BACK TO BASICS

3A6 Concrete Technology

Dr. Roger P. West

November 2006
 Part A:
Basic Concepts and Site Practice
1. Introduction
2. Sampling Concrete Materials
3. Workability and Workability
Measurement
4. Strength Development and Strength
Measurement
5. Sampling, Slump Testing and Cube
Making
 1. Introduction:

Testing to ensure:
Concrete has been
specified, made and
transported correctly.
Quality satisfactory for
purpose intended.
2. Sampling Concrete Materials

Sampling: IS EN 12350-1.
Provide certificate.
Good equipment.
Take care / make representative.
Take from mixer or as close to discharge
as possible, or both.
1. Sample in middle section of load not ends (slump alternative).
2. At irregular times not evident to mixer operator.
3. Note appearance, stony, creamy, sandy etc..
Sampling
 3. Workability and Workability Testing

Objective is to produce a fully compacted concrete

without a loss of homogeneity or workability
Includes mixing, transporting, discharging, placing,
compacting and finishing

Problems:
Improper constituents (e.g. additional water)
Loss of workability prior to discharge (e.g.
segregation / slump loss)
Lack of compaction
Finishing problems (e.g. excessive bleeding)
Workability
Strongly associated with the slump test
Factors such as the fluidity, stability, pumpability,
compactability and finishability all affect the workability
These properties are affected by:
Design of mix
Adjustment to the mix constituents
Environmental Conditions:
Ambient and concrete temperature
Relative humidity and the air speed
Degree of agitation and friability of aggregrates
Elapsed time since mixing
EN206-1 uses concept of consistence
Plastic testing: Slump

Slump test: IS EN 12350-2.

 4. Strength Development and Strength
Measurement
Aggregates glued together by cement paste to
form concrete
Cement hydration is a chemical reaction which
requires water
Strength gain reflects degree of hydration
Strength gain depends on
Type of cement
Temperature history temperature and time
Curing
Admixtures
Factors Affecting Compressive Strength at 28
days
Aggregate content
Cement type and fineness
Water/cement ratio
Degree of compaction
Extent of curing
Temperature

Between 65 and 80% of 28 day strength at 7 days

Strength Measurement

100mm or 150mm cubes at 7 and 28 days

(note ratio 1:1 and square in plan)
300mm x 150mm cylinders at 7 and 28
days (note ratio 2:1 and circular in plan)
Other tests direct tension, bending and
cores
Non-destructive testing
Cube Making:

Cube making: IS EN 12390-2

Prime objectives
to achieve full compaction
avoid loss of moisture
keep at proper temperature when in curing tank
Use proper tools.
Advantage of cube shape is ease of making
accurate sides.
Effect of cube shape.
The Slump Test
Cube Making
 Part B:
Specifications and Non-Compliance
6. Cube Curing and Cube Testing
7. Specification and Compliance Slump
Classes and New Concrete Grades
8. Cube Reports and Cube Failures
6. Cube Curing and Cube Testing

Curing: IS EN 12390-3
De-mould when stability of cube allows.
Prevent loss of moisture before placing in
curing tank.
Loss in strength due to initial drying out is
unrecoverable.
No provision for in-situ cubes. BS1881 gives
method for temperature matched curing.
Cube curing
 Cube testing:

Cube test: IS EN 12380-3

Specification compliance.
Desirable properties enhanced by increasing
strength.
Effect of load rate, dry cubes.
Effects of different machines.
General variations.
Validity of uniaxial compression.
 7. Specification and Compliance

Consistence Classes
New Concrete Grades
Consistence Classes

Quantitative tests include the slump test, Vebe, degree of

compaction and flow table values according to ISEN
12350, Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively

Table 3 from ISEN206-1: Table 11 ISEN 206-1:

Slump classes Tolerances for target values of consistence
Class Slump in mm Target Value(mm) < 40 50 90 >100
Tolerance(mm) 10 20 30
S1 10 40
S2 50 - 90
S3 100 - 150
S4 160 - 210
S5 > 220
 Identity Testing

Extract from Table B-1, EN206 1: Identity criteria for slump

For samples taken in accordance For spot samples taken from initial
with I.S. EN 12350-1 discharge
Specified slump class Not less than Not more than Not less than Not more than
mm mm mm mm
S1 0 60 0 70
S2 40 110 30 120
S3 90 170 80 180
S4 150 230 140 240
S5 210 No requirement 200 No requirement
Specified target slump, Not more than the following from the specified target value
mm mm
< 40 -20 +30 -30 +40
50 to 90 -30 +40 -40 +50
> 100 -40 +50 -50 +60
Meeting Concrete Specification - Compliance

The delivery docket doesnt have to state the precise mix

proportions of the concrete if a product data sheet is accepted
The docket must declare that it conforms to the specification
in ISEN206-1. Other information such as time of batching
may be relevant, in the case of non-compliance (if the
concrete exceeds the consistence class tolerances)
The addition of water and admixtures is forbidden
In special circumstances, the producer can take responsibility
for adding water providing that:
the limiting values in the specification are not exceeded .
 Sampling for Assessing Conformity: Test Plan
Conformity assessed on site, in accordance with Table 13

Production Minimum rate of sampling

First 50 m3 of Subsequent to first 50 m3 of productiona
production
Concrete with Concrete without
production control production control
certification certification
3
Initial (until at least 35 test 3 samples 1/200 m or 1/150 m3 or
results are obtained) 2/production week 1/production day

Continuousb (when at least 1/400 m3 or

35 test results are available) 1/production week
a
Sampling shall be distributed throughout the production and should not be more than
1 sample within each 25 m3.
b
Where the standard deviation of the last 15 test results exceeds 1,37 , the sampling
rate shall be increased to that required for initial production for the next 35 tests results.
New Concrete Grades

Previously had 5 classes of exposure (mild,

moderate, severe, very severe, extreme) in IS326
(or BS8110), with a reasonable choice of grades
between 20 and 50 concrete.
Now in ISEN206, or Eurocode 2, have 18
exposure classes and only 5 grades in this range
(cube strengths 20, 30, 35, 37, 45MPa)
Specify cylinder/cube strengths as , for example,
C30/37.
ISEN206 NA Table X
 Exposure classes

No Carbonation-induced Chloride-induced corrosion Freeze/thaw attack Aggressive chemical environments

risk corrosion
of
corro
s-ion
or
attac
k

Sea water Chloride other

than sea water

X0 XC XC XC XC XS XS XS XD XD XD XF XF XF XF XA 1 XA 2 XA 3
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 4
--- 0.65 0.60 0.55 0.55 0.55 0.50 0.45 0.55 0.50 0.45 0.60 0.55 0.55 0.45 0.55 0.50 0.45
Maxi
mum
w/c
ratio

C12/1 C25/ C28/ C30/ C30/ C30/ C35/ C40/ C30/ C35/ C40/ C28/ C30/ C30/ C40/ C30/37 C35/45 C40/50
Minim 5 30 35 37 37 37 45 50 37 45 50 35 37 37 50
um

strengt
h
class

--- 280 300 320 320 320 360 400 320 360 400 300 320 320 400 320( 2 360 320 400 360
Minim 1) 8 (1), (2) (1) (2)
0 (3) (3)
um (2
cemen )
t
conten
t
(kg/m3
)

If less than (1) CEM I

Minim C40/50 use (2) Sulfate resisting cement
5.5% (10 agg.) (3) Use sulfate resisting cement
um 4.5% (14 agg.) if SO42 > 1400 mg/l
air 3.5% (20 agg.)
conten 3.0% (40 agg.)
 Criteria for cube failures

A strength (the characteristic 28-day strength) is

specified based on design the concrete Grade
In compression test, two tested cubes at 28 days =
one result
Provided difference between individual results is
within 15% of average
Running average of four cube results (for Grades <
50):
average of any 4 consecutive results must be
greater than characteristic + 3MPa (or N/mm 2)
Individual cube result:
every individual result must be greater than the
characteristic -3MPa
Concrete Cube Test Result Variability

Variability 28 day cube results have a

mean strength and a standard deviation
For an expected 5% defective level, the
target mean strength is the specified
characteristic strength plus 1.64 times the
standard deviation
Example

Grade 35 specified
Over 100 cube results available from site
Consider individual results and running group of
4 average
Consider percentage 7 vs 28 day results
Inspect histogram and calculate mean and standard
deviation
Ensure actual mean is greater than target mean
strength
Cube 7 28 28 28 day % diff. Ratio Runn- Comment
Ref. day day day Avge. Of 28d 7/28 % ing
A B C Avge
21 35.0 45.0 48.0 46.5 6.5 75 45.1 OK
22 32.0 43.0 42.5 42.8 1.1 75 44.7 OK
23 31.5 39.5 32.5 36.0 19.4 88 OMIT >15%

24 28.0 39.0 40.0 39.5 2.5 71 43.1 OK

25 32.0 37.5 42.5 39.8 12.7 80 42.2 OK
26 35.0 42.0 41.0 41.5 2.4 84 40.9 OK
27 23.0 28.5 31.0 29.8 8.4 77 37.7 Ind & Gp FAIL
28 20.5 25.5 25.5 25.5 0.0 78 34.2 Ind & Gp FAIL
29 17.5 33.0 31.5 32.3 4.6 54 32.3 Gp FAIL
30 25.5 34.5 30.5 32.5 10.7 78 30.0 Gp FAIL
31 37.8 44.5 - OMIT 1no. 28d

32 35.5 41.5 45.5 43.5 9.2 82 33.5 Gp FAIL

33 38.0 47.0 42.0 44.5 11.2 85 38.2 OK
34 37.5 44.5 41.5 43.0 7.0 87 40.9 OK
35 32.5 36.5 39.0 37.8 6.6 86 42.2 OK
 Actual Mean Compared to Target Mean
Compressive Strength

Characteristic =35MPa
Actual Mean = 40.2MPa
Standard Deviation = 4.65MPa

Target Mean Strength = Characteristic + 1.64 Standard Deviation

or
TMS of 35 + 1.64 x 4.65 = 42.6MPa > Actual Mean => PROBLEM !
Failure modes - Normal
Failure modes - Abnormal
Consequences of failure
In-situ testing,
methods, validity,
representative of
what?
Cost of delays, loss
in reputation.