Advanced Concrete Technology 1

 Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete and Tests for modulus of Elasticity

 Water cement ratio and Workability
 Compaction and curing and their effects on strength
 Additives and admixture for concrete
 Durability of concrete and factors affecting it , Alkali – Silica reaction
 Non Destructive Testing of Concrete structure
 Quality Control and Inspection
 Cracks in Concrete
 Repair of concrete
Additives and admixtures for concrete 2

 Admixtures are the substances which are added in the concrete

in addition to its ingredients to enhance its performance.

 to accelerate or retard setting and hardening.

 to improve workability.
 to increase strength.
 to improve durability.
 to decrease permeability.
 to impart other desired properties.
 Types of admixtures 3

Chemical admixtures Mineral Admixtures

Air entraining agents Fly ash

Accelerating admixtures Silica fume

Set retarding admixtures Rice husk ash

Plasticizers Ground granulated blast furnace slag

(ggbfs)
Superplasticizers
Mineral admixtures
4

 Fly ash

 Fine coal ashes produced by the burning of coal

 It is precipitated as a by product of exhaust fumes of coal fired

power stations. It is very finely divided and reacts with calcium
hydroxide present in the cement in the presence of moisture to
form a cementitious material. It tends to increase the strength of
cement at ages over 28 days.
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cross section of fly ash particles at 750x

magnification
Chemical composition 6
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10% of global CO2

from cement

Approx. 900 kg for

every 1000 kg of
cement
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 Silica fume
9
 Silica fume, also known as microsilica

 Ultrafine powder – Non crystalline

 Collected as by-product of silicon and

ferrosilicon alloy production

Silica fume particles viewed in a transmission electron

microscope
 Silica fume properties 10

 Pozzolanic material

 Spherical particles

 Avg particle size = 150 nm

 100 times smaller than cement particle

 Lighter than cement (sp. gr. 2.2 compared to 3.15)

 Collection 11

It is recovered from electric furnaces

by means of dust collectors from the
waste gas emitted during the
production of ferro-silicon alloys or
silicon metals.
Silica fume 12
Components of CementComparison of Chemical and Physical
Characteristicsa

Portland Silica
Property Fly ash
Cement Fume

SiO2 content (%) 21.9 52 85–97

Al2O3 content (%) 6.9 23 —

Fe2O3 content (%) 3 11 —

CaO content (%) 63 5 <1

MgO content (%) 2.5 — —

SO3 content (%) 1.7 — —

Specific gravity 3.15 2.38 2.22

Initial usage 13

 For environmental reasons – removal from flue gases

 Utilization of captured silica fume

 Norway – 1952, Tunnel in Oslo

 15% cement replacement

 Major countries = Norway, Canada, USA

Performance of Concrete 14

containing Silica fume

 Fresh concrete

 Viscosity of concrete increases

 Flowability decreases

 Reduced concrete slump – higher w/c

needed to maintain the slump (solution =
superplasticizer)
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 Amount of air entraining

agent increases

 Segregation decreases

 For 10% SF, no segregation,

no bleeding even for 15 to 20
cm slump.
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 Low heat generated

after two days
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 Outstanding compressive
strength

 Depend upon type, proportion

and curing

 High strength due to Low w/c

and dense texture of concrete
Hardened concrete properties 18
 Durability 19

 Addition of silica fume also reduces the permeability of

concrete to chloride ions, which protects the reinforcing
steel of concrete from corrosion, especially in chloride-rich
environments such as coastal regions and those of humid
continental roadways and runways (because of the use
of deicing salts) and saltwater bridges.[11]
 Chemical Admixtures for Concrete 20

Air entraining agents

Accelerating admixtures

Set retarding admixtures

Plasticizers

Superplasticizers
Air entraining admixtures 21

 An air-entraining admixture is “ an admixture

that causes the development of a system of
microscopic air bubbles in concrete during its
mixing”
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 Entrained air vs entrapped air

 AE should always be required for concrete

subjected to
 FREEZING & THAWING
 DEICING CHEMICALS

 Highway pavements, Parking structure slabs, Bridge

decks, curbs and sidewalks
Materials for air entrainment 23

 Salts of wood resins

 Synthetic detergents
 Salts of petroleum acids
 Organic slats of sulfonated hydrocarbons

 Most available in liquid form

 Consult ASTM C 260 for selection and evaluation
of AEA.
Applications 24

 Presence of system of minute air bubbles

provide relief from pressure of freezing water.

 AE concrete should be used wherever concrete

contains absorbed moisture and is exposed to
freezing and thawing.
 Plasticizers or Water reducing 25

admixtures
 Water-reducing admixtures are used to reduce the quantity of
mixing water required to produce concrete of a certain slump,
reduce water-cement ratio, reduce cement content, or increase
slump.
 Typical water reducers reduce the water content by
approximately 5% to 10%.
 Adding a water-reducing admixture to concrete without
reducing the water content can produce a mixture with a higher
slump.
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Superplasticizers

 Superplasticizers, also known as high range water reducers, are

chemical admixtures used where well-dispersed particle
suspension is required.
 Superplasticizers 27

 A water reduction of 12% to 30% can be obtained through the

use of these admixtures.

 The reduced water content and water-cement ratio can

produce concretes with
 (1) ultimate compressive strengths in excess of 10,000 psi,
 (2) increased early strength gain, (
 3) other beneficial properties associated with low water-cement
ratio concrete
 Superplasticizers for SCC 28

 Plasticizers are essentially high-range water reducers

 These admixtures are added to concrete with a low-to-normal
slump and water-cement ratio to make high-slump flowing
concrete
 Flowing concrete is a highly fluid but workable concrete that
can be placed with little or no vibration or compaction while
still remaining essentially free of excessive bleeding or
segregation
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OA8Ar5JZq8
Polycarboxylate ether 29

superplasticizer
 New generation of superplasticizers

 Low dosages result in high reduction of water

 0.15-3%  40%
Working mechanisms 30

PCE's backbone, which is negatively charged, permits

the adsorption on the positively charged colloidal particles. As a
consequence of PCE adsorption, the zeta potential of the
suspended particles changes, due to the adsorpsion of the COO-
groups on the colloid surface. This displacement of the polymer on
the particle surface ensures to the side chains the possibility to exert
repulsion forces, which disperse the particles of the suspension and
avoid friction.
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 Silica fume 33

 It is highly active and combine with calcium hydroxide, the soluble

product of cement hydration, to form more calcium slicate hydrate. This is
the insoluble product of cement hydration. These are used to replace a
part of portland cement in concrete mixes.
 Air entraining agents 34

 These are probably the most commonly used admixtures at the

present time. They cause the entrainment of air in the form of
small dispersed bubbles.
 These improve workability and durability and reduce
segregation during placing.
 They decrease concrete strength because of increasing void
ratio. However this can be overcome by reduction of mixing
water without loss of workability.
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Accelerating admixtures

These are used to reduce setting time and accelerate early strength development of
concrete. Calcium chloride is the most widely used accelerator. Because it is cost
effective. But it should not be used in prestressed concrete. Because of its tendency
to promote corrosion of steel. Non-chloride, non corrosive accelerating admixtures
are also available.
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 Set retarding admixtures

 These are used to offset the accelerating effect of high ambient
temperatures.
 These are used to keep the concrete workable during the entire
placing period.
 This helps to eliminate cracking due to form deflection.
 These also keep concrete workable long enough that succeeding
lifts can be placed without the development of cold joints.
 Vibration 37

 Plasticizers
 Plasticizers are organic and inorganic compounds which are used to
reduce the water requirements of a concrete mix for a given slump.
Reduction in water demand may result in the reduction of water
cement ratio. This can also lead to increase in slump for the same
water cement ratio and cement content.
 Plasticizers work by reducing the interparticle forces that exist between
the cement grains. Thus increasing the paste fluidity.
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 Super plasticizers
 These are high range water reducing admixtures. These are used in high
strength concrete with a very low water cement ratio. They can be
used at higher dosage rates without slowing hydration process.
 The effects of water reducing admixtures vary with:
 different cement.
 change in water cement ratio.
 mixing temperature.
 ambient temperature.
 That is why trial batches are generally required to fix the dose of these
admixtures.