Properties of Concrete

The important properties of

concrete are
Compressive strength
Tensile strength
Shear strength
Bond strength
Density
Impermeability
Durability
Ductility

Among these properties,

compressive
strength of concrete is the most
valuable and can be easily tested in
laboratory. This is generally measured
on concrete cubes or cylinders.

Many of the properties of concrete can

be inferred from compressive strength,

using
correlation
that
has
been
established.
Quality

of concrete depends on the

compressive strength.

Concrete is classified under different

 CHARACTERISTIC STRENGTH:

is determined
on 150mm cubes at 28 days.

Grade

of concrete is designated in
terms of a number, which is the
characteristic strength expressed in
MPa. The number is usually preceded by
the letter, which refers to.

Minimum grade of concrete for plain

concrete work is M15.

Minimum grade of concrete for RCC is

M20.

Group
Ordinary
Concrete

Standard
concrete

High strength
concrete

Grade
Designation

Characteristic
Strength

M10

10

M15

15

M20

20

M25

25

M30

30

M35

35

M40

40

M45

45

M50

50

M55

55

M60

60

M65

65

M70

70

Tensile strength
The flexural and splitting tensile

strength shall be obtained as per

IS 516 and IS 5816 respectively.
When tensile strength is to be
estimated
from
compressive
strength, the following formula
may be used.

Flexural strength,

Tensile Strength
The tensile strength of concrete can be
expressed as
1. Flexural tensile strength: measured by testing
beams under two-point loading or four-point
loading.
2. Splitting tensile strength: measured by testing
cylinders under diametral compression.
3. Direct tensile strength: measured by testing
rectangular specimens under direct tension.
f cr test
0.7 f ck results, code
.In the absence of
recommends the following relationship.
Here,
f = flexural tensile strength, N/mm2

Elastic deformation

Modulus of elasticity is primarily

influenced by

1. elastic properties of aggregate and

2. to a lesser extent by conditions of
curing and age of concrete,
mix proportions and
type of cement
The modulus of elasticity is assumed by

Fig. 3 a) Concrete cube under compression,

b) Compressive stress-strain curve for
concrete

Short-term modulus of elasticity

(neglecting the effect
of creep) is
E 5000 f
c

ck

Here,
Ec = short-term static modulus of
elasticity, N/mm2

Thermal Expansion
Coefficient

of

thermal

expansion

depends on
nature of cement,
aggregate,
relative humidity and
size of sections.

Coefficient of thermal expansion varies

between (0.9 to 1.3) x 10-5.

CREEP
Increase

in strain with time. Time

dependent component of total strain is
termed as creep.
Creep coefficient=

Maximum value is called the ultimate

creep
coefficient,
designated
by
Theta. Its value is found to vary
widely in the range of 1.3 to 4.2.
Effective modulus of elasticity

Deflections classified into two types:

Short-Term or Immediate

1.

immediate deflections occur due to loading on concrete member.

Long-Term or Time Dependent

2.

Time dependent deformations occur during service life of

structure.

1. Immediate Deformations
i.

Elastic Deformations

2. Time Dependent Deformations

i.

Creep and Shrinkage of concrete

 Creep of Concrete
Time-dependent increase of deformation

under sustained load.

Factors affecting creep and shrinkage of

concrete
Age
Applied Stress level
Density of concrete
Cement Content in concrete
Water-Cement Ratio
Relative Humidity and

For stress in concrete less than one-

third of the characteristic strength, the

ultimate creep strain (cr,ult) is found to
be proportional to the elastic strain (el).
The ratio of the ultimate creep strain to

the elastic strain is defined as the

ultimate creep coefficient or simply
creep coefficient, .
cr,ult = el
IS: 456 considers only the age of loading

of the concrete structure in calculating

Curing

the concrete adequately and

delaying the application of load provide
long-term benefits with regards to
durability, and deflection.

In

special
situations
detailed
calculations
may
be
necessary
to
monitor creep strain with time.

Specialized literature or standard codes

can
provide
calculations.

guidelines

for

such

 Shrinkage of Concrete
Time-dependent
strain
measured
in
unloaded
and
unrestrained
specimen
constant temperature.

an
at

The factors responsible for creep of concrete

will have influence on shrinkage of concrete
also except the loading conditions.

SHRINKAGE
Concrete

shrinkage
in
the
hardened state due to loss of
moisture by evaporation.

Consequent reduction in volume

is termed as drying shrinkage.

For design purpose the ultimate

drying shrinkage strain value of

0.0003 is specified.

As a

TEMPERATURE
EFFECTS
consequence
of seasonal

variation in
temperature, internal stresses are induced
in structures, owing to restriction in
movements.

In

order to limit the development of

temperature
stresses
in
reinforced
concrete
buildings
with
large
plan
dimensions,
expansion
joints
at
appropriate location are provided.

For

RC, minimum cement content is

specified as 250, 290 and 360 kg/m3 for