1.How do you determine properties/ Quality of concrete?

The quality of concrete is determined by its chemical properties as well as its ability to resist deterioration. The chemical properties can broadly be divided into short term and long term properties. The long term properties include creep, shrinkage and fatigue and its durability characteristics , porosity, impermeability, abrasion, freeze-thaw resistance. Short term properties include strength of concrete also. Properties of concrete Short term(instantaneous)1.Creep 2.Elastic modulus 3.Bond characteristics Long term(sustained) 1.Strength 2.Shrinkage 3.Fatigue behavior 4.Durability characteristics a. Porosity b. Impermeability c. abrasion d. Freeze-thaw resistance

2 . What are the factors affecting Strength of concrete..

(a) Specimen Parameters - Dimension , Geometry, Moisture state. (b) Matrix porosity - Water/cement ratio, Mineral admixtures ,Degree of hydration, Curing time, Temperature, Humidity, Air content, Entrapped air& Entrained air (c) Loading parameters - Stress type, Rate of stress, (d) Transition zone porosity - Water/cement ratio , Mineral admixtures , Bleeding characteristics , Aggregate grading, Maximum size, and Geometry, Degree of consolidation , Degree of hydration, Chemical interaction Between aggregate and cement paste & Curing time.

3.SHRINKAGE, CREEP AND THERMAL EFFECTS ON CONCRETE

Shrinkage and creep are time dependent deformations. Their effects are difficult to predict. Concrete is mixed with more water than required for the hydration. This excess water evaporates causing concrete to shrink. Resistance to this shrinkage causes tensile stresses to develop in the hardened concrete, causes concrete to crack. This kind of cracking is unavoidable. To manage such cracking, contraction joints are provided at selected locations where such cracks are inevitable. SHRINKAGE Shrinkage can be defined as the decrease in the volume of concrete with time. This decrease is due to changes in moisture content. Swelling is the opposite of shrinkage. It is the increase in volume with time. Both shrinkage and swelling are expressed as dimensionless strain.

FACTORS AFFECTING SHRINKAGE: 1. Material and mix proportion and environmental conditions : As w/c increases, strength and stiffness decreases and as the water content increases, shrinkage also increases. Shrinkage decreases with increase in the member size. 2. Aggregate type and content : Concrete with larger aggregate exhibits smaller shrinkage. Aggregates having a larger surface roughness resists shrinkage more. 3.Cement type and content : Rapid hardening cement gains strength rapidly and hence shrinks more due to the increase in fitness and higher water demand. CREEP Time dependent increase/decrease in the strain of hardened concrete subjected to a sustained stress is termed as creep. Creep types : (a) Instantaneous strain (b)Thermal strain (c)Shrinkage strain. Creep in concrete is a post elastic phenomenon. The total creep can be divided into recoverable and irrecoverable creep. True or basic creep : Creep with no loss of moisture Specific creep : Creep strain per unit applied stress. Drying creep : Additional creep due to a specimen undergoing drying in addition to applied stress.

FACTORS AFFECTING BOTH SHRINKAGE AND CREEP (a) As the modulus of elasticity and aggregate content increases, shrinkage and creep strain decrease. (b) For constant cement content, an increase in the w/c ration increases both the drying shrinkage and the creep. (c) For a constant w/c ratio, an increase in the cement content reduces the creep but increases the shrinkage. (d) Humidity is the most important environmental parameter affecting both creep and shrinkage. A decrease in the relative humidity of air decreases both shrinkage and creep. (e) The higher the temperature, the larger the creep and shrinkage.

(f) The duration of loading effects creep but not shrinkage.

4.THERMAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Thermal properties are important in structures in which temperature differentials occur due to solar radiation during casting and the inherent heat of hydration. Thermal properties of concrete are affected by moisture content and porosity. Three types of tests are commonly used to study the effect of concrete under compression. (a) Unstressed tests (b) Stressed tests (c) Residual unstressed tests The moisture content plays a significant role in reducing the strength due to increase in temperature. The modulus of elasticity decrease by about 5-15% when exposed to temperature in the range of 100-300 degree Celsius. At 800 degree Celsius, the value of E reduces to 20-25% of its value at room temperature. As water evaporates from fresh concrete, it dries and shrinks. Shrinkage occurs when concrete is in a fresh state; this is also called plastic shrinkage. In the hardened state, deformations occur due to loading. Deformation is because of elasticity of the material

5.PROPERTIES OF HARDENED CONCRETE

Properties of hardened concrete apart from strength are impermeability, impact strength ,fatigue strength, and good acoustic and thermal characteristics. WORKABILITY The definition of workability is the property of freshly mixed concrete or mortar which determines the ease and homogeneity with which it can be mixed, placed, consolidated and finished. FACTORS AFFECTING WORKABILITY Several factors affect the workability of concrete such as aggregate, cement , water, and entrapped air. The properties of aggregates that affect workability include their maximum size, grading type, shape and texture. Among the factors affecting workability, water content expressed in L/m3 is most imprortant. IS : 456-2000 specifies the maximum water content permitted for different environments with respect to durability. For normal concrete without air entrainment, for the same workability, the water content decreases with increase in the maximum size of aggregates. The water requirement decreases with decrease in slump.

Hence, to produce durable concrete, one must use minimum water, which will happen if we select the maximum possible size of aggregates, with a good compacting effort requiring smaller slump values. Though the maximum size of aggregate is preferred form the point of view of the minimum cement content, the workability is governed by the maximum size, grading, shape, and texture. Factors which affect the workability of a mix: (1) w/c ratio, (2) Aggregate cement ratio, (3) Water content. Though the first two influences are independent, the third is interdependent. EFECT OF ENVIORNMENTAL CONDITIONS The workability of the concrete mix is also affected by the temperature of concrete. On a hot day it becomes necessary to increase the water content of the concrete mix in order to maintain the desired workability .The amount of mixing water required to bring about certain changes in the workability also increases with temperature. 1.EFFECT OF TIME Fresh concrete loses workability with time mainly because of the loss of moisture due to evaporation. Apart of the mixing water absorbed by the aggregate or lost by evaporation in the presence of sun and wind, and a part of it is utilized in the chemical reaction of hydration of cement. The loss of workability varies with the type of cement, the concrete mix proportions, the initial workability, and the temperature of concrete. On an average, a 125mm slump concrete may slump only by about 50mm during the first one hour. 2.EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE Freshly mixed concrete stiffens with the passage of time. As time passes, water is lost due to absorption by aggregates if they are not already saturated. Some water is lost due to evaporation, especially if the concrete is exposed to hot weather and wind. The change in the workability of fresh concrete with time also depends on the admixtures used. Though water reducing admixtures initially delay the stiffening of concrete, they tend to increase the loss of slump with time. Loss of slump is influenced by temperature. Loss of slump significantly increases with increase in the temperature of concrete.

3.COMPACTABILITY It s the amount of internal work required to produce complete compaction. This property of the mix depends upon many factors such as chemical composition of cement ,the amount of water, the grading, and shape of fine aggregates ,and the presence or absence of entrained air and admixtures. The addition of certain admixtures and entrained air greatly increase compact ability without increasing the slump. 4.MOBILITY Mobility is the ease with which concrete can flow into the formwork around steel. This depends on the type of formwork , the arrangement of steel in the mould, the method adopted in molding, the time lag between the mixing and pouring, and the and large-sized aggregates. Non-tilting types of mixers are generally stationary and particularly suitable for precast concrete. Generally the average strength of concrete increases with increase in mixing time up to a limit, after which there is a rapid fall in strength. Depending on the capacity of the mixer, an optimum mixing time is recommended.

5.STABILITY The ability of concrete to remain a stable, homogeneous, coherent mass without segregation both during handling and during vibrations is termed stability. The traditional method is hand poking. This is not a very efficient technique. The common types of vibrators used are internal vibrators, external vibrators , table vibrators and special vibrators and vibrating rollers used for thin slabs. Generally, concrete must be vibrated as soon as it is placed in the formwork. How ever, in certain cases, to ensure a good bond between the first layer of concrete already laid and fresh concrete, it is vibrated again. This is called re-vibration.

6.CONSISTENCY Consistency refers to the firmness of concrete or the ease with which it flows. Wet concrete can flow better . Consistency is an indication of workability. A wet mix can flow better compared to a dry mix. Similarly soft mix is more mould able compared to a stiff mix. 7.SEGREGATION Segregation is defined as the separation of the constituents of a homogenous mixture of concrete. Segregation can be controlled by properly choosing the grading of aggregates and by carefully handling wet mixes. In relatively lean and dry mixes, Segregation can be caused by the coarser particles separating out because they travel farther along the slope or settle to a greater extend than finer particles, The second form of Segregation occurs in very wet mixes in which the cement water paste separates from the mix.Segregation can also be caused by poor handling, such as dropping wet concrete from a considerable height, passing long chutes along a slope, and discharging concrete carelessly. It may also be caused by the vibration of concrete. Segregation is difficult to measure. However, its occurrence is easily detected. The flow test can indicate segregate. 8.BLEEDING Bleeding is also known as water gain . It is the accumulation of water at the surface. This happens due to the inability of the solid constituents of the mix to hold all the mixing water, and they settle downwards due to gravity and the water moves upwards. In extreme cases, this can be nearly 20%. Bleeding is a function of (a) air velocity, (b) temperature, and (c) humidity. If the rate of bleeding is roughly equal to the rate of evaporation then bleeding will not cause any problem. If the rate of bleeding is less than the rate of evaporation, then the surface becomes dry, because of which cracks appear on it. Bleeding increases the permeability of concrete.

TESTS FOR BLEEDING - Bleeding of fresh concrete can be controlled in the following ways. (a) Bleeding decreases with increase in the fineness of cement. (b) Bleeding can be controlled moderating C3A content. More C3A content leads to less bleeding. (c) Adding an accelerator as an admixture controls bleeding, as the concrete sets faster. (d) The rate of bleeding decreases with decrease in temperature. (e) Rich mixes are less prone to bleeding than lean mixes. (f) Mineral admixtures reduce bleeding.

6.PROPERTIES OF FRESH CONCRETE

1.ANALYSIS OF FRESH CONCRETE: The two most important parameters of fresh concrete are cement content and water-cement ratio. 2.EFFECT OF AGE ON THE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE: Though the strength of concrete traditionally refers to the 28 day strength of concrete, concrete gains strength even after 28 days The rate of gain in strength for concrete with different w/c ratios is different. This rate is lower in concrete with higher water-cement ratio.

3.MATURITY OF CONCRETE: The strength of concrete increases with hydration. The rate of hydration of cement increases with temperature. Hence, it is possible to express strength as a function of curing time and multiplied by temperature. The product of time interval for hydration and temperature is called the maturity of concrete. Thus

Maturity= S (time interval x temperature) expressed in degree C/h. Below -12 degree Celsius, concrete does not gain any strength and gets damaged due to the action of frost. The strength-maturity relation is uncertain at low-strength maturity values. It is quite useful in determining the time required for the removal of the formwork of concrete. Its is also useful for fixing the temperature of stream curing in order to obtain a particular level of maturity in a precast component before it is sent out of the factory for use. The maturity concept can also be used to correlate the strength of concrete in a structure with the strength predictions of the compression specimen, especially if the compression specimen is cured at a different temperature in the laboratory. 4.STIFFENING TIME The reaction between cement and water is the primary cause for the setting of concrete. The phenomena of stiffening, setting, and hardening are physical reaction of cement. The principle factors controlling the setting times of concrete are cement composition, watercement ratio, temperature and admixtures. In general, the higher the water-cement ratio, the longer is the setting time. 5.CURING Curing means maintaining a satisfactory moisture content and temperature in concrete in order to achieve the desired strength and hardness. Drying removes the water needed for hydration. Without adequate water and due to insufficient hydration, concrete tends to be weak. Temperature is an important parameter to consider for proper curing. In outdoor concreting ,temperature, humidity, wind velocity etc. contribute to the evaporation loss of water. Properly cured concrete has better durability and better surface hardness, and is less permeable. The prevention of loss of moisture from concrete is important not only from the point of view of strength development but also from that of prevention of plastic shrinkage, decrease in permeability & improvement of resistance to abrasion. It is evident that a 5% loss in moisture leads nearly 75% loss in strength. Hence continuous curing for first 3 days is a must. Intermittent curing seems to be even worse than no curing at all.

Factors to be considered in curing: a) Effect of air temperature on loss of water from the concrete.

b) Effect of wind velocity on loss of water from the concrete.

c) Effect of temperature on loss of water from the concrete.

d) Effect of relative humidity on loss of water from the concrete.