Advanced Concrete
Modern construction demands concretes that possess properties beyond those of
ordinary concrete. These specialized concretes are known as Advanced Concretes
or Special Concretes. They are developed by modifying the ingredients, mix
proportions, or production techniques to achieve specific engineering
requirements such as:
• Higher strength
• Reduced weight
• Improved durability
• Better workability
• Faster construction
• Greater resistance to environmental effects
1. Plum concrete: - Plum concrete is plain concrete in which large stones (usually 150 mm
to 300 mm in size) are added to reduce the amount of cement and coarse aggregate required.
These stones are partially embedded in the freshly laid concrete mix.
Composition
• Cement: Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) or PPC
• Fine aggregate: Sand
• Coarse aggregate: Gravel or crushed stone
• Plums: Large stones or boulders (occupy up to 30–40% of the total volume)
• Water: As per mix design
Purpose / Uses
Plum concrete is mainly used for mass filling where strength requirements are low but large
volume filling is needed. Common uses include:
• Filling deep foundations or trenches
• Bridge foundations
• Gravity retaining walls
• Dam foundations
• Massive footings
• Machine foundationsLevelling uneven ground before laying footing
2. Light Weight Concrete: - Lightweight concrete is concrete having a density less than
2000 kg/m³, produced by using lightweight aggregates or by creating air voids.
Its main advantages are reduced structural load, better thermal insulation, and improved fire
resistance. Lightweight concrete is used in structural applications when a minimum strength
is met, as well as in non-structural forms for insulation purposes. Basically, there is only one
method for making concrete light i.e., by the inclusion of air in concrete. This is achieved in
actual practice by three different ways.
(a) By replacing the usual mineral aggregate by cellular porous or light-weight aggregate.
(b) By introducing gas or air bubbles in mortar. This is known as aerated concrete.
(c) By omitting sand fraction from the aggregate. This is called ‘no-fines’ concrete.
Advantages
• Reduces structural load
• Economical foundations
• Earthquake resistant
• Easy handling
• Better thermal insulation
Disadvantages
• Lower compressive strength
• Higher water absorption
• Higher cost of lightweight aggregates
• More difficult quality control
Applications
• High-rise buildings
• Roof slabs
• Partition walls
• Bridge decks
• Precast blocks
• Floating structures
3. High Strength Concrete: - Concrete is generally classified as Normal Strength Concrete
(NSC), High Strength Concrete (HSC) and Ultra High Strength Concrete (UHSC). There are
no clear boundary for the above classification.
Indian Standard Recommended Methods of Mix Design denotes the boundary at 35 MPa
between NSC and HSC. They did not talk about UHSC.
Generally, High Strength Concrete is concrete having compressive strength greater than
60 MPa at 28 days.
Typical range: 60–120 MPa
Ultra-high strength concrete: Above 120 MPa
There are special methods of making high strength concrete. They are given below.
(a) Seeding
(b) Re-Vibration
(c) High speed slurry mixing
(d) Use of admixtures
(e) Inhibition of cracks
(f) Sulphur impregnation
(g) Use of cementitious aggregates.
➢ Seeding: This involves adding a small percentage of finely ground, fully hydrated
Portland cement to the fresh concrete mix.
➢ Re-vibration: Concrete undergoes plastic shrinkage. Mixing water creates continuous
capillary channels, bleeding, and water accumulates at some selected places. All these
reduce the strength of concrete. Controlled Re-vibration removes all these defects and
increases the strength of concrete.
➢ High Speed slurry mixing: This process involves the advance preparation of cement
water mixture which is then blended with aggregate to produce concrete. Higher
compressive strength obtained is attributed to more efficient hydration of cement
particles and water achieved in the vigorous blending of cement paste.
➢ Use of Admixtures: Use of water reducing agents are known to produce increased
compressive strengths.
➢ Inhibition of cracks: Concrete fails by the formation and propagation of cracks. If the
propagation of cracks is inhibited, the strength will be higher. Replacement of 2– 3% of
fine aggregate by polythene or polystyrene “lenticules” 0.025 mm thick and 3 to 4 mm in
diameter results in higher strength. They appear to act as crack arresters without
necessitating extra water for workability. Concrete cubes made in this way have yielded
strength up to 105 MPa.
➢ Sulphur Impregnation: Satisfactory high strength concrete has been produced by
impregnating low strength porous concrete by sulphur. The process consists of moist
curing the fresh concrete specimens for 24 hours, drying them at 120°C for 24 hours,
immersing the specimen in molten sulphur under vacuum for 2 hours and then releasing
the vacuum and soaking them for an additional ½ hour for further infiltration of sulphur.
The sulphur-infiltrated concrete has given strength up to 58 MPa.
➢ Use of Cementitious aggregates: It has been found that use of cementitious aggregates
has yielded high strength. Cement fondu is kind of clinker. This glassy clinker when finely
ground results in a kind of cement. When coarsely crushed, it makes a kind of aggregate
known as ALAG. Using Alag as aggregate, strength up to 125 MPa has been obtained with
water/cement ratio 0.32.
Characteristics
• High compressive strength
• High durability
• Dense microstructure
• Low permeability
• High abrasion resistance
Advantages
• Smaller columns
• Longer spans
• Lower maintenance
• Higher durability
• Better resistance against aggressive environments
Disadvantages
• Higher cost
• Difficult quality control
• Higher heat of hydration
• Brittle failure
• Requires skilled workmanship
Applications
• High-rise buildings
• Bridges
• Offshore structures
• Nuclear plants
• Prestressed concrete
• Industrial structures
4. Self-Compacting Concrete: - Self-Compacting Concrete is highly flowable concrete
that flows under its own weight, completely fills formwork, passes through congested
reinforcement, and achieves full compaction without vibration.
Self-compacting concrete is a mix that expels entrapped air without vibration and that
travels round obstacles, such as reinforcement, to fill space within the formwork. In
addition, self-compacting concrete overcomes poor accessibility near prestressing
tendons and anchorages and has advantages of reduced noise level and reduced health
effects on operators using hand-held vibrators. Self-compacting concrete is very useful for
heavily reinforced members of any shape with bottlenecks, both in precast concrete and
in-situ, and for casting concrete sculptures. The only limitation is that the top surface must
be horizontal.
The benefits of self-compacting concrete are: -
• Faster construction
• Reduction in site manpower
• Better surface finish
• Easier placing
• Improved durability
• Greater freedom in design
• Thinner concrete sections
• Reduced noise level
• Safer working environment.
Applications
• Heavily reinforced members
• Complex formwork
• Bridge piers
• Tunnel linings
• High-rise buildings
• Precast concrete
The main characteristics of SCC are the properties in the fresh state. The mix design is
focussed on the ability to flow under its own weight without vibration, the ability to flow
through heavily congested reinforcement under its own weight, and the ability to retain
homogeneity without segregation. The workability of SCC is higher than “very high” degree
of workability mentioned in 15 456: 2000. A concrete mix can only be classified as self-
complicating if it has the following characteristics. Filling ability, Passing ability,
Segregation resistance etc.
5. Ready Mix Concrete: -
Ready Mixed Concrete is concrete manufactured in a central batching plant under controlled
conditions and transported to the construction site in a transit mixer.
Instead of being batched and mixed on site, concrete is delivered for placing from a central
plant, it is referred to as ready-mixed or pre-mixed concrete. This type of concrete is used
extensively as it offers numerous advantages in comparison with orthodox methods of
manufacture.
a. Close quality control of batching which reduces the variability of the desired
properties of hardened concrete.
b. Use on congested sites or in highway construction where there is little space for a
mixing plant and aggregate stockpiles
c. Use of agitator trucks to ensure care in transportation, thus preventing segregation
and maintaining workability.
d. Convenience when small quantities of concrete or intermittent placing is required.
Advantages
• Consistent quality
• Better workability
• Faster construction
• Less labor
• Reduced material wastage
• Better quality control
• Environment friendly
Disadvantages
• Transportation time limitation
• Traffic delays affect quality
• Requires continuous supply
• Higher initial cost for small projects
Applications
• High-rise buildings
• Highways
• Airports
• Bridges
• Hydropower projects
• Industrial buildings
• Commercial complexes
6. Shotcrete and Guniting: -
Shotcrete is concrete that is pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface, and
it can be applied using either a wet-mix process (where water and all ingredients are mixed
beforehand) or a dry-mix process (where water is added at the nozzle). This method allows
for quick application and is efficient for complex shapes, as it requires less formwork and
bonds well with most substrates. Shotcrete is used in new construction and repairs for
applications like bridges, tunnels, pools, and complex structural elements.
Uses
• Construction: Building structures, dams, and hydraulic structures.
• Repairs: Repairing existing concrete structures.
• Complex shapes: Artificial rock walls, zoo enclosures, and pools.
• Tunnelling: Lining tunnel walls to prevent leaks and fragmentation.
Guniting is a construction method that involves spraying a dry mix of cement and sand
onto a surface at high velocity, with water added at the nozzle. This process creates a
dense, high-strength concrete used for repairing existing structures or building new ones
on complex shapes and surfaces like tunnels, bridges, and swimming pools.
Advantages
• Versatility: It can be applied to any shape, including curves and undulating surfaces.
• Speed: The dry mix process is quick and can be prepared on short notice, making it
economical for many applications.
• Strength: The high-velocity application results in a dense, high-strength, and durable
material.
• Repairs: It is ideal for repairing damaged concrete structures like bridges and dams.
Applications
• Tunnel lining
• Swimming pools
• Retaining walls
• Canal lining
• Dam repair
• Slope stabilization
• Concrete repair
• Underground structures
Difference between Shotcrete and Guniting
Feature Shotcrete Guniting
Material Concrete or mortar Mortar only
Aggregate Fine and coarse Fine only
Process Dry or wet Dry only
Strength Higher Lower
Applications Structural repair Surface repair