Quality Control for Brickwork Bricks should be soaked in water for at least one hour before use for brickwork in cement and lime mortars. The bricks should be sufficiently soaked before use but not excessively so. The absence of bubbling when the soaked brick is immersed in water is the test for through soaking. Also … Read more
Selection of Type of Foundation The selection of a particular type of foundation is often based on a number of factors, such as: 1. Adequate depth The foundation must have an adequate depth to prevent frost damage. For such foundations as bridge piers, the depth of the foundation must be sufficient to prevent undermining by … Read more
Concrete Placing As with the handling of concrete, certain fundamental considerations govern placing techniques. First and perhaps foremost is the need to avoid segregation of the concrete caused by improper techniques. Second is the need to ensure thorough compaction of the concrete. The manner in which concrete is placed can have a significant influence on … Read more
What is Contraction Joint? A contraction joint is one in which the two concrete surfaces are free to move away from one another as a result of shrinkage or thermal movement. Relative movement in the plane of the joint is prevented. Why to Provide Contraction Joint? As concrete hardens and dries out, it shrinks. Unless … Read more
Mix Concrete Manually Proper mixing of concrete ingredient is very much necessary as it affects the quality of concrete in its fresh state as well as in hardened state. A concrete is said to be well mixed if it fulfills the following requirements. Concrete mix should be uniform in colour Concrete should achieve proper consistency … Read more
What is Efflorescence in Concrete? Efflorescence in concrete simply means appearance of white colored powdered material on the concrete surface. Efflorescence is the formation of salt deposits, usually white, on or near the surface of concrete after it has been finished and causing a change in the appearance. Light-coloured concrete shows the deposit much less … Read more
Need for Soil Sampling A satisfactory design of a foundation depends upon the accuracy with which the various soil parameters required for the design are obtained. The accuracy of the soil parameters depends upon the accuracy with which representative soil samples are obtained from the field. Sampling is carried out in order that soil and … Read more
Aggregates for Asphalt Concrete The amount of aggregates for asphalt concrete mixtures is generally 90 to 95 percent by weight and 75 to 85 percent by volume. Aggregates are primarily responsible for the load supporting capacity of a pavement. Aggregate has been defined as any inert mineral material used for mixing in graduated particles or … Read more
DESCRIPTION OF ROCK MASS CHARACTERISTICS Standardized geologic mapping and logging procedures should be used for describing rock mass characteristics. The types of information collected will depend on site access, extent of rock outcrops, and the criticality of the proposed structure to be constructed on or in the rock mass. A method proposed by the International … Read more
Core Recovery and RQD (Rock Quality Designation) The easiest way to characterize the amount of material recovered during rock coring is to calculate “core recovery” as the amount (i.e. length) of recovered material divided by the total length of the core run (presented as a percentage). Rock Quality Designation (RQD) is a modified core recovery … Read more