Technical Specifications

SECTION 03100
CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE

PART 1 – GENERAL

1.1 SCOPE OF WORK

The WORK includes furnishing all labor, materials, equipment and

incidentals necessary for the construction of all concrete work.

1.2 RELATED SECTIONS

Other Sections of the Specifications shall also apply to the extent

required for proper performance of this Work.

Section 03200 Concrete Reinforcement

1.3 SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS

Except as otherwise indicated, the current editions of the following

Standards apply to the WORK of this Section:

ASTM C31 Making and Curing Concrete Test

Specimens in the Field

ASTM C33 Concrete Aggregates

ASTM C39 Compressive Strength of Cylindrical

Concrete Specimens

ASTM C42 Obtaining and Testing Drilled Cores and

Sawed Beams

ASTM C94 Ready-mixed Concrete

ASTM C143 Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete

ASTM C150 Portland Cement

ASTM C347 Recommended Practice for Concrete

Formwork, US Corps of Engineers CRD C-
572

ASTM C494 Chemical Admixtures for Concrete

ASTM C805 Rebound Number of Hardened Concrete

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1.4 SUBMITTALS

A. Samples as required by the applicable Reference Standards and in

accordance with Part 3 – EXECUTION of this Specification.

1.5 QUALITY ASSURANCE

The Contractor is responsible for the performance of all tests and

inspection required by this Standard Specification. However, the Owner
reserves the right to perform any or all prescribed tests and inspection
where such is deemed necessary to ensure that delivered materials
conform to the specifications, and shall be paid for by the Contractor.
The Contractor shall furnish the Owner certified copies of records
showing that each material has been pre-tested, and complied with all
applicable requirements of this Standard. The Contractor shall, at his
own expense, replace all rejected materials for failure to comply with this
Specification.

PART 2 – PRODUCTS

2.1 MATERIALS

A. Cement: Cement shall be Portland Cement conforming to ASTM

C150, Type I, as follows:

Table 1- Physical Requirements of Cement

Test Requirement
Compressive Strength for ages indicated, min.
3 days 12.0 MPa
7 days 19.0 MPa
Time Setting by Vicat Method
Initial Set, minimum 45 minutes
Final Set, maximum 375 minutes
Fineness, by turbidimeter test, minimum 160 m²/kg

B. Aggregates

1. Fine Aggregate: Fine aggregate shall be washed inert natural

sand conforming to ASTM C33, and shall range in size from
coarse to fine within the following limits of US Standard sieve
sizes:

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Table 2- Grading Requirements for Fine Aggregates

Sieve Designation Per Cent (%) Passing
9.5 mm (3/8) 100
4.75 mm (No. 4) 95-100
2.36 mm (No. 8) 80-100
1.18 mm (No. 16) 50-85
0.60 mm (No. 30) 25-60
0.300 mm (No. 50) 5-30
0.150 mm (No. 100) 0-10
0.075 mm (No. 200) 0-3

2. Coarse Aggregate: Coarse aggregate shall be well graded crushed

stone or washed gravel conforming to ASTM C33, size No. 67 as
follows:

Table 3 – Grading Requirements for Coarse Aggregates

Sieve Designation Weight Per Cent Passing
25 mm (1”) 100
19.0 mm (3/4) 90-100
9.5 mm (3/8) 20-55
4.75 mm (N0. 4) 0-10
2.36 mm (No. 8) 0-5
0.075 mm (No. 200) 0-1

3. Water: Water used in mixing, curing or other designated application

shall be reasonably clean and free of oil, salt, acid, alkali, grass or
other substances injurious to the finished product.

4. Admixtures

▪ Admixtures conforming to ASTM C494 may be used upon

approval of the Engineer in writing, to control the time setting, to
effect water reduction and to increase workability. Proportioning
and mixing shall be as recommended by the manufacturer.

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▪ The admixture may be a hydroxylated carboxylic acid type or a

hydroxylated polymer type, but shall contain no calcium chloride.
The use of an admixture shall not change the required quantities
of cement specified under Table 4 of this Section.

▪ The total air entrained measured at the discharge from the truck
shall be 3.0 per cent maximum for finished slabs and 3.5 to 5.0
per cent for all other concrete.

2.2 QUALITY OF CONCRETE

A. Before placing any concrete, the Contractor shall discuss with the
Engineer the source of materials and concrete he proposes to use.
Samples of aggregate and cement shall be furnished to the Engineer
for testing.

B. The Contractor shall submit to the Engineer, his proposed design mix
for evaluation.

C. Compressive strength, water-cement ratio and cement factor

specified in Table 4 shall apply for regular and pumped concrete:

Table 4 – Concrete Quality Requirements

Requirements
Test
Concrete Fill All Structural
Concrete
Minimum Compressive Strength at 28 17.0 21.0
days (Mpa) (Verify Drawings)
Maximum Net Water Content 62.0 53.0
(liters/100kg cement)
Minimum Cement Content (kg/m³) 260 330
Total Air Content (%) 3.5 – 5.0 3.5 – 5.0
Concrete Temp., Max. ( °C) 32 32

D. Consistency of the concrete as measured in accordance with ASTM

C143 shall be as shown in Table 5.

No excessively wet concrete will be permitted. Concrete delivered to

the site having a slump more than that specified herein will be
rejected.

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Table 5 – Concrete Consistency

Slump (mm)
Type of Structure
Recommended Range
Pavement and Slabs on Ground 50 25-75
Plain footings, gravity walls, slabs and 50-75 25-100
beams
Heavy reinforced foundation walls and 75-100 50-125
footings
Thin reinforced walls and columns 100 75-125

2.3 FORMS

A. Forms shall be made of either steel or new lumber approved by the

Engineer and shall be free from roughness and imperfections,
substantially watertight, adequately braced and tied to prevent
movement when concrete is placed and vibrated. No wooden
spreaders will be allowed in the concrete. Forms shall be thoroughly
cleaned before using and shall be treated with non-staining oil or
other approved material and allowed to dry before placement of the
reinforcing steel.

B. Form ties in concrete exposed to view shall be the cone-washer type.

Throughbolts or common wire shall not be used for form ties.

C. Molding or bevels shall be built into the forms to produce a 20-mm

chamfer on all exposed projecting corners.

D. Forms for walls shall have removable panels at the bottom for
cleaning, inspection and scrubbing-in of bonding paste.

PART 3 - EXECUTION

3.1 MIXING CONCRETE

A. Ready-mixed or transit-mixed concrete shall conform to ASTM C94.

The concrete supplier shall furnish to the Engineer for his approval,
the dry proportions to be used, with evidence that these will produce
concrete of the quality specified.

B. Ready-mixed or transit-mixed concrete shall be transported to the site

in watertight agitator or mixer trucks. Discharge at the site shall be
within one (1) hour after the cement was first introduced into the mix.
Retempering (i.e. mixing with or without additional cement, aggregate
or water) of the concrete, which has partially hardened, will not be
permitted.

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3.2 PLACING OF CONCRETE

A. All debris, dirt and water shall be removed from the forms. Forms,
reinforcement steel, pipes, conduits, sleeves, anchors and other
embedded items shall be inspected and approved by the Engineer
before placing any concrete. The Contractor shall advise the
Engineer of his readiness to proceed at least 12 hours before each
placement of concrete.

B. The surfaces of previously placed concrete, such as vertical or

horizontal construction joints, shall be roughened, cleaned of foreign
matter and laitance, and saturated with water.

Immediately before the new concrete is placed, all hardened surfaces

shall receive a thorough coating of neat cement grout at least 5 mm
thick which shall be well scrubbed in by means of stiff bristle brushes.
The new concrete then shall be placed before the grout sets up.

Concrete shall be uniformly placed during the process of depositing

until the completion of the layer to maintain an approximately
horizontal plastic surface. The rate of placing concrete in forms shall
not exceed o.60 meter of vertical rise per hour. The spreading of
mounds of concrete with vibrator or by shoveling will not be
permitted.

C. Concrete shall not be placed in water or stay submerged within 24

hours after placing, except for curing nor shall running water be
permitted to flow over concrete surfaces within four days after the
placing of concrete.

D. Chutes for conveying concrete shall be of U-shaped metal and

provided with a baffle plate at the end. Chutes shall be placed at an
angle of not less than 25 degrees, nor more than 45 degrees from
horizontal and shall be kept clean and free from hardened concrete.
Maximum length of chute to be traveled by plastic concrete shall not
be more than 1.50 meters.

E. In thin walls or columns of considerable height, the concrete shall be

placed in such a manner as to prevent segregation and accumulation
of hardened concrete on the forms or the reinforcement steel located
above the concrete mass. Free fall of concrete shall not be permitted
to exceed 1.50 meters below the ends of hoppers, chutes, ducts,
tremies, or “windows” in wall forms, without approval of the Engineer.

F. Where waterstop type construction joints are provided, the concrete

shall be properly worked by rodding and vibrating around the
waterstops to produce watertight joints, before any concrete is poured
on the upper surfaces, particularly in the case of horizontal
waterstops in slabs.

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Waterstops shall be accurately positioned and securely held in place,

and shall be protected at all times to prevent damage or
displacement. Any damage to, or displacement of waterstops shall
be corrected by the Contractor to the satisfaction of the Engineer.

3.3 TAMPING AND VIBRATING

A. During and immediately after placing the concrete, compaction shall

be carried out by experienced operators using high-speed internal
mechanical vibrators. Care shall be taken to ensure that vibration is
continued long enough to produce optimum consolidation without
segregation of the aggregates or migration of air.

B. At least one vibrator shall be used for every eight cubic meters of
concrete placed per hour. One spare vibrator in operating condition
shall be available on the site.

C. Vibrators shall be supplemented with proper wooden spade, puddling

adjacent to forms and rodding around embedded fixtures, to remove
trapped air bubbles and to prevent honeycombing.

3.4 CURING AND PROTECTION

A. All concrete work shall be properly cured. Details of the Contractor’s

curing procedures and curing compounds intended to be used shall
be subject to the approval of the Engineer.

B. All exposed surfaces including finished surfaces shall be treated

immediately after concrete has been poured, to provide continuous
moist curing for at least 7 days. Walls and vertical surfaces may be
covered with continuously saturated burlap or kept moist by other
approved means. Horizontal surfaces, slabs, etc. shall be ponded to
a depth of 15mm or kept continuously wet by means of sprinklers or
other approved methods.

C. Formed surfaces shall be thoroughly soaked with water at least twice

each day until the forms are removed. Curing shall continue as
specified above.

D. Where finishing of concrete surfaces is performed before the end of

the curing period, the concrete shall not be permitted to dry out and
shall be kept continuously damp by means of a fog of water from the
time the concrete has been placed until the end of the curing period.

E. The Contractor shall protect all concrete work against injury from the
elements and defacements of any nature during construction
operations.

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3.5 REMOVAL OF FORMS

A. The Contractor shall not remove any forms for at least 48 hours or
until the concrete has attained a strength of at least 30 per cent of the
ultimate 28-day strength. This is equivalent to approximately 50-day-
degrees of moist curing. Day degree represents the total number of
days times the average daily air temperature in °C at the surface of
the concrete, e.g. 2 days at an average temperature of 25°C equals
50 day-degrees.

B. Forms for beams and slabs shall not be stripped for at least 150-day
degrees and supports shall not be removed until the concrete has
attained at least 60% of the specified 28-day strength and is capable
of safely supporting its own weight. Construction live loads shall not
be placed upon it until the concrete has attained its specified 28-day
strength.

C. Removal of forms shall be in accordance with ACI – 347. Forms shall

be stripped such that they will not damage the concrete. No forms
shall be removed until the concrete has gained sufficient strength to
support itself. The Contractor is responsible for the safety of all
structures.

3.6 REPAIR OF DEFECTIVE CONCRETE

A. Defective or honeycombed areas, as determined by the Engineer,

shall be chipped down to at least 25mm deep into sound concrete by
means of chisels or chipping hammers. If honeycombs exist around
reinforcement steel a clear space, at least 10mm wide shall be
chipped all around the steel.

B. For areas less than 40mm deep, the patch may be made as in filling
form-tie holes.

C. Thicker repairs will require build-up in successive 40mm deep layers

on successive days, and each layer shall be applied with neat cement
pastes.

D. For very deep patches, a non-shrink aggregate, with or without the

addition of pea gravel, may be the used subject to the approval of the
Engineer. The materials shall be mixed as recommended by the
manufacturer of the non-shrink aggregate or as directed by the
Engineer.

Where a metallic non-shrink aggregate is utilized, the final 15mm of

the patch shall be composed of 1 to 1-1/2 cement / sand mortar
without the non-shrink aggregate to prevent rust staining of the
surface. After hardening, the patch shall be rubbed as for filling form-
tie voids, in accordance with Section 33010, Rubbed Finish.

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E. All exposed concrete surfaces and adjoining work stained by spilling

or leakage of concrete shall be cleaned to the satisfaction of the
Engineer.

3.7 INSPECTION

Installation of reinforcing steel, pipes, sleeves, anchors and other

embedded items, batching, mixing, transportation, placing, curing and
finishing of concrete shall at all times be subject to the inspection of the
Engineer. No concrete shall be placed without he prior approval of the
Engineer.

3.8 FIELD CONTROL

A. Sets of six (6) cylinder specimens shall be taken at random by the

Contractor in the presence of the Engineer in accordance with ASTM
C31. One (1) set per 50 cubic meters of concrete, or fraction thereof,
poured during the day shall be made for the compressive strength
test.

At least one set of samples for strength test shall be made for each
class of concrete.

B. Two (2) cylinders shall be tested after 7 days and two cylinders after
28 days. Should the average strength of the 28-day test specimens
be less than the specified value, a verification test shall be conducted
on the remaining two (2) cylinder samples, after 28 to 45 days.
Compressive tests shall be in accordance with ASTM C39 and shall
be performed by a laboratory engaged by the Owner. Testing fees
shall be paid by the Contractor.

C. The Contractor shall assist, cooperate and provide the concrete for
the test cylinders and such auxiliary personnel and equipment
needed to take the test specimens.

D. Ready-mixed concrete shall be sampled and tested in accordance

with the following methods.

Table 9 – Sampling and Test Methods for Ready-Mixed Concrete

Sampling/Test Method Applicable ASTM Standard

Compressive Test Specimens C31

Compression Tests C39

Yield, Unit Weight C138

Air Content C138/C173/C231

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Sampling Fresh Concrete C172

Temperature C1064

3.9 FIELD TESTING

A. Should the average strength of the verification test specimens be less

than the specified value, the Engineer may take further core samples
from the portion of the structure which was determined by the
Engineer to represent the deficient 28-day/verification test
specimens.

B. If the strength of any core samples is less than the minimum

requirements shown in Table 4, the Contractor shall strengthen or
replace the portions of the structure concerned at no additional cost
and to the satisfaction of the Engineer.

C. The Contractor shall also deduct from payments otherwise due to

him, the actual cost to the Owner for taking all core samples
extracted from that portion of the Work.

D. Slump tests, temperature and entrained air measurements shall be

made when specimens for strength tests are taken and during
placement of concrete, as often as necessary for control checks. If
measured slump or air content falls outside the specified limits, a
check test shall be made immediately on another portion of the same
composite sample. In the event of a second failure, the concrete
shall be considered to have failed the requirements of the
specification and the whole batch shall be rejected.

3.10 BASIS OF ACCEPTANCE / REJECTION

Final acceptance of all concrete will be based on satisfactory results of

compressive strength tests.

Strength tests representing each class of concrete must meet the

following two requirements:

▪ The average of any three consecutive strength tests shall be equal to,
or greater than the specified strength.

▪ No individual strength strength test shall be more than 15% below the
specified strength.

Except as provided below, acceptance criteria will be as outlined in

ASTM C94 and ACI 318. Concrete which achieves the required
compressive strength will be accepted as satisfactory for payment
provided placement, finish and tolerance meet the specified
requirements.

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Concrete with average strength deficient by not more than fifteen per
cent (15%) of the required strength may be accepted, subject to cost
reduction given in the following schedule:

Per Cent (%) Deficiency Per Cent (%) of

In Average Strength Unit Price Reduction

Less than 3 0

0 to less than 5 15

5 to less than 10 30

10 to 15 40

more than 15 100

Concrete represented by test results wherein the average strength

indicated a deficiency of not more than fifteen percent (15%) but with an
individual test deficient by more than fifteen percent (15%) will not be
eligible for payment but may be accepted or ordered replaced at the
discretion of the Engineer.

Concrete represented by compressive strength tests that fail to achieve

the required strength as specified, shall be liable to rejection and
subsequent removal and replacement.

However, if any strength tests falls below the specified value by more
than 15%, or an individual test is deficient by more than 15%, and load
carrying capacity has been significantly reduced, tests of cores drilled
from the area in question may be required in accordance with ASTM
C42, wherein L/D ratio is not less than 1.25 prior to capping. In such
cases, three (3) cores shall be taken for each strength test more than
15% below the required value.

If concrete in the structure will be dry under service conditions, cores

shall be air dried for 7 days before test and shall be tested dry. If
concrete in the structure will be more than superficially wet under service
conditions, cores shall be immersed in water for at least 40 hours and be
tested wet.

Concrete in an area represented by core tests shall be considered

structurally adequate if the average of three (3) cores is equal to at least
85% of the specified strength, and if no single core is less than 75% of
the minimum requirement. Additional testing of cores extracted from
locations represented by erratic core strength results shall be permitted.

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Acceptance and subsequent payment of concrete in question shall be

based on the results of such tests, provided the complete operation has
been supervised by the Engineer.

Rebound hammer test (ASTM C805) may be carried out by the

Contractor prior to drilling core samples from structure in question, but
the results of such rebound tests shall not be used as basis for
acceptance or rejection of the concrete.

** END OF SECTION **

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