete
in three equal layers. Each layer is rodded 25 times to ensure compaction. The third layer is

finished off level with the top of the cone. The cone is carefully lifted up, leaving a heap of
concrete that settles or slumps slightly. The upturned slump cone is placed on the base to act as
a reference, and the difference in level between its top and the top of the concrete is measured
and recorded to the nearest 5 mm to give the slump of the concrete.
When the cone is removed, the slump may take one of three forms. In a true slump the
concrete simply subsides, keeping more or less to shape. In a shear slump the top portion of the
concrete shears off and slips sideways. In a collapse slump the concrete collapses completely.
Only a true slump is of any use in the test. If a shear or collapse slump is achieved, a fresh
sample should be taken and the test repeated. A collapse slump will generally mean that the mix
is too wet or that it is a high workability mix, for which the flow test is more appropriate.
Conventionally, when shear or collapse slump occur, the test is considered invalid. However, due
to recent development of self-compact concrete, the term of collapse slump has to be used with
caution.

Figures show the slump test and the form for (a) true slump, (b) shear slump, and (c) collapse
slump.

4.1

Workability
4.1.1

Definition

Workability is a general term to describe the properties of fresh concrete. Workability is often
defined as the amount of mechanical work required for full compaction of the concrete without
segregation. This is a useful definition because the final strength of the concrete is largely
influenced by the degree of compaction. A small increase in void content due to insufficient
compaction could lead to a large decease in strength.
The primary characteristics of workability are consistency (or fluidity) and cohesiveness.
Consistency is used to measure the ease of flow of fresh concrete. And cohesiveness is used to
describe the ability of fresh concrete to hold all ingredients together without segregation and
excessive bleeding.

4.1.2

Factors affecting workability

1. . Water content: Except for the absorption by particle surfaces, water must fill the spaces
among

particles. Additional water "lubricates" the particles by separating them with a

water film. Increasing the amount of water will increase the fluidity and make concrete
easy to be compacted. Indeed, the total water content is the most important parameter
governing consistency. But, too much water reduces cohesiveness, leading to segregation
and bleeding. With increasing water content, concrete strength is also reduced.
2. . Aggregate mix proportion: For a fixed w/c ratio, an increase in the aggregate/cement
ratio will decrease the fluidity. (Note that less cement implies less water, as w/c is fixed.)
Generally speaking, a higher fine aggregate/coarse aggregate ratio leads to a higher
cohesiveness.
3. . Maximum aggregate size: For a given w/c ratio, as the maximum size of aggregate
increases, the fluidity increases. This is generally due to the overall reduction in surface
area of the aggregates.

4. . Aggregate properties: The shape and texture of aggregate particles can also affect the
workability. As a general rule, the more nearly spherical and smoother the particles, the
more workable the concrete.
5. . Cement: Increased fineness will reduce fluidity at a given w/c ratio, but increase
cohesiveness. Under the same w/c ratio, the higher the cement content, the better the
workability (as the total water content increases).
6. Admixtures: Air entraining agent and super plasticizers can improve the workability.
7. . Temperature and time: As temperature increases, the workability decreases. Also,
workability decreases with time. These effects are related to the progression of chemical
reaction.
4.1.3 Segregation and bleeding
1. . Segregation (separation): Segregation means separation of the components of fresh
concrete, resulting in a non-uniform mix. More specifically, this implies some separation
of the coarse aggregate from mortar.
2. . Bleeding (water concentration): Bleeding means the concentration of water at certain
portions of the concrete. The locations with increased water concentration are concrete
surface, bottom of large aggregate and bottom of reinforcing steel. Bleed water trapped
under aggregates or steel lead to the formation of weak and porous zones, within which
micro cracks can easily form and propagate.

5.0

Reference:
1. Retrieved by : http://teaching.ust.hk/~civl111/CHAPTER5.pdf (23th April 2016)
2. Retrieved by : http://www.concrete.org.uk/fingertips-nuggets.asp?cmd=display&id=559
(24th April 2016)
3. Retrieved by : http://teaching.ust.hk/~civl111/CHAPTER5.pdf (24th April 2016)