CEMENT AND CONCRETE – ARE THEY THE SAME? Many people think that cement and concrete are the same product – they are not. Cement is a dry powdered chemical that, when mixed with water, slowly reacts to form a new hard, solid compound. On the other hand, concrete is a mixture of cement blended with … Read more
QUALITY CONTROL OF READY MIX CONCRETE Quality control of ready-mixed concrete may be divided into three components, 1. Forward control, 2. Immediate control and 3. Retrospective control. FORWARD CONTROL: Forward control and consequent corrective action are essential aspects of quality control. Forward control includes the following. • Control of purchased material Quality • Control of … Read more
PROPERTIES OF HARDENED CONCRETE The following are the properties of concrete in its hardened state, used by the designer during design process of reinforced concrete structure. 1. Compressive Strength The characteristics strength is defined as the strength of concrete below which not more than 5% of the test results are expected to fall. As per … Read more
Properties of Aggregates Approximately 75% of the volume of concrete is occupied by aggregates, so quality of aggregates plays an important role in determining properties of concrete. Aggregates are chemically inert, solid bodies held together by the cement. Aggregates come in various shapes, sizes, and materials ranging from fine particles of sand to large, coarse … Read more
CAUSES OF DISINTEGRATION OF CONCRETE The primary reasons that cause disintegration of concrete member are desribed below. 1. SULPHATE ATTACK Soluble sulphates are present in Ground water Soil Clay bricks Soluble sulphates react with Tricalcium Aluminate of cement I n the presence of moisture and form products which occupy much bigger volume than that of … Read more
Minimising Defects in Plastering Work Defects in plastering work can be minimised by following the below mentioned techniques. The brick and plastering work should be carried out by skilled masons in the best workmanship manner. Bond of brick work should be properly maintained. Efflorescence is removed by rubbing brushes on the damaged surface. A solution … Read more
Compounds of Cement About 90-95% of a Portland cement is comprised of the four main cement minerals, which are C3S, C2S, C3A, and C4AF, with the remainder consisting of calcium sulphate, alkali sulphates, unreacted (free) CaO, MgO, and other minor constituents left over from the clinkering and grinding steps. The four cement minerals play very different … Read more
REQUIREMENTS OF FORMWORK – QUALITY, SAFETY & ECONOMY In the selection of materials for formwork, the three general principles of quality, safety and economy must be paramount. Material quality can ensure safety, and significantly contributes to the achievement of economy. Formwork failure can result in loss of life and always causes catastrophic financial loss. Some … Read more
Determine Splitting Tensile Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens Objective: This method covers the determination of the splitting tensile strength of cylindrical concrete specimens Reference: IS: 516 – 1959, IS: 1199-1959, SP: 23-1982, IS: 10086-1982 Theory: Age at Test – Tests shall be made at recognized ages of the test specimens, the most usual being 7 … Read more
Why Beam-Column Joints are Special In RC buildings, portions of columns that are common to beams at their intersections are called beam-column joints (Figure 1). Since their constituent materials have limited strengths, the joints have limited force carrying capacity. When forces larger than these are applied during earthquakes, joints are severely damaged. Repairing damaged joints … Read more