Construction Quality Management

NCP 27 Prof.B.Ravinder

1.In the present situation in the international arena using only OPC in making concrete is considered as suicidal in relation to environment and sustainability. Explain the statement giving due thoughts to minerals admixtures.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions And Climate Change

The cement industry is one of two primary producers of carbon dioxide (CO2), creating up to 5% of worldwide man-made emissions of this gas, of which 50% is from the chemical process and 40% from burning fuel. The embodied carbon dioxide (ECO2) of one tonne of concrete is around 100 kg/tonne.

 The CO2 emission from the concrete production is directly proportional to the cement content used in the concrete mix. Indeed, 900 kg of CO2 are emitted for the fabrication of every ton of cement.

 Environmentally sustainable:
Concrete consists of between 7% and 15% cement, its only energy-intensive ingredient. A study comparing the CO2 emissions of several different building materials for construction of residential and commercial buildings found that concrete accounted for 147 kg of CO2 per 1000 kg used, metals accounted for 3000 kg of CO2 and wood accounted for 127 kg of CO2. The quantity of CO2 generated during the cement manufacturing process can be reduced by changing the raw materials used in its manufacture.

 A new environmentally friendly blend of cement known as Portland-limestone cement (PLC) is gaining ground all over the world. It contains up to 15% limestone, rather than the 5% in regular Portland cement and results in 10% less CO2 emissions from production with no impact on product performance. Concrete made with PLC performs similarly to concrete made with regular cement and thus PLC-based concrete can be widely used as a replacement. In Europe, PLC-based concrete has replaced about 40% of general use concrete. In Canada, PLC will be included in the National Building Code in 2010. The approval of PLC is still under consideration in the United States.

Mineral Admixtures And Blended Cements

 There are inorganic materials that also have pozzolanic or latent hydraulic properties. These very fine-grained materials are added to the concrete mix to improve the properties of concrete (mineral admixtures), or as a replacement for Portland cement (blended cements).

Fly Ash
A by-product of coal-fired electric generating plants, it is used to partially replace Portland cement (by up to 60% by mass). The properties of fly ash depend on the type of coal burnt. In general, siliceous fly ash is pozzolanic, while calcareous fly ash has latent hydraulic properties.

Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS or GGBS)

A by-product of steel production is used to partially replace Portland cement (by up to 80% by mass). It has latent hydraulic properties.

Silica Fume
A by-product of the production of silicon and ferrosilicon alloys. Silica fume is similar to fly ash, but has a particle size 100 times smaller. This results in a higher surface to volume ratio and a much faster pozzolanic reaction. Silica fume is used to increase strength and durability of concrete, but generally requires the use of super plasticizers for workability.

Chemical Admixtures

 Chemical admixtures are materials in the form of powder or fluids that are added to the concrete to give it certain characteristics not obtainable with plain concrete mixes. In normal use, admixture dosages are less than 5% by mass of cement and are added to the concrete at the time of batching/mixing.

 The common types of admixtures are as follows:

Accelerators :speed up the hydration Retarders: slow the hydration of concrete Air entrainments: add and entrain tiny air bubbles in the concrete Plasticizers: increase the workability of plastic or "fresh" concrete, lignosulfonate Super plasticizers: called high-range waterreducers Pigments: to change the color of concrete Corrosion inhibitors: are used to minimize the corrosion of steel and steel bars in concrete. Bonding agents :to create a bond between old and new concrete

2.State the major factors responsible for quality of concrete also stating the probable parameters that may cause variations in quality.

 Following are the important properties of fresh concrete Setting Workability Bleeding and Segregation Bleeding Segregation Hydration Air Entrainment

1. Setting of Concrete
The hardening of concrete before its hydration is known as setting of concrete. (OR) The hardening of concrete before it gains strength. (OR) The transition process of changing of concrete from plastic state to hardened state. Setting of concrete is based or related to the setting of cement paste. Thus cement properties greatly affect the setting time.

Factors Affecting Setting of Concrete

Following are the factors that affect the setting of concrete. 1. Water Cement ratio 2. Suitable Temperature 3. Cement content 4. Type of Cement 5. Fineness of Cement 6. Relative Humidity 7. Admixtures 8. Type and amount of Aggregate

2. Workability
Workability is often referred to as the ease with which a concrete can be transported, placed and consolidated without excessive bleeding or segregation. (OR ) The internal work done required to overcome the frictional forces between concrete ingredients for full compaction. It is obvious that no single test can evaluate all these factors. In fact, most of these cannot be easily assessed even though some standard tests have been established to evaluate them under specific conditions.

 In the case of concrete, consistence is sometimes taken to mean the degree of wetness; within limits, wet concretes are more workable than dry concrete, but concrete of same consistence may vary in workability. Because the strength of concrete is adversely and significantly affected by the presence of voids in the compacted mass, it is vital to achieve a maximum possible density. This requires sufficient workability for virtually full compaction to be possible using a reasonable amount of work under the given conditions. Presence of voids in concrete reduces the density and greatly reduces the strength: 5% of voids can lower the strength by as much as 30%.

 Factors affecting concrete workability: Water-Cement ratio Amount and type of Aggregate Amount and type of Cement Weather conditions Temperature Wind Chemical Admixtures Sand to Aggregate ratio

Bleeding and Segregation

3(a). Concrete Bleeding
Bleeding can be reduced by proper proportioning and uniform and complete mixing. Use of finely divided pozzolanic materials reduces bleeding by creating a longer path for the water to traverse. Air-entraining agent is very effective in reducing the bleeding. Bleeding can be reduced by the use of finer cement or cement with low alkali content. Rich mixes are less susceptible to bleeding than lean mixes.

 3(b). Segregation in concrete Segregation may be of three types

Coarse aggregate separating out or settling down from the rest of the matrix. Paste separating away from coarse aggregate. Water separating out from the rest of the material being a material of lowest specific gravity.

 Vibration of concrete is one of the important methods of compaction. It should be remembered that only comparatively dry mix should be vibrated. It too wet a mix is excessively vibrated; it is likely that the concrete gets segregated. It should also be remembered that vibration is continued just for required time for optimum results. If the vibration is continued for a long time, particularly, in too wet a mix, it is likely to result in segregation of concrete due to settlement of coarse aggregate in matrix.

4.

Hydration in concrete

Concrete derives its strength by the hydration of cement particles. The hydration of cement is not a momentary action but a process continuing for long time. If the hydration is to continue, extra water must be added to refill the loss of water on account of absorption and evaporation. Therefore, the curing can be considered as creation of a favorable environment during the early period for uninterrupted hydration. The desirable conditions are, a suitable temperature and ample moisture.

 Concrete, while hydrating, releases high heat of hydration. This heat is harmful from the point of view of volume stability. Heat of hydration of concrete may also shrinkage in concrete, thus producing cracks. If the heat generated is removed by some means, the adverse effect due to the generation of heat can be reduced. This can be done by a thorough water curing.

5. Air Entrainment
Air entrainment reduces the density of concrete and consequently reduces the strength. Air entrainment is used to produce a number of effects in both the plastic and the hardened concrete.

 These include:
Resistance to freezethaw action in the hardened concrete. Increased cohesion, reducing the tendency to bleed and segregation in the plastic concrete. Compaction of low workability mixes including semidry concrete. Stability of extruded concrete. Cohesion and handling properties in bedding mortars.

3.Explain the phases that should be involved in production of concrete to ensure a uniform quality.

Phases
1. Batching of concrete constituents/Concrete production 2. Proportioning 3. Mixing concrete 4. Transporting: 5. Placing (Workability) 6. Compaction

1. Batching of concrete constituents/Concrete production

When initially mixed together, Portland cement and water rapidly form a gel, formed of tangled chains of interlocking crystals. These continue to react over time, with the initially fluid gel often aiding in placement by improving workability.

 As the concrete sets, the chains of crystals join and form a rigid structure, gluing the aggregate particles in place. During curing, more of the cement reacts with the residual water (hydration). This curing process develops physical and chemical properties. Among these qualities are mechanical strength, low moisture permeability and chemical and volumetric stability.

2. Proportioning
A. Sampling of fresh concrete B. Analysis of fresh concrete

3. Mixing concrete
a. Unit weight of concrete b. Air content c. Cement Content

4. Transporting
a. Moisture content b. Segregation c. Setting time

5. Placing (Workability)
a. Slump test b. Flow test c. Ball penetration test

6. Compaction
a. Vee bee test b. Compaction factor c. Bleeding

4 Explain the major tests necessary for checking the quality of fresh concrete.

Major Test for Fresh Concrete

Fresh Concrete shall named for the concrete, which is unloaded from the mixer, and the major tests that shall be carried is as follows:
1. Measurement of workability 2. Test for Bleeding 3. Setting Time

1. Measurement of workability
The following test shall be done to understand the workability of concrete: 1.1 Slump test 1.2 Compacting Factor test 1.3 Flow test 1.4 Vee Bee Consistometer

1.1 Slump test

Frustum of a cone Bottom diameter: 20 cm Top diameter: 10 cm Height : 30 cm Thickness of metallic sheet: not less than 1.6mm Tamping rod: 16mm dia and 0.6 meter long. Filling to height of 1/4th of the depth No.of tampings are: 25

Degree of Slump (mm)Compacting Factor Workability Small Large Apparatus Appartus Very low 0.78 0.8 Low 25 -75 0.85 0.87 Medium 50-100 0.92 0.935 High 50-100 0.95 0.96

1.2 Compacting Factor test

This is primarily used in Laboratory. It can also be used in the filed. It is more sensitive than the slump test and is particularly useful for concrete mixes of very low workability as are normally used when concrete is to be compacted by vibration. Such dry concrete is insensitive to slump test. The compacting factor = { (weight of partially compacted concrete)/ Weight of fully compacted concrete)}

Descrition upper hopper Top internal diameter Bottom internal diameter Internal Height Lower hopper Top internal diameter Bottom internal diameter Internal Height Cylinder, C Internal Diameter Internal Height Distance between bottom of upper hopper and top of lower hopper Distance between bottom of lower hopper and top of top of Cylinder

Dimensions (cm) 25.4 12.7 27.9 22.9 12.7 22.9 15.2 30.5 20.3 20.3

1.3 Flow test

This is a laboratory test, which gives and indication of the quality of concrete with respect to consistency, cohesiveness and the proneness to segregation. In this test a standard mass of concrete is subjected to jolting. The spread of the concrete is measured and this flow is related to workability. Flow percent = { (spread diameter in cm -25)/25} X 100 The value ranges between 0 to 150 %

Table dia. Frustum of cone Base dia. Upper surface dia height of the cone Tamping rod Length of the rod

76 cm diameter 25 cm 17 cm 12 cm 1.6 mm dia 61 cm

1.4 Vee Bee Consistometer

It is performed in a laboratory It consists of a vibrating table, a metal pot, a sheet metal cone, a straight iron rod. Slump cone shall be placed inside the sheet metal cylindrical pot of the consistometer. The glass disc attached to the swivel arm is turned and placed on the top of the concrete in the pot. The electrical vibrator is then switched on and simultaneously a stop watch started.

 The vibrator is continued till such a time as the conical shape of the concrete disappears and the concrete assumes a cylindrical shape. This can be judged by observing the glass the glass disc from the top of disappearance of transparency. Immediately when the concrete fully assumes a cylindrical shape of concrete to change from slump cone shape to cylindrical shape in seconds is known as Vee Bee Degree . This method is very suitable for very dry concrete whose slump value cannot be measured by slump test, but the vibration is too vigorous for concrete with a slump greater than about 50mm.

2. Test for Bleeding

A cylindrical container 0.01cum (approx.) Inside diameter is 250mm Height is 280mm A tamping bar 16 mm dia. A pipette for drawing off free water from the surface , a graduated jar of 100 cu.cm capacity is required for test. Depth of fresh concrete fill is 250 3mm (5 layers) The weight of test specimen shall be recorded.

 Total quantity of water resent in test sample shall be recorded. The cylindrical container is kept in a level surface free from vibration at a temperature of 27 2 C, it is covered with a lid. Water accumulated at the top is drawn by means of pipette at 10minutes intervals for the first 40 minutes and at 30 minutes intervals subsequently till bleeding ceases . To facilitate collection of bleeding water the container may be slightly tilted. All bleeding water collected in a jar.

 Bleeding Percentage = { Total quantity of bleeding water)/ Total quantity of water in the sample concrete)} X 100

3. Setting Time
Initial setting time Final Setting time

Discuss how good quality provides high degree of protection to reinforcement steel against corrosion also stating various methodologies that could be adopted to avoid corrosion of reinforcement.

 The durability of concrete structures is to a large degree dependent on maintaining the integrity of the steel within them. The time line on concrete deterioration is a relatively long one, and even with poor quality concrete construction, a decade or more may pass prior to serious structural problems manifesting themselves.

 Steel will not corrode if the electrolyte in contact with its surface has a pH high enough to passivate the steel's surface. When the alkalinity at the steel's surface drops below pH 8, steel will become de-passivated and corrosion may be initiated. In Portland cement, the pore solutions will generally be in the range of pH 12.2 to pH 12.5 and if isolated from the effects of the external environment, this condition can be sustained indefinitely, maintaining the steel surface in a passive state.

 The three main culprits for re-bar corrosion are

chlorides, carbonation and cracking

 Chlorides
Chlorides are the major factor in precipitating corrosion in concrete as their presence and concentration raise the pH level at which the corrosion will be initiated. Thus, high concentrations of chlorides in contact with the reinforcing steel can initiate corrosion even when concrete alkalinity remains high. The critical chloride threshold for uncoated steel has been established at 0.65 kg/m of concrete. Chlorides can enter the concrete mass as admixtures to accelerate curing (a practice which is now discouraged), or through migration into the concrete mass over time.

Carbonation
In practice, the atmospheric environment slowly permeates the concrete surface. This carbonation process progressively reduces the pH of the pore solution in the affected area. Where carbonation progresses far enough into the concrete surface to reach the reinforcing bar, corrosion of the re-bar will be initiated. The rate at which carbonation progresses in concrete depends on a number of factors. These are:
Exposure conditions

- Concrete quality / strength - Compaction and curing - Water cement ratio of concrete mix

 Cracking
Cracking of concrete is an inevitable result of the curing process, and is not necessarily detrimental to the performance or durability of the concrete. The magnitude of the crack widths is obviously an important factor in the corrosion cycle, and microcracking or minor shallow cracks are not considered damaging to the concrete performance, as these cracks will frequently heal as they clog up over time.

 The cracks that have been identified as presenting the greatest corrosion hazard to steel reinforcement are parallel side cracks, particularly those running longitudinally to the reinforcement. While the presence of cracks has been identified as a potential problem for concrete durability, there has been no general agreement among those involved in building and construction codification as to crack width limits.