High Density Concrete

Introduction

• Heavy weight concrete is a special concrete which

weighs more than conventional concrete.
• Density of this concrete is considerably High (2800
kg/m3 to 6400 kg/m3) when compared to normal
concrete (2200kg/m3 to 2600kg/m3).
 Heavyweight Aggregate

• Barite
• Limonite
• Magnetite
• Ilmenite
• Hematite
• Iron
• For producing heavyweight concrete uses heavy natural aggregates
such as barites or magnetite or manufactured aggregates such as iron
or lead shot.
• The density achieved will depend on the type of aggregate used.
Typically using barites the density will be in the region of 3,500kg/m3,
which is 45% greater than that of normal concrete,
• While with magnetite the density will be 3,900kg/m3, or 60% greater
than normal concrete.
• Very heavy concretes can be achieved with iron or lead shot as
aggregate, is 5,900kg/m3 and 6400kg/m3 respectively.
 Material and mix proportion

• Except for the heavyweight aggregates and some hydrous ores as

well as boron minerals, the same minerals and proportioning
methods are used for producing heavyweight concrete mixtures as
are used for conventional normal weight concrete.

• Because of the high density of aggregate particles, segregation of

fresh concrete is one of the principal concerns in mix proportioning.
From the standpoints of high unit weight and a lower tendency for
segregation, it is desirable that both fine and coarse aggregate be
produced from high-density rocks and minerals
• Due to the rough shape and texture of crushed aggregate particles,

heavyweight concrete mixtures tend to be harsh. To overcome this problem

it is customary to use a finer sand, a greater proportion of sand in aggregate

than conventional concrete, and cement contents higher than 360 kg/m³.

• It should be noted that to get around the problem of segregation,

sometimes other than conventional methods , such as preplaced aggregate

concreting, may be employed.

• In this method, after filling the forms with compacted aggregate coarser

than 6 mm, the voids in the aggregate are filled by pumping in a grout mix

containing cement, fine sand, pozzolans, and other pump-ability aids.

 Why HWC

• High-density (heavyweight) concrete has a density of up to about 6400

kg/m3.

• The ideal property of high density concrete are high modulus of elasticity ,
low thermal expansion , and low elastic and creep deformation

• Heavyweight concrete is used principally for radiation shielding but is also

used for counterweights and other applications where high density is
important i.e. underwater construction, balancing of loads in bridges.

• They are effective and economic construction material for permanent

shielding purpose.

• Most of the aggregate specific gravity is more than 3.5

Type of Radiation and Hazards

• Electro-magnetic waves
• Nuclear Particles
• As a shielding material, heavyweight concrete protects against the harmful effects of

X-rays, gamma rays, and neutron radiation. heavyweight concrete will allow for

reductions in shield thickness without sacrificing shielding effectiveness.

• Both X-rays and Gamma rays have high power of penetration but can be adequately

absorbed by an appropriate thickness of concrete shield. Effectiveness of a concrete

shield against gamma rays is approximately proportional to the density of the

concrete.

• On the other hand, an effective shield against neutron radiation requires both heavy

and light elements. The hydrogen in water provides an effective light element in

concrete shields. Heavyweight aggregates with high fixed-water contents often are

used if both gamma rays and neutron radiation are to be attenuated.

• Protons, and alpha and beta particles carry electrical charges which
interact with the electrical field, surrounding the atom of shielding
material and lose their energy.
• Although accelerated protons at high energy levels may require
heavy shielding comparable to that required for neutrons.
• Boron glass is also added to attenuate neutrons.
• However density is not the only factor to be considered in the
selection of an aggregate for neutron concrete shielding. The desired
increase in hydrogen content, required to slow down fast neutron,
can be accomplished by the use of hydrous ores
• Hydrous ores contains high percentage of water of hydration
• Lemonite and Goethite are good source of hydrogen as long as shield
temperature does not exceed 200 0C.
• Serpentine is good upto 400 0C.
 Properties
Aggregate Limonite Limonite Barite Barite Magnetite Iron
+Magnetite Limonite

Placement convention prepacked convention prepacked convention prepacked

Density 2960 3360 3620 3680 3580 4370

kg/m3

Comp 42 33 44 24 41 23
Strength
MPa

Modulus of 32 36 31 26 31 39
elasticity
GPa

Shrinkage % 0.021 0.023 0.029 0.029 0.018 0.013

• They are mainly used in the construction of radiation shields (medical
or nuclear power plants).
• It is also used for bridge counter-weight and for weighting down
underwater pipelines