Bahir Dar University

Department of Architecture
Building Material and Construction IV
Lecture Notes: Special concrete construction techniques
Overview of concrete
• Concrete is a composite material that consists essentially of a binding medium within which are
embedded particles or fragments of aggregate (ASTM C 123).
• Today, the rate at which concrete is used is much higher than it was 40's years ago.
• It is estimated that the present consumption of concrete in the world is of the order of Il billion
metric tons every year.

Why is it the most widely used engineering material?

1. Concrete possesses excellent resistance to water
2. The ease with which structural concrete elements can be formed into a variety of shapes and
sizes.
3. It is usually the cheapest and most readily available material on the job.
Why is it the most widely used engineering material?
1. Concrete possesses excellent resistance to water
2. The ease with which structural concrete elements can be formed into a variety of shapes and
sizes.
3. It is usually the cheapest and most readily available material on the job.
Some of the considerations that favor the use of concrete
1. Maintenance does not corrode, needs no surface treatment, and its strength increases with
time; therefore, concrete structures require much less maintenance.
2. Fire Resistance - The fire resistance of concrete is perhaps the most important single aspect of
offshore safety and, at the same time, the area in which the advantages of concrete are most
evident.
3. Resistance to cyclic loading - In most codes of practice, the allowable concrete stresses are
limited to about 50 percent of the ultimate strength; thus, the fatigue strength of concrete is
generally not a problem.
* Concrete is a widely used material because
• It is cheap
• It can be made with locally available materials
• It can be transported to the site or made on site with whatever resources are available.
• It is a viscous mix that can take any form.
• Concrete is a strong and usually a durable material.

Types of Concrete
• Based on unit weight
• Normal weight concrete- weighing about 2400 kg/m3. most commonly used concrete for
structural purposes
• lightweight concrete- weighs less than about 1800 kg/m3.
• Heavy weight concrete- weighs more than 3200 kg/m3. produced from high-density aggregates
and used for radiation shielding.
• Based on Strength (compressive strength)
• Low-strength concrete: less than 20 Mpa
• Moderate-strength concrete: 20 to 40 MPa referred to as ordinary or normal concrete, is used
for most structural work.
• High-strength concrete: more than 40 MPa is used for special applications.
• Hot Weather Concreting
• Cold Weather Concreting
• Concreting under Special Conditions:
Sprayed Concrete, Underwater Concrete, Grouting
• Large volume Pours of Concrete
Concrete Construction Techniques
• Concrete buildings and other structures are built in most countries around the world and in
some regions the climates are typified by prolonged spells of either hot or cold weather.
• Ready mix concrete and construction companies in these regions manage to produce good-
quality concrete despite these climatic drawbacks.
• In many regions with adverse climates there are consensus specifications and guidance
documents for concrete production which give details of methods which can be used to combat
the adverse conditions.
• In the more temperate parts of the world, cool, humid weather is the norm. In these locations,
although prolonged hot or cold spells are not unusual, it usually comes as a surprise when they
arrive and it may be too late to apply even the most rudimentary precautions to mitigate their
undesirable consequences.
• Physiological effects in both hot and cold conditions should not be ignored.
• Operatives and supervisors cannot be expected to produce good-quality concrete if they have
been exposed to the elements for long periods without proper protection.
Hot and Cold weather concreting
• When concrete has to be mixed and placed in either very hot or very cold weather, it is
necessary to take precautions to ensure that the concrete is not damaged or adversely affected by
the ambient weather conditions.
• At temperatures below freezing, for example, freshly placed concrete may be damaged by
the formation ice within its pore structure.
• In very hot weather the concrete may stiffen prematurely, preventing it from being
compacted and finished properly, or the temperature of the concrete may rise to the point where
thermal cracking occurs as it cools.
• It is perhaps not so well recognized, however, that even at moderate air temperatures,
strong winds can cause concrete to dry out prematurely and to crack.
Hot weather concreting
• Hot weather is defined as 'any combination of high air temperature, low relative
humidity, and wind velocity tending to Impair the quality of fresh or hardened concrete or
otherwise resulting in abnormal properties' (ACI 305).
• High temperatures can affect concrete at all stages of the production and placing process
and most of the effects can have consequences for long-term strength or durability.
• Most of the effects are a consequence of high temperature increasing the rate of the
hydration reaction and the movement of moisture within and from the surface of concrete.
• Problems resulting from hot weather at various stages in the concrete production process:

Measures to reduce the adverse effects of hot weather

Measures to reduce the adverse effects of hot weather
• BS 5328 suggests that the overall approach to working in hot weather should include
consideration of modifying the concrete by one or more of the following:
• Use of admixtures to retard hydration or increase initial workability
• Use of a cement or combination with low heat evolution
• Specifying a maximum fresh concrete temperature
Cold weather concreting
• ACI 306 defines cold weather as 'a period when for more than 3 successive days the
mean daily temperature drops below 50C.
• BS 8110 notes that concrete may suffer permanent damage if its temperature falls below
OOC before it is mature enough to resist disruption by freezing.
• Problems resulting from cold weather at various stages in the life of concrete:

• Measures to reduce the adverse effects of Cold weather

Concreting under Special Conditions
1. Concrete Work in Extreme Weather Conditions
2. Under-water Concreting
3. Concrete in Seawater
4. Concrete in Aggressive Soils And Water
Good practices of concreting require special care with respect to following (temp > 40 ⸰c:
• Temperature control of concrete ingredients.
• Aggregates- stored under shade or cooled by water
• Water- used in the form of ice or in near freezing temperatures.
• Cement- Temperature restricted to 770 C
Mix Design
• Use low cement content and cements with low heats of hydration.
• Use approved admixtures for reducing the water demand or for retarding the set.
Production and Delivery:
• Temperature of concrete at the time of placement should be below 400 C.
• The mixing time should be held at minimum, subject to uniform mixing.
Period between mixing and delivery should be kept to a minimum.
Placement and Curing:
• Prior to placing concrete formwork, reinforcements and subgrade should be kept cool by
spraying cold water first. If possible, concreting may be restricted to evenings nights.
• Placement and finishing should be speedy.
• Immediately after compacting and finishing, concrete should be protected from
evaporation of moisture.
Under-water concreting
• Inspection of concrete during placement under-water is difficult.
• Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the proposed mix proportions, inspect the equipment
and review preparation prior to the start of underwater concreting.
• Underwater concrete should have
✓ A slump of 100 to 180mm.
✓ The water cement ratio should not exceed 0.6 and may need to be smaller, depending
upon the grade of concrete or the type of the chemical attack.
✓ For aggregates of 40mm maximum particle size, the cement shall be at least 350kg/cubic
m of concrete.
• Forms shall be sufficiently tight to ensure still water if practicable, and in any case to
reduce the flow of water to 3m/min through the space into which concrete is to be deposited.
• Concrete cast under water shall not fall freely through the water. Otherwise it may be
leached and become segregated. Concrete shall be deposited by, continuously until it is brought
to the required height. While depositing, the top surface shall be kept as nearly level as possible
and the formation of seams avoided.
• The methods to be used for depositing concrete under water shall be one of the following:
✓ Direct placement with pumps
✓ Drop bottom bucket
✓ Bags
✓ Grouting
• In addition to the grade of concrete specified, it will be necessary to control the minimum
cement contents and the maximum water-cement ratio.
• Portland slag cement may be used but it will be necessary to seek specialists advice.
• Precast members are to be preferred because then it will be possible to achieve dense
concrete and eliminate those with porous or defective concrete by inspection before installation.
• Unreinforced elements should be used if practicable, as reinforcing steels are susceptible
to corrosion caused by chlorides present in seawater.
• Construction joints are potentially weak and the problems of durability are accentuated in
the zone subject to alternate drying and wetting that is, between upper and lower planes of wave
actions.
Concrete in Aggressive Soils And Water
• Concrete placed in soils and waters, containing sulphates, nitrates and other salts which
may cause deterioration of concrete.
• Naturally occurring aggressive chemicals such as sulphates of sodium and magnesium,
are sometimes found in soils and waters.
• Sea water is mildly aggressive to concrete because of soluble sulphates it contains. The
decomposition of sulphide minerals contained in colliery waters may cause the formation of
F2S04 which can cause severe sulphate attack.
• Durability problems may arise also when concrete is exposed to acids.
• Two types of precautions given in the code:
1. Proper attention to the concrete itself will provide sufficient immunity.
2. Additional precautions are to be taken to prevent contact between the aggressive
chemicals and the concrete.
• It is a method of applying concrete that is generally self supporting without the need for
form work.
• Sprayed concrete is often referred to as Gunite (dry mix) or Shotcrete (wet mix) .
Sprayed concrete
Why Should You Use Sprayed Concrete?
• High strength, low permeability, high durability
• Reduction in formwork saving time and money
• High early strength gain
• Low water / cement ratio
• Good adhesion and bond strengths
• Ability to convey material over 200 meters to point of application
• Proven process in use for over 100 years
Grouting
• Grouting refers to the injection of pumpable materials.
• Typically, grouting is carried out is by driving pipes or boring holes, and then pumping
the grout solution at high pressure through inserted tubes.

Special Concretes
• Light Weight Concrete;
• Ultra-Light Weight Concrete
• High Performance Concrete;
• Ready Mix Concrete;
• Pumped Concrete;
• Polymer Concrete;
• Fiber Reinforced Concrete;
• Foam Concrete;
• Recycled Concrete;
• Self-Compacting Concrete
What makes concrete 'Special'?
• If one or more of the following conditions are outside a 'normal range’:
Material
Environmental conditions
Properties
Method of placing
Conditions of placing
……………….
Special Concretes
• Special types of concrete are those with out of the ordinary properties or those produced
by unusual techniques.
• Different types of concrete are produced based on
The constituent material,
Mix design,
The method of construction Area of application,
Form of hydration reaction.
Light weight concrete
• A special concrete which weighs lighter than conventional concrete.
• Concrete that have a density lesser than 1920kg/m3.
• The light weight concrete:
is applied for the protection of the steel structures and
is used for the construction of the long span bridge decks.
Is also used for the construction of the building blocks.
• The use of lightweight aggregates in concrete design will give us lightweight concretes.
• Two types of light weight aggregates Natural
• Less preferred over artificial aggregates.
• Have good insulating properties but subjected to high absorption and shrinkage.
• Important natural aggregates — Pumice & Scoria
• Artificial
• Usually reduced by expanding the rocks such as Shale Slate, Perlite, Vermiculite, etc.

• Classification of Lightweight Concrete

Based on method of production
1. Lightweight aggregate concrete: By using porous lightweight aggregate of low apparent
specific gravity, i.e. lower than 2.6.
• Pumice
• Foamed Slag
• Expanded Clays and Shales
• Sintered Pulverized - fuel ash aggregate
2. Aerated, Cellular, Foamed or gas concrete: By introducing large voids within the concrete
or mortar mass; these voids should be clearly distinguished from the extremely fine voids
produced by air entrainment.
• Aerated concrete has the lowest density. thermal conductivity and strength.
• For works in-situ the usual methods of aeration are by mixing in stabilized foam or by
whipping air in with the aid of an air entraining agent.
2. Aerated, Cellular, Foamed or gas concrete:
3. No-fines concrete: By omitting the fine aggregate from the mix so that a large number of
interstitial voids is present; normal weight coarse aggregate is generally used.
• The term no-fines concrete generally means concrete composed of cement and a coarse
(9-19mm) aggregate only (at least 95 percent should pass the 20mm BS sieve, not more than 10
percent should pass the 10mm BS sieve and nothing should pass the 5mm BS sieve), and the
product so formed has many uniformly distributed voids throughout its mass.
• No-fines concrete is mainly used for load bearing, cast in situ external and internal wall,
non load bearing wall and under floor filling for solid ground floors.
Based on Density and Strength
I. Low Density Concrete: These are employing chiefly for insulation purposes with low unit
weight, seldom exceeding 800 kg/m3, heat insulation value are high. Compressive strength are
low regarding from about 0.69 to 6.89 N/mm2.
II. Moderate Density Concrete: The use of these concrete requires a fair degree of
compressive strength, and thus they fall about midway between the structural and low density
concrete. These are sometimes designed as 'fill' concrete. Compressive strength are
approximately 6.89 to 17.24 N/mm2 and insulation values are intermediate.
Based on Density and Strength
I. Low Density Concrete: These are employing chiefly for insulation purposes with low unit
weight, seldom exceeding 800 kg/m3, heat insulation value are high. Compressive strength are
low regarding from about 0.69 to 6.89 N/mm2.
II. Moderate Density Concrete: The use of these concrete requires a fair degree of
compressive strength, and thus they fall about midway between the structural and low density
concrete. These are sometimes designed as 'fill' concrete. Compressive strength are
approximately 6.89 to 17.24 N/mm2 and insulation values are intermediate.
Based on Density and Strength
III. Structural Concrete: Concrete with full structural efficiency contain aggregates which fall on
the Other end Of the scale and which are generally made with expanded shale, clay, slates, slag,
and fly-ash. Minimum compressive strength is 17.24 N/mm2.
Most structural LWC are capable of producing concrete with compressive strength in excess
Of 34.47 N/mm2.

Uses of Lightweight Concrete

• Screeds and thickening for general purposes especially when such screeds or thickening
and weight to floors roofs and other structural members.
• Screeds and walls where timber has to be attached by nailing.
• Casting structural steel to protect its against fire and corrosion or as a covering for
architectural purposes.
• Heat insulation on roofs.
• Insulating water pipes.

Uses of Lightweight Concrete

• Construction of partition walls and panel walls in frame structures.
• Fixing bricks to receive nails from joinery, principally in domestic or domestic type
construction.
• General insulation of walls.
• Surface rendered for external walls of small houses.
• It is also being used for reinforced concretes.
Lightweight Concrete
Generally,
The basic principle behind the making of light weight concrete is by inducing the air in concrete.
To achieve the above principle practically, there are 3 different ways:
1. By replacing the conventional mineral aggregates by cellular porous aggregates (Light
weight aggregate concrete)
2. By incorporating the air or gas bubbles in concrete (Aerated concrete).
3. By omitting the sand from the concrete (No- fines concrete).

Ultra-Lightweight Concrete
Lightweight concrete is normally categorized to 3 grades (ACI):
• Low density concrete with a density lower than 800 kg/m3
• Moderate strength concrete with a density between 800 and 1400 kg/m3 and
• Structural concrete with a density between 1400 kg/m3 and 2000 kg/m3.
Ultra-lightweight concrete/super lightweight concrete/ infra- lightweight concrete or low density
concrete with a dry density lower than 800 kg/m3.
Ultra-Lightweight Concrete
• Used for insulation purposes due to its very low thermal conductivity and very low
compressive strength (ranging from about 0.69 to 6.89 N/mm2).
High Performance Concrete

• ACI defined high-performance concrete as a concrete meeting special combinations of

performance and uniformity requirements that cannot always be achieved routinely using
conventional constituents and normal mixing, placing, and curing practice.

• Standards that conform to the high-performance concrete are enlisted below:

Strength gam In early age
Easy placement of the concrete
Permeability and density factors
 Heat of hydration
Long life and durability
Toughness and life term mechanical properties
Environmental concerns
• Normal strength concrete……………. 20 - 50 MPa
• High Strength Concrete……………..... 50- 100 MPa
• Ultra High Strength Concrete ………..100 -150 MPa
• Especial Concrete………………………> 150 MPa
• Reactive powder Concrete………….. 250 - 800 MPa Materials
Cement
• Cement composition and fineness play an Important role in achieving high strength of
concrete.
• The cement should be compatible with chemical admixtures to obtain the high-strength
• Experience has shown that low-CM cements generally produce concrete with improved
rheology
Materials
Aggregate
• Selection of right aggregates plays an important role for the design of high-strength
concrete mix.
• The low-water to cement ratio used in high-strength concrete makes the concrete denser
and the aggregate may become the weak link in the development of the mechanical strength.

• The concrete that mix and bathed in a central mixing plant is called as ready-mix
concrete.
• The mixed concrete is brought to the site with the help of a truck-mounted transit mixer.
• This once reached in the site can be used directly without any further treatment.
• The ready-mix concrete is very precise and specialty concrete can be developed based on
the specification with utmost quality.
• The ready-mix concrete is very precise and specialty concrete can be developed based on
the specification with utmost quality.
• The manufacture of these concrete will require a centralized mixing plant.
• If the transportation is too long then it will result in setting of concrete.
Use retarding agents that delays the setting
• While Ordering Ready Mixed Concrete Following Points is to be specified: Coarse
aggregate size, Slump, Air content.
• Basis for proportioning
Option A - Performance Based Ready Mixed Concrete
• Purchaser specifies compressive strength of concrete required and the concrete producer
selects mix proportions for the same.
Option B - Prescription Based Ready Mixed Concrete
• Purchaser Cement content, Water content, Admixture type and content.
Option C — Mixed Option Based
• Purchaser specifies compressive strength, cement content, admixture type and content for
the ready mix concrete.
• Concrete producer selects mix proportions for the same.
Ready Mix Concrete
Pumped concrete
• Pumped concrete is the concrete which is transported to heights by means of pumping
using concrete pumps.
• One of the main property of the concrete used in large mega construction especially for
the high-rise construction is the conveyance of the concrete to heights.
• The concrete that is used for pumping must be of adequate workability so that it is easily
conveyed through the pipe. The pipe used will be rigid or a flexible hose that will discharge the
concrete to the desired area.
• The concrete used must be fluid in nature with enough fine material as well as water to
fill up the voids.
• The more the finer material used, greater will be control achieved on the mix. The
grading of the coarse aggregate used must be continuous in nature.
• In modern times, large quantities of concrete can be transported by means of pumping
through pipelines over appreciable distances, often to locations that may not be easily accessible
by other means of delivery.
Polymer concrete
• Polymer concrete is a composite material in which the aggregate is bound together in a
matrix with a polymer binder.
• In some cases, the polymer may be used in addition to Portland cement to form Polymer
Cement Concrete or Polymer Modified Concrete.
• The production of polymer concrete will help in the reduction of volume of voids in the
aggregate.
reduce the amount of polymer that is necessary to bind the aggregates used.
maximum density.
• used for new construction or repairing of old concrete.
• The polymers are used in the concrete due to the following reasons:
Polymers improve the strength and durability of hardened concrete.
The chemical resistance and the impermeability of hardened concrete is increased.
The flow properties of fresh concrete can be modified based on the required
specifications.
The bond characteristics between old and new concrete can be improved.
i) impregnated polymer concretes
1. First a common concrete structure or product is cast
2. Drying
3. Vacuum treatment
4. Monomer is pressed into concrete at 3.5 atm pressure caused by nitrogen Applications
Bridges, concrete dams, and repair of corrosion damages
i) impregnated polymer concretes

ii) Polymer binder concretes (whole binder is polymer)

• aggregates of normal concretes 90- 95 %
• large number of different monomer variations
methyl meth acrylate + TMPTMA + benzoil
peroxide
o polyester resins
o vinyl ester resins
o epoxy resins
iii) Cement polymer concretes
Raw materials
• latex polymers
• epoxies
• elastomers
• polyester and acryl resins
• Geo-polymer concrete - is an innovative and ecofriendly construction material and an
alternative to Portland cement concrete.

• Use of geo-polymer reduces the demand of Portland cement which is responsible for high
C02 emission.
• Composition of Geo-polymer Concrete o Fly ash — A byproduct of thermal power plant
o GGBS — A byproduct of steel plant
o Fine aggregates and coarse aggregates as required for normal concrete.
o Alkaline activator solution
• Geo-polymer concrete
Historical Perspective
• BC horse Hair
• 1900 asbestos fibers, Hats check process
• 1920 Griffith, theoretical vs. apparent strength
• 1950 Composite materials
• 1960 FRC
• 1970 New Initiative for asbestos cement replacement
• 1970 SFRC, GFRC, PPFRC, Shotcrete
• 1990 micromechanics, hybrid systems, wood based fiber systems manufacturing
techniques, secondary reinforcement, HSC ductility issues, shrinkage crack control.
• 2000+ Structural applications, Code integration, New products.
• is concrete containing fibrous material which increases its structural integrity.
• It contains short discrete fibers that are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented.
• The fibres are generally o Much shorter than the dimensions of the concrete element
o Stronger and can elongate more than the matrix under tension
o Introduced in the matrix during the mixing of the Concrete.

Fibres
• Metallic (steel, stainless steel)
• Polymeric (polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, polyester, etc.)
• Carbon
• Mineral (glass, basalt)
• Naturally-occurring (sisal, cellulose, jute, coconut, etc.)
Types of Fibre

Used for
• Controlling plastic shrinkage cracking
• Increasing post-crack load-carrying capacity
• Increasing fire resistance (especially in high-strength concrete tunnel linings)
Applications include
• Industrial slabs and pavements
• Mine walls and waste disposal covers (shotcrete)
• Repair or plastering mortar
• Thin sheet and extruded products
Workability: tougher
Strength: The greatest advantage of fiber reinforcement of concrete is the improvement in
flexural toughness (total energy absorbed in breaking a specimen in flexure).
Durability:
• FRC is generally made with a high cement content and low water/cement ratio. When
well compacted and cured, concretes containing steel fibers seem
• To possess excellent durability as long as fibers remain protected by cement paste.
Mechanical properties
• Addition of fibers to concrete influences its mechanical properties which significantly
depend on the type and percentage of fiber.
• Fibers with end anchorage and high aspect ratio were found to have improved
effectiveness.
Compressive Strength
• The presence of fibers may alter the failure mode of cylinders, but the fiber effect will be minor
on the improvement of compressive strength values (0 to 15 percent).
Modulus of Elasticity
• Modulus of elasticity of FRC increases slightly with an increase in the fibers content.
• It was found that for each I percent increase in fiber content by volume there is an
increase of 3 percent in the modulus of elasticity
Flexure
• The flexural strength was reported to be Increased by 2.5 times using 4 percent fibers.
Toughness
• For FRC, toughness is about 10 to 40 times that of plain concrete.
Splitting Tensile Strength
• The presence of 3 percent fiber by volume was reported to increase the splitting tensile strength
of mortar about 2.5 times that of the unreinforced one.
Fatigue Strength
• The addition of fibers increases fatigue strength of about 90 percent and 70 percent of the static
strength at 2 x 106 cycles for non-reverse and full reversal of loading, respectively.
Impact Resistance
• The impact strength for fibrous concrete is generally 5 to 10 times that of plain concrete
depending on the volume of fiber.
Self-compacting concrete

What is self compacting concrete?

• A concrete that is capable of flowing within a mold or formwork, filling it completely,

passing through the reinforcement and consolidating under its own weight.
What is self compacting concrete?
Self-compacting Concrete was first developed in Japan in the year 1980.
Prof H. Okamura of University of Tokyo, Japan; responsible mainly for initiating and initial
development of this concrete.
Mechanisms of achieving self compaction
Comparison of SCC Over Normal Concrete

Materials Cement: opc Aggregates:

• Agg. of size ltd. to 20mm.
• Congested Reinforcement: 10 to 12mm • Well graded cubical or rounded aggregates.
• FA can be either natural or manufactured and of uniform grade
• Particle sizes < 0.125mm are considered as fines
Water: It must be of the same quality used for that of RC or Pre stressed concrete.
Chemical Admixtures:
• The new generation super plasticizers termed as poly carboxylated ethers is particularly
used.
• Air Entraining Agents: To improve Freeze-Thaw resistance • Retarders: To control setting
time Mineral Admixtures:
• GGBS. To improve Rheological Properties.
• Fly ash: To improve the quality and durability.
• Silica Fumes: To improve Mechanical Properties.
• Stone Powder: To increase the powder content Self-compactability
• Flowability or filling ability
• Passing ability
Stability or resistance against segregation The mechanisms that govern these properties am (be
and internal cohesion of the fresh concrete.
Limiting proportions of ingredients by weight

Exercise VI
Read and write more about the following Special concrete construction techniques in group:
1. Under water concrete
2. Foam concrete
3. Hot and cold weather concrete
4. Bacterial concrete
5. Polymer concrete
6. Pumped concrete
7. Sprayed concrete

Thank you!!