QUALITY CONTROL OF CONCRETE (Exam Theory –
Step by Step)
1. Introduction
1. Concrete is produced at site in batches.
2. Quality varies due to materials, workmanship, and equipment.
3. Variations occur during mixing, transport, placing, compaction, and curing.
4. Quality cannot be judged by strength alone.
5. Main requirements of concrete:
o Safety (strength)
o Serviceability
o Durability
6. Quality control aims to reduce variations.
7. It ensures concrete conforms to specifications.
8. Quality control is checking materials, methods, and workmanship.
2. Aim of Quality Control
1. To produce uniform quality concrete.
2. To reduce variation between batches.
3. To ensure safety and durability of structure.
4. To ensure concrete meets specifications.
5. To avoid rejection and wastage.
6. To achieve economy and long service life.
3. Factors Causing Variation in Concrete Quality
3.1 Personnel
1. Skilled and trained personnel are essential.
2. Designer must understand construction practices.
3. Site engineer must understand specifications.
4. Workers’ attitude affects quality.
5. Quality must be a habit and discipline.
3.2 Materials
(a) Cement
1. Cement quality varies from source to source.
2. Should be obtained from a single source if possible.
3. Must be tested initially and periodically.
4. Cement should be stored in dry condition.
5. Cement with hard lumps should be rejected.
(b) Aggregates
1. Size, grading, shape affect concrete quality.
2. Aggregates must be clean and free from impurities.
3. Excess clay reduces strength.
4. Aggregates should be properly graded.
5. Moisture content must be considered.
6. Aggregates should be tested regularly.
(c) Water
1. Water should be clean and potable.
2. Free from acids, salts, oil, and organic matter.
3. Excess sulphates and chlorides are harmful.
4. Drinking water is generally suitable.
3.3 Equipment
1. Proper batching and mixing equipment required.
2. Weigh batching is preferred over volume batching.
3. Batching equipment must be accurate.
4. Mixer should be of proper capacity.
5. Vibrators must have proper frequency.
3.4 Workmanship
(a) Batching
1. Correct proportion of materials is essential.
2. Weigh batching gives better accuracy.
(b) Mixing
1. Concrete should be mixed thoroughly.
2. Under-mixing and over-mixing should be avoided.
(c) Transportation
1. Concrete should be transported quickly.
2. Segregation should be avoided.
(d) Placing
1. Concrete should be placed carefully.
2. Free fall should be minimized.
(e) Compaction
1. Proper compaction removes air voids.
2. Poor compaction reduces strength.
3. Vibrators are commonly used.
(f) Curing
1. Curing maintains moisture for hydration.
2. Early curing is very important.
3. Minimum curing period is essential.
4. Poor curing reduces strength and durability.
4. Field Control
1. Field control includes inspection and testing.
2. Two types of inspection:
o Quality control inspection
o Acceptance inspection
3. Fresh concrete tests help early correction.
4. Hardened concrete tests confirm acceptance.
5. Accelerated tests predict 28-day strength early.
5. Testing of Concrete
5.1 Fresh Concrete Tests
1. Slump test – workability
2. Compaction factor test
3. Unit weight test
4. Air content test (if required)
5.2 Hardened Concrete Tests
1. Compressive strength test (28 days)
2. Cylinder or cube specimens are used
3. These are acceptance tests
6. Advantages of Quality Control
1. Ensures proper use of materials.
2. Reduces wastage and cost.
3. Avoids over-design.
4. Improves durability of structure.
5. Reduces maintenance cost.
6. Ensures timely completion.
7. Produces uniform and reliable concrete.
QUALITY CONTROL OF CONCRETE (Exam Theory –
Step by Step)
1. Introduction
1. Concrete is produced at site in batches.
2. Quality varies due to materials, workmanship, and equipment.
3. Variations occur during mixing, transport, placing, compaction, and curing.
4. Quality cannot be judged by strength alone.
5. Main requirements of concrete:
o Safety (strength)
o Serviceability
o Durability
6. Quality control aims to reduce variations.
7. It ensures concrete conforms to specifications.
8. Quality control is checking materials, methods, and workmanship.
2. Aim of Quality Control
1. To produce uniform quality concrete.
2. To reduce variation between batches.
3. To ensure safety and durability of structure.
4. To ensure concrete meets specifications.
5. To avoid rejection and wastage.
6. To achieve economy and long service life.
3. Factors Causing Variation in Concrete Quality
3.1 Personnel
1. Skilled and trained personnel are essential.
2. Designer must understand construction practices.
3. Site engineer must understand specifications.
4. Workers’ attitude affects quality.
5. Quality must be a habit and discipline.
3.2 Materials
(a) Cement
1. Cement quality varies from source to source.
2. Should be obtained from a single source if possible.
3. Must be tested initially and periodically.
4. Cement should be stored in dry condition.
5. Cement with hard lumps should be rejected.
(b) Aggregates
1. Size, grading, shape affect concrete quality.
2. Aggregates must be clean and free from impurities.
3. Excess clay reduces strength.
4. Aggregates should be properly graded.
5. Moisture content must be considered.
6. Aggregates should be tested regularly.
(c) Water
1. Water should be clean and potable.
2. Free from acids, salts, oil, and organic matter.
3. Excess sulphates and chlorides are harmful.
4. Drinking water is generally suitable.
3.3 Equipment
1. Proper batching and mixing equipment required.
2. Weigh batching is preferred over volume batching.
3. Batching equipment must be accurate.
4. Mixer should be of proper capacity.
5. Vibrators must have proper frequency.
3.4 Workmanship
(a) Batching
1. Correct proportion of materials is essential.
2. Weigh batching gives better accuracy.
(b) Mixing
1. Concrete should be mixed thoroughly.
2. Under-mixing and over-mixing should be avoided.
(c) Transportation
1. Concrete should be transported quickly.
2. Segregation should be avoided.
(d) Placing
1. Concrete should be placed carefully.
2. Free fall should be minimized.
(e) Compaction
1. Proper compaction removes air voids.
2. Poor compaction reduces strength.
3. Vibrators are commonly used.
(f) Curing
1. Curing maintains moisture for hydration.
2. Early curing is very important.
3. Minimum curing period is essential.
4. Poor curing reduces strength and durability.
4. Field Control
1. Field control includes inspection and testing.
2. Two types of inspection:
o Quality control inspection
o Acceptance inspection
3. Fresh concrete tests help early correction.
4. Hardened concrete tests confirm acceptance.
5. Accelerated tests predict 28-day strength early.
5. Testing of Concrete
5.1 Fresh Concrete Tests
1. Slump test – workability
2. Compaction factor test
3. Unit weight test
4. Air content test (if required)
5.2 Hardened Concrete Tests
1. Compressive strength test (28 days)
2. Cylinder or cube specimens are used
3. These are acceptance tests
6. Advantages of Quality Control
1. Ensures proper use of materials.
2. Reduces wastage and cost.
3. Avoids over-design.
4. Improves durability of structure.
5. Reduces maintenance cost.
6. Ensures timely completion.
7. Produces uniform and reliable concrete.
One-Line Exam Conclusion
Quality control of concrete is a systematic process of ensuring that materials, methods, and
workmanship conform to specifications to produce durable, safe, and economical concrete.
If you want, I can also:
Make short 2–3 mark answers
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Convert this into **Bangladesh exam style**
Convert this into Bangladesh exam style
Below is Bangladesh Diploma / BSc (Civil) exam–style theory, written very simple, short
sentences, point-wise and step-by-step, exactly the way answers are expected in
board/university exams.
QUALITY CONTROL OF CONCRETE
(Bangladesh Exam Style Answer)
1. Definition of Quality Control of Concrete
1. Quality control of concrete means controlling materials, mixing, placing, compaction,
curing, and testing.
2. It ensures concrete conforms to specifications.
3. It reduces variation in concrete quality.
4. It ensures safety, durability, and economy.
2. Objectives / Aim of Quality Control
1. To obtain uniform quality concrete.
2. To reduce variation between batches.
3. To ensure required strength.
4. To improve durability.
5. To reduce wastage and cost.
6. To meet specification requirements.
3. Factors Affecting Quality of Concrete
3.1 Personnel
1. Skilled engineers and workers are required.
2. Designer must know construction practices.
3. Site engineer must understand specifications.
4. Workers’ attitude affects quality.
5. Proper supervision is necessary.
3.2 Materials
(a) Cement
1. Cement quality varies from source to source.
2. Cement should be from a single source.
3. Cement must be tested periodically.
4. Cement should be stored in dry condition.
5. Lumpy cement should be rejected.
(b) Aggregates
1. Size and grading affect strength.
2. Aggregates must be clean.
3. Clay and impurities reduce strength.
4. Moisture content should be considered.
5. Aggregates must be tested regularly.
(c) Water
1. Water must be clean and potable.
2. Free from oil, acid, and organic matter.
3. Excess chloride and sulphate are harmful.
4. Drinking water is suitable for concrete.
3.3 Equipment
1. Proper batching equipment is required.
2. Weigh batching is better than volume batching.
3. Mixer should have proper capacity.
4. Vibrators must work properly.
5. Equipment should be checked regularly.
3.4 Workmanship
(a) Batching
1. Correct proportion of materials is necessary.
2. Weigh batching gives accurate results.
(b) Mixing
1. Concrete must be mixed properly.
2. Under-mixing and over-mixing should be avoided.
(c) Transportation
1. Concrete should be transported quickly.
2. Segregation should be avoided.
(d) Placing
1. Concrete should be placed carefully.
2. Excessive free fall should be avoided.
(e) Compaction
1. Proper compaction removes air voids.
2. Poor compaction reduces strength.
3. Mechanical vibrators are commonly used.
(f) Curing
1. Curing maintains moisture for hydration.
2. Early curing is very important.
3. Inadequate curing reduces strength.
4. Minimum curing period must be ensured.
4. Field Control
1. Field control includes inspection and testing.
2. Two types of inspection:
o Quality control inspection
o Acceptance inspection
3. Fresh concrete tests help early correction.
4. Hardened concrete tests decide acceptance.
5. Testing of Concrete
5.1 Tests on Fresh Concrete
1. Slump test
2. Compaction factor test
3. Unit weight test
4. Air content test (if required)
5.2 Tests on Hardened Concrete
1. Compressive strength test
2. Cube or cylinder specimens are used
3. 28-day strength test is an acceptance test
6. Advantages of Quality Control
1. Ensures uniform quality concrete.
2. Reduces material wastage.
3. Reduces construction cost.
4. Improves durability.
5. Reduces maintenance cost.
6. Avoids over-design.
7. Ensures timely completion.