1. Final Project - Materials - Concrete Flashcards
Formwork
Shapes and supports concrete until it cures enough to support itself
- Formwork for a beam or slab is also a temporary working surface during construction
- Must be strong enough to support weight concrete without deflection
- Usually repeatedly used and must be protected
- Coated with a form release compound that prevents adhesion of concrete to the form
- Formwork is basically an entire temporary building that has to erected and demolished to construct the actual building. It’s a major cost of the project.
most common form of forming material
plywood
- usually 3.4” thick
- coated with oil and water resistant glue or plastic to prevent water penetration into wood; help reusability of formwork
form ties
metal wires or rods used to hold opposite sides of the form together and also to prevent their collapse
-when the forms are removed the wires remain in the conrete; ecess wire is twisted or cut off
flying forms:
large fabricated sections of framework that are removed, once the concrete has cured, to be resued in forming an identical section above
-used in constuctung buildings with repetitive elements (e.g. hotels and apartments)
Form liner
conrete is shaped with liners of plastic, wood, or metal
- parallel rib liners are common type
- joints and form tie holes are treated as desired-either left exposed or patched
What are form ties? List 2 types
SNAP TIES
- have notches or crimps so they can be snapped off after forms are removed
SHE BOLTS
- waler rods (reused) threaded into inner rod which is left in concrete
formwork costs for self consolidating concrete may be higher than those for conventional concrete because
the greater fluid pressures exerted by the concrete require stronger and stiffer formwork
Concrete: why reinforce it? (5)
- Concrete resists compression very well, however it must be reinforced with steel so that it is more resistant to tension and shear.
- Attach vertical and horizontal elements
- Reinforce edges around openings
- Reduce cracking due to shrinkage
- Stabilize thermal expansion and contraction.
Concrete: advantages (4) and disadvantages (2) ?
Advantages :
- It can be given almost any possible shape.
- It can be provided with the most varied finishes and textures.
- Concrete frames are relatively cheap
- Concrete frames are fire resistant
Disadvantages:
- Density (2240kg/m3)
- Formwork necessary before setting it in place so that it sets and hardens.
Concrete = mixture of…? (3)
- Cement
- Various mineral aggregates
- Sufficient amount of water for the cement to set and bind the entire mass.
Concrete: why add admixtures?
Name 5 types of admixtures.
Admixtures can be added to a concrete paste to modify these properties or those of the cured product.
- Air-entraining admixture
- Accelerator or retarder
- Surface admixture
- Water reducer
- Dye
Concrete: what is an air-entraining admixture? Roles (3)?
Disperses microscopic spherical air bubbles in the concrete paste to:
- increase maneuverability
- increase the resistance of the cured product to cracking caused by free thaw cycles or to spalling caused by de-icing chemicals
- in larger quantities, to produce lightweight, insulating concrete.
Concrete: why add an accelerator and a retarder?
- Accelerator: catalyzes the setting and the development of the resistance of a concrete paste -
Retarder: slows the setting of the concrete paste, allowing more time for placing and handling the concrete paste
Concrete: why add a surface admixture?
- Reduces surface tension of water added to concrete paste
- Thus promotes the wetting and penetrating action of water or the emulsifying action and the dispersion of other additives in the dough.
Concrete: why add a water reducer (or superplasticizer)?
- Reduces the amount of mixing water needed for proper workability of concrete paste or mortar.
- By thus reducing the ratio between the proportions of water and cement, the strength of the concrete is generally increased.
Concrete: what determines the ratio between the quantity of water and cement?
Too much water = ?
Not enough water =?
Optimal ratio?
Determines: 1. Resistance… 2. durability… 3. waterproofing… … of the hardened concrete
The compressive strength of concrete is inversely proportional to the ratio of water to cement:
- If there is too much water, the concrete paste will be weak and porous after drying.
- If there is not enough water, the dough will be dense, but difficult to set up and handle.
In most cases, the ratio of water to cement should be
Water (L)/cement (kg) = 0.45 to 0.60.
When specifuing small batches of conrete what does 1:2:5 mean?
it is the ratio of cement:sand:aggregate
C:S:A
concrete components
- cement
- fine and course aggregate
- water
portalnd cement: binder; made of lime, silica, iron oxide, alumina
5 types of cement
type I: standard or normal cement (used for most construction)
type IA: Normal, air entraining
type II: modified cement; used in places when in contact with water with a high concentration of sulfates
type IIA:Moderate resistance, air entraining
type III:High early strength (hardens more quickly, used when reduced curing time is required)
type IIIA:High early strength, air entraining
type IV:Low heat of hydration (used in massive structures like dams, where heat emitted might raise the temperature of the concrete to damaging levels)
type V:High resistance to sulfate attack (used when in contact with water with a high concentration of sulfates) !
Air Entraining Admixtures
Improved workability during placement
Increase the resistance of the cured concrete to damage caused by repeated cycles of freezing and thawing
Can create very lightweight non structural concretes with thermal insulating properties
Air Entrained Cements
Contain ingredients that cause microscopic air bubbles to form in the concrete during mixing which give improved workability during placement, and greatly increases the resistance of the cured concrete to damage caused by repeated cycles of freezing and thawing
- Commonly used for pavings and exposed architectural concrete in cold climates
- Can reach the same structural strength a regular concrete
concrete strength
• Concrete cures/hardens due to hydration, where considerable heat is given off as the
cement combines with water to form strong crystals that bind the aggregates together
Concrete shrinks lightly during the process
• Designed on the basis of the s strength that is reaches after 28 days
7 day strength should be about 75% of the designed 28 day strength
- Early strength concrete can reach normal 28 day strength in 7-14 days
- Typical strength ranges from 3,000 psi - 10,000 psi
- Nominal weight is 150 lbs per cubic foot
Aggregates
Take up about 3/4 of the volume of concrete
• Structural strength is heavily dependent on the quality of its aggregates
• Must be stone, clean, resistant to freeze-thaw deterioration, chemically stable, and
properly graded for size distribution
• A range of sizes must be included and properly proportioned to achieve close packing of the particles
• The largest particle in a concrete mix must be small enough to easily pass between
the most closely spaced reinforcing bars and to fit easily into the formwork
• Maximum aggregate size should not be more than 3/4 of the clear spacing between
bars or 1/3 the depth of the slab
• 3/4” or 1 1/2” maximum is common for most slab and structural work
• Structural lightweight aggregates are made from minerals like shale and reduce the
density of concrete by about 20%
• Vermiculite or perlite used in non structural lightweight concrete (used for insulating
roof toppings) are less dense than expanded shale
The size of the aggregates in concrete is determiend by…
…the size of the forms and the spacing between the reinforcing
-in most cases, it should not be larger than 3/4 of the smallest distance between reinforcing bars or larger than 1/5 of the smallest dimension of forms, or more than 1/3 the depth of slabs
Methods used to specify the proportions of concrete mix:
- ratio of cement to sand to gravel, such as 1:2:4; amount of water also has to be specified
- specify weight of materials, including water, per 94 lbm bag of cement
- for large batch quantities, define the weight of materials needed to make up one cubic yard of conrete
Strength of final mix is specified by…
the compressive strength of concrete after it has cured and hardened for 28 days (known as the design strength of concrete)
-typical specified design strengths are indicated as 2000 psi, 3000 psi, and 4000 psi; 12000 is available but it’s more expensive
Admixtures…
… are ingredients other than cement, aggregates, and water that are added to the mix to alter it in various ways
Accelerating admixtures:
cause concrete to cure more rapidly
Hydration:
chemical reaction between water and cement which creates heat
High range water reducing admixtures (Superplasticizers):
Organic compounds that transform a stiff concrete mix into one that flows freely into forms, used to help place concrete in challenging circumstances, or to reduce the water content in a mix in order to increase its strength
Water reducing admixtures:
Allow a reduction in the amount of mixing water while
retaining the same workability, results in a higher strength concrete
Retarding admixture:
Slow curing to allow more time for working with wet concrete
help reduce the heat of hydration
Waterproofing admixtures:
decrease the permeability of the conrete
Fly ash:
A fine powder that’s a waste product from coal-fired power plants, which
increases concrete strength, decreases permeability, increase sulfate resistance, reduces temperature rise during curing, reduces mixing water, and improves workability
Silica fume (microsilica):
A powder 100x finer than portland cement, a byproduct of electronic semiconductor chip manufacturing that when added produces extremely high strength and low permeability
Blast furnace slag:
Byproduct of iron manufacture that improves workability, increases strength, reduce permeability, reduce temperature rise during curing, and improve sulfate resistance
Pozzolans:
varicose natural/artificial material that react with calcium hydroxide in wet concrete to form cementing compounds
Workability agents
Improve the plasticity of wet concrete to make it easier to place in forms and finishes
Corrosion inhibitors:
Used to reduce rusting of rebar in structures that are exposed to road deicing salts or other corrosion causing chemicals
Fibrous admixtures:
Short fibers of glass or steel added to a concrete mix to act as microreinforcing
Freeze protection admixtures:
allow concrete to cure at temperatures as low as -6 C
Extend set control admixtures:
used to delay the curing reaction in concrete for up to 7 days.
Coloring agents:
dyes and pigments used to alter the color of concrete
True or false.
Water used to mix with concrete must be potable
True.
Mixing water for concrete must be free of harmful substances, clay, salts, etc. If it’s good
enough to drink, it’s good enough to be in concrete.
Self consolidating concrete (SCC)
can be placed purely by means of its own weight without the use of vibration
- made posible with the use of superplasticizer admixture called polycarboxyplate polymer
- placement is increased, less labor required, productivity increased
- uniform smooth surface
carbon fiber conrete
Uses epoxy coated carbon fiber mesh in place of standard steel meash
- carbon fiber is less corrosive requiring less conrete cover
- resulting panels require smaller foundation and support structures
- carbon fiber are bundled together to form pieces resembling yarn, called tows; tows laid perpendicular to each other, forming a grid; grid could have nearly seven times the tensile strength of standard steel mesh
poured gypsum deck
used for roofs and similar to conrete in that liquid is poured on a reinforcing form board
-Poured gypsum and concrete deck fill insulation are economical & applied directly to the corrugated steel decking and rough concrete decks, easily tapered during installation
alkalinity in concrete can cause problems in two ways
high alkalinity on the surface of a slab can damage a tile installation by causing the adhesive to reemulsify
also responsible for the phenomenon known as alkali silica reaction (ASR); high alkaline cement begins to dissolve sand and rock within the concrete. this reaction produces a gel like materal that creates pressure in the pores of the conrete surface
-ASR can be reduced by specyfiying aggregates not suceptible to ASR, using low lime cement, proper curing not finishing conrete with a hard trowel surface
What cement would be used in slip form construction
type 1
type 2
type 3
type 4
type 3
type 3 is high early strength –the type needed for rapid slip form construction
type 1 is normal cement
type 2 is low heat and sulfate resistant
type 4 is slow setting and low heat for massive structures
true or false.
the strength of concrete increases as the water cement ratio decreases
true
calcium chloride is used as an admixture for concrete in order to…
accelerate the strengthening of concrete
What is concrete mix comprised of?
+ CEMENT (PORTLAND)
+ WATER
+AGGREGATE