Concrete construction guide

1. Purpose of preparation
Defining the process, operation key points and corresponding technical
standards of the high-speed railway engineering concrete production.
Guide and standardize the production of concrete to improve the
construction level and quality on site.

2. Scope of application
This construction guide is applicable to the construction, batching,
transportation, pouring and maintenance of the concrete of the roadbed,
bridge and culvert, tunnel, track and station building of JBHSR.

3. Construction preparation
Before the construction start, concrete using company (on-site
construction team) should send the “Concrete pouring application form”
which is signed by the on-site technical person to batching plat. Describe
the basic information such as the required concrete strength grade,
square volume, planned casting speed, construction location and location,
construction time, etc. The concrete batching plat determines the supply
speed according to the transportation distance. They also have to
prepare for production, determine the number of concrete tankers, and
arrange the time for concrete to be delivered to site.

3.1. Preparation of raw materials and mixing ratio

3.1.1. According to the theoretical mixing ratio, batching plat should use
the qualified concrete raw materials in store and notified the driver
to loading.
3.1.2. Before batching, the testing staff measures the moisture content
 of the coarse and fine aggregates, adjusts the construction mixing
ratio in time and issues the “Concrete Construction Mix Ratio
Notice”. The sampling test shall be no less than 1 time for each
work class. The number of tests shall be increased in rainy days.

3.2. Personnel preparation

3.2.1. The staff of batching plat should be trained in pre-job safety
production training and education, establish a good technical
delivery and safety training system.
3.2.2. After receiving the “Concrete Pouring Notice” on site, the
production dispatcher shall promptly notify the operator of
batching plat, driver, testing staff and other cooperating personnel
to prepare for the work.
3.2.3. Calculate the time of concrete arrives to the site, and inform the
site concrete pouring personnel to prepare.

3.3. Equipment Preparation

3.3.1. Before the concrete batching, all mechanical equipment, tools,
and materials should be inspected to ensure that the concrete is
batched and poured continuously.
3.3.2. The mixing machine, tank, etc. of batching plat have to tested
before production. The concrete pump, vibrating equipment and
cloth equipment at the construction site have to be ready in
advance.

4. Work process

The concrete construction process is: concrete batching → concrete

transportation → concrete pouring → concrete remolding → concrete

curing.
4.1. Concrete batching
4.1.1. Mixing machine should be tested before construction. Wet the
machine with water, check whether the discharge gate is flexible,
and start the machine to run for 2 to 3 minutes. After confirming
the normal operation, drain the water and construction.
4.1.2. Zero calibration of the metering system before mixing production.
Concrete raw materials should be accurately weighed according
to the construction mixing ratio. The maximum allowable deviation
should meet the following requirements (by weight): cementations
materials (cement, mineral admixtures, etc.) ± 1%; admixture ±
1%; the fine aggregate is ±2%; the mixing water is ±1%.
4.1.3. The concrete is mixed by a forced mixing machine. The order of

the ingredients (recommended): sand, stone → cement,

admixture (after stirring evenly) → water, admixture. That means

that the aggregate, cement and mineral admixture should be put

into the mixing machine first, and after stirring, add water and
liquid admixture until the mixture even. The mixing time of the
concrete is the time from the start of the filling of the material to
the end of the mixing, and the continuous stirring of the concrete
should not be less than 90 seconds. The feeding sequence and
mixing time should be determined by the process test according
to the mixing ratio of the mixing equipment and the concrete, and
the test results shall prevail.
4.1.4. During continuous mixing of concrete, the mixing material in the
mixing machine should be completely removed before the
material of the lower tray is loaded. The deactivation time of the
mixing equipment should not exceed 30 minutes, and the longest
time should not exceed the initial solidification time of the concrete.
 Otherwise, the mixing drum should be thoroughly cleaned before
the concrete that can be re-mixed.
4.1.5. In the process of continuous production of concrete, the mixing
machine operator can indirectly judge the performance status of
the concrete according to the results of the test personnel on site,
It is also possible to indirectly judge the performance state of the
concrete by means of CCTV, mixing machine current, etc., and
make adjustments in time.
4.1.6. At high temperatures, it is recommended to mix the concrete in
the afternoon and evening to ensure that the mold temperature of
the concrete meets the requirements of not exceeding 33 °C.
4.1.7. After the concrete production finished, the mixing machine and all
the containers should be cleaned in time to ensure normal
continuous production next time.

4.2. Concrete transportation

4.2.1. Concrete transportation should be carried out by concrete tankers
for long-distance transportation. The concrete tank truck receiving
port shall be provided with means to prevent rainwater from
entering the tank during transportation. If necessary, sun
protection measures have to be set to prevent the concrete from
heating up too much during transportation.
4.2.2. Concrete tankers should be parked in a cool place without direct
sunlight when not in used. Before charging, add cold water to the
mixing drum for a few minutes, then pour the accumulated water
to cool the tank mixing drum and fully wet.
4.2.3. During the transportation of concrete, it is recommended to rotate
at a low speed of 2~4r/min to prevent delamination and leaching
of concrete. During the transportation of concrete, the mixing
should not be stopped to save fuel. When the tank arrives at the
 pouring site, it should be rotated at a high speed for 20s to 30s (to
make it uniform) before discharging.
4.2.4. The transportation capacity of concrete transportation equipment
should be suitable for the speed of concrete pouring and
condensation. Special personnel should plan the transportation
route reasonably to avoid traffic jams and minimize the
transportation time so that the concrete can reach the
construction site in time to ensure the continuous and smooth
pouring process.
4.2.5. When concrete transportation arrives at the site, the performance
of the concrete (such as gas content, slump, etc.) should meet
the construction and specification requirements. If the slump loss
is too large and effect the pouring process, the admixture may be
added on site for secondary agitation, but it is forbidden to add
water on site. If there is situation of concrete transported to the
site that cannot be deal with, such as found other concrete quality
anomalies (isolation, etc.), and then confirmed by the concrete
batching plat for return processing.
4.2.6. Concrete tank should be cleaned after using, and the remaining
concrete should not be dumped at will and should be treated
centrally.

4.3. Concrete pouring

4.3.1. After the site construction formwork and the steel bar project have
passed the inspection by the quality inspection engineer, the
concrete pouring notice can be issued to the concrete batching
plat.
4.3.2. The concrete transportation arrives at the site, and the
performance of the concrete mixture should be tested before
pouring. The pouring can be carried out only when meet the
 technical conditions or design requirements. For each variety and
every part of the first concrete, the slump should be inspected
(self-compacting concrete should also be checked for expansion),
gas content, and bleeding rate. After the normal supply, the

inspection of each mixing 50 ㎡ is not less than one time, and the

problems are found have to be deal with in time to ensure that the
concrete poured on site meets the requirements.
4.3.3. Before pouring, formulate the pouring process plan, clarify the
starting point of pouring, the direction of pouring, calibrating the
thickness, etc., and do not leave the construction joints.
4.3.3.1. Concrete pouring is carried out by longitudinal sectioning,
horizontal stratification, continuous casting, and one-time
completion of concrete.
4.3.3.2. The layered thickness of concrete (refers to the thickness
after compaction) shall be determined according to the
mixing capacity, transportation conditions, pouring speed,
vibrating capacity and structural requirements of the mixing
machine. But the maximum paving thickness of the concrete
shall not be greater than 400 mm, pumping The maximum
paving thickness of concrete should not exceed 600mm.
4.3.3.3. When it is intermittent for some reason, the interval time
should be less than the initial solidification time of the front
concrete or the time for reframeworking. The allowable
interval time for different concretes shall be determined
experimentally according to conditions of temperature,
cement performance, water-to-binder ratio and admixture
type which need to be determined by experiment. When the
allowable interval time is exceeded, it shall be treated as the
pouring interruption, and the construction joint shall be
 retained and recorded.
4.3.3.4. The plane of the construction joint should be perpendicular to
the axis of the structure. When pouring new concrete at the
construction joint, the surface of the hardened concrete shall
be chiseled and fully wetted and without accumulated water.
Generally, the following requirements should be met:
a. The area of fresh concrete exposed after chiseling should
not be less than 75% of the total area;
b. When chiseling, the concrete should meet the following
strengths: When manually chiseling, not less than 2.5 MPa;
When mechanically chiseling, it is not less than 10 MPa.
c. For reinforced concrete structures with plain concrete
structures or sparse steel bars, anchored steel bars should
be inserted at the construction joints.
4.3.4. Concrete and media temperature test in contact with concrete.
The mold temperature of concrete shall not exceed 33 °C. When
concrete is poured, the temperature of the medium in contact with
concrete shall not exceed 40 °C. The temperature difference
between newly poured concrete and adjacent hardened concrete
or geotechnical, steel, stencil and other media should not exceed
15 °C. Otherwise, effective measures should be taken (such as
pouring the site to shade, to reduce the temperature of the
formwork and steel bars; water can also be sprayed on the
formwork, steel bars and foundation to cool down, but there
should be no attached water during pouring).
4.3.5. When pouring concrete, delamination of concrete should be
prevented. When dumping directly from a high place, the concrete
free fall height should not exceed 2m, otherwise the concrete or
the chute should be used to feed the concrete into the mold. The
height of the string discharge opening from the concrete pouring
 surface should not exceed 1m.
4.3.6. When pouring concrete, special personnel should always observe
the formwork, support and spare parts. When deformation or
displacement occurs, the pouring should be stopped immediately
for treatment.
4.3.7. During the pouring of concrete or when the pouring is completed,
if the surface of the concrete is exuding more water, it is
necessary to take measures to remove the water without
disturbing the concrete that has been poured. When the concrete
is poured, the cause should be identified and measures taken to
reduce the exuded of water.
4.3.8. During the concrete pouring process, the concrete should be
vibrated and evenly compacted after the fabric is finished. Plug-
in vibrators and surface vibrators should be used for concrete
vibrators, and attached vibrators are sometimes used for auxiliary
vibrating (such as prefabricated beams and lining concrete).
When the concrete is vibrated, the following provisions shall be
met:
a. When the inserted vibrator is used to vibrate the concrete, the
moving distance of the inserted vibrator should not be greater
than 1.5 times. The working radius of the vibrator, and the depth
inserted into the lower concrete should be 50-100 mm.
b. When the horizontal position of the concrete stirrer that needs
to change the vibrating bar after the vibrating is completed, the
vibrating bar should be slowly and vertically raised while vibrating,
and the vibrating bar should not be placed in the stirring material,
and the vibrating bar should not be used. For the operation of the
plug-in vibrator, it is necessary to " quick insertion and pull slowly".
The quick insertion is to prevent the surface concrete from being
tempered and stratified and separated from the uncompacted
 concrete below; the slow pull is to fill the space when the vibrating
rod is extracted.
c. During the vibrating process of the concrete, repeated
vibrations should be avoided to prevent over-vibration. The
vibrating duration of each vibration point of the plug-in vibrator
should be 20 to 30 seconds. The high-frequency vibrator should
be used, and the shortest should be no less than 10 seconds. The
concrete no longer sinks significantly, no bubbles appear, and the
surface floats. The pulp is for degrees. The continuous vibration
time of the surface vibrator at the same position is generally
25~40 seconds. It is also possible to uniformly distribute the slurry
on the concrete surface. The overlap between the front and rear
positions should be about 50mm to prevent leakage vibration.
d. The attached vibrator should be started after the concrete is put
into the mold. The template support of the attached vibrator
should consider the working condition of the attached vibrator.
When the member has a certain height (length), an attached
vibrator is generally provided every 1 to 1.5 m.
e. Vibrating should avoid collision with formwork, steel bars and
other embedded parts.
4.3.9. Under the conditions of relatively low relative humidity and high
wind speed, measures such as watering, spraying, and wind
blocking may be adopted, or avoided the structural parts with
large exposed area at the same time.
4.3.10. For preventing early shrinkage of concrete and surface cracks
caused by self-weight sinking, it should be trimmed before the
concrete is initially set. After the concrete vibrating is completed,
the concrete exposed surface should be repaired and smoothed
in time. Before the initial surface of the exposed concrete is
solidified, the covering should be rolled up, and the surface should
 be rolled with a trowel at least 2 times, and calendared or napped
to make it flat and covered again. At this time, it should be noticed
that the covering should not directly contact the concrete surface
until the concrete final solidified. It is strictly forbidden to sprinkle
water and ash when wiping the surface, and should prevent
excessive operation from affecting the quality of the concrete
surface.
4.3.11. When pumping concrete is used for construction, the following
requirements shall be met:
a. According to the construction schedule, continuous feeding is
guaranteed.
b. The transport capacity of the concrete pump should be
compatible with the capacity of the mixing machine.
c. The framework of the concrete pump can be selected according
to the engineering conditions, the maximum pumping distance,
and the maximum output.
d. The location of the concrete pump should be close to the
pouring location. The pumping feed port should be able to move.
e. When configuring the duct, shorten the length of the pipeline
and use less elbows. The conveying pipe and inner wall should
be smooth, and the interface must not leak.
f. Hose pipe can be used at the outlet of the pumping pipeline
instead of other parts, and the conveying pipe must not be in
contact with the formwork and steel bars.
g. When the lower pump feeding concrete, the angle between the
pipeline and the vertical line should not be less than 12 degrees.
h. Before pumping concrete, the cement should be reduced by
50% of the concrete with the same coarse aggregate as the
pumped concrete, and the air should not be taken in.
 4.3.12. The retention of the concrete test block. The test pieces used
to check the concrete strength of structural members shall be
randomly selected at the place where concrete poured. The
appropriate maintenance methods and protective measures shall
be taken for the on-site test pieces.
4.3.13. When pouring concrete, the concrete construction record
should be filled and the pouring process should be recorded for
quality traceability.

4.4. Concrete curing

4.4.1. Moisture maintenance should be carried out within 1 hour after
the concrete poured. The natural curing time of the concrete after
remolding shall not be less than 14d.
4.4.2. During concrete curing, the concrete temperature and ambient air
temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and other parameters
should be measured regularly, and the maintenance method
should be adjusted in time according to changes in environmental
parameters.
4.4.3. During the maintenance of concrete belt molds, measures such
as mold wrapping, watering, spray watering or steaming shall be
adopted for heat preservation and moisturizing to ensure that the
joints of the formwork are not dehydrated and dry.
4.4.4. Concrete curing includes natural conservation and steam curing.
During concrete curing, it is important to strengthen the humidity
and temperature control of the concrete, minimize the exposure
time of the surface concrete, and timely cover the exposed
surface of the concrete (can be covered with straw curtains,
plastic cloth, etc.) to prevent evaporation of surface moisture.
4.4.5. After removing the surface covering or demoulding the concrete,
the concrete should be moisture maintenance by means of water
 storage, watering or watering, or it can be quickly wrapped with
moisturizing materials such as linen and straw when the concrete
surface is wet. During the wrapping, the wraps should be intact
and lapped together, and the inner surface should have
condensed water beads. Some section should try to extend the
moisture retention time of the concrete package if there has
conditions.
4.4.6. In any curing time, if the temperature of the curing water poured
on the concrete surface is lower than the surface temperature of
the concrete, the temperature difference between them should
not exceed 15 °C.
4.4.7. During the curing of concrete, attention should be paid to the use
of temperature insulation measures to prevent the surface
temperature of the concrete from being drastically changed due
to environmental factors (such as exposure to sunlight, sudden
drop in temperature, etc.). The difference between concrete core
temperature and surface temperature, surface temperature and
ambient temperature during curing shall not exceed 20 °C (beam
concrete shall not exceed 15 °C). The difference between the
concrete surface temperature and the curing water temperature
should not exceed 15 °C. Before the construction of mass
concrete, strict maintenance plan should be formulated to control
the internal and external temperature difference of concrete to
meet the design requirements.
4.4.8. After the concrete framework demolished, if the weather suddenly
changes, appropriate insulation (lower temperature) insulation
(heating) measures should be taken to prevent excessive
temperature stress on the concrete.
4.5. Concrete framework demolition
4.5.1. When removing the formwork of concrete or reinforced concrete
structures, the concrete should have sufficient strength to ensure
that its surface and edges are not damaged, and the strength of
the concrete should not be less than 5 MPa. When the formwork
of the load-bearing concrete structure is removed, the strength of
the concrete should meet the design requirements.
4.5.2. When the formwork of concrete or reinforced concrete structure
is removed, the temperature difference between the core and the
surface of the concrete structure, the surface and the environment
shall not exceed 20 °C; the temperature difference between the
core concrete of the beam and the surface concrete, the surface
concrete and the environment shall not It should be greater than
15 °C; the temperature difference between the inner and outer
concrete of the web of the box beam should not exceed 15 °C.
4.5.3. After demolishing the formwork of concrete or reinforced concrete
structure, when the concrete strength does not reach 75% of the
design strength grade value, the concrete should not be in contact
with the directly flowing water; when the concrete strength does
not reach the design strength grade value or the curing time is
less than 6 weeks, the concrete It should not be in direct contact
with sea water or saline soil. The concrete in the foundation pit
should be backfilled in time after the end of concrete curing.
4.5.4. The demoulding should be reversed in the order of the vertical
mold, without damaging the concrete and reducing the damage
of the framework.
4.5.5. Concrete removal shall not be affected or interrupted when the
formwork removing.
4.5.6. The demolished concrete structure should withstand 100% of the
design strength of the concrete, so that it can withstand all design
 loads.

4.6. Concrete defect treatment

4.6.1. After the concrete framework demolished, if the surface is rough,
uneven, honeycomb, hollow, etc., the cause of the defect should
be carefully analyzed. Please report to CDJO and KCIC in time
and should not treat by themselves.
4.6.2. When the concrete defects are analyzed without jeopardizing the
performance of the structure or components, the technical
solutions approved by the relevant departments could be used for
repairing.
4.6.3. The durability of the repaired concrete should not be lower than
that of the original concrete.