Introduction

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 General

Nowadays reinforced concrete plays an important role in technological

development in the construction industry. It is widely used in major engineering projects
and construction in general. A special attention on the reinforcement properties should be
done depending on the final improved properties; such as resistance to the cementitious
reaction products, hydration conditions during reaction process and a specific geometry.
Regarding to this, it has been extensively used a variety of materials (polymers, ceramics,
metals) to improve or provide new and interesting properties. Concrete is the most widely
used construction material in the world. In recent years, researchers have focused on the
improvement of concrete quality regarding its mechanical and durability properties. These
can be achieved by the application of the supplementary cementitious materials. Out of
these supplementary cementitious materials, silica fume is the one of the waste materials
that is being produced in tones of industrial waste per year in our country. The first testing
of silica fume in Portland cement based concretes was carried out in 1952. Silica fume on
the other hand, is a very fine pozzolanic material. It is a byproduct of producing silicon
metal or ferrosilicon alloys. One of the most beneficial uses of silica fume is in concrete.
Because of its chemical and physical properties; it is a very reactive pozzolanic material.
Concrete containing silica fume has very high strength and is very durable.

Recently Nano Technology has been introduced in Civil Engineering applications.

One of the most used nano material is Nano Silica (NS). This is the first Nano product that
has replaced the micro silica. The advancement made by the study of concrete at nano scale
has proved that nano silica is much better than silica fume used in conventional concrete.
Nano silica possess more pozzolanic nature, it has the capability to react with the free lime
during the cement hydration and forms additional C-S-H gel which gives strength,
impermeability and durability to concrete. Some works about nanomaterials in concrete
have been reported but it is still a developing area with great potential. The most commonly
used are SiO2 nanoparticles, which filling the pores, benefits the hydration and improves

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the compressive and flexural strength at early and late reactions ages. The microstructure
and the pores govern various physical properties, such as strength, permeability,
connectivity and diffusivity. Moreover, concrete could have different properties depending
on the type and amount of hydrated phases.

The world of materials is rapidly progressing with new technologies. Nano

technology is among these modern and sophisticated technologies, which is creating waves
in modern times. Nano technology is an advanced technology, which deals with the
synthesis of nano particles, processing of nano particles and their applications. Normally,
if the particle sizes are in the 1-100 nm ranges, they are generally called as nano particles.
More is the fineness, more is the surface area, which increases the reactivity of the material.
Portland cement is the essential bonding material in concrete, which is the most widely,
used non-metallic material of construction in our industrial age. Different oxides present
in cement, plays a vital role in deciding the strength of concrete. The change in the
composition of oxides of cement may increase the compressive strength of concrete.
Microscopic investigation shows that Portland cement essentially consists of the following
constitutes: C3S, C3A, C2S, C4AF, MgO and small quantities of free CaO. It also consist of
gypsum, added during grinding to control the setting time of the cement and traces of TiO2,
Mn2O3, Na2O, K2O. The compressive strength of concrete plays key role in construction
industry. The many efforts were made to optimize the compressive strength of concrete by
using materials/additives 11. The cement having more compressive strength is preferred in
the construction Industry.

The aim of this study is to compare the compressive strength of the standard M-30
grade cement concrete with nano SiO2 particles Blended concrete. In the present study
attempt were made to improve the compressive strength and workability by using nano
SiO2 particles.

1.2 Materials Used In Research

1.2.1 Concrete:

Concrete is one of most commonly used material on earth after water. Concrete’s
versatility, durability, sustainability, and economy have made it the world’s most widely

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used construction material The term concrete refers to a mixture of aggregates, usually
sand, and either gravel or crushed stone, held together by a binder of cementitious paste.
The paste is typically made up of Portland cement and water and may also contain
supplementary cementing materials (SCMs), such as fly ash or slag cement, and chemical
admixtures.

Applications for Concrete as a Building Material

1. Bridges

2. Buildings

3. Masonry

4. Parking Lots

5. Pavements

6. Residential

7. Transit and Rail

1.2.2 Vitalia Admixture

Asian Paints Smart Care Vitalia is an integral liquid waterproofing compound with
advanced formulation and superior plasticizing additives for cement concrete, mortar and
plasters. The product is formulated with selected surface active plasticizing agents,
chemicals & additives which make the cement concrete/plaster mix cohesive and upon
curing, reduces water permeability. Improves waterproofing of concrete & hence increases
durability imparts higher compressive strength even at more than recommended dosage.
Mixes easily with concrete/mortar mixes. Resists crack formation due to drying shrinkage.
improves workability of freshly mixed cement concrete. Resists corrosion of reinforcement
steel due to water and chloride ions penetration.

1.2.3 Polypropelene Fibre

Polypropylene is a synthetic hydrocarbon polymer, the fibre of which is made using

extrusion processes by hot drawing the material through a die. Its use enables reliable and
effective utilization of intrinsic tensile and flexural strength of the material along with
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significant reduction of plastic shrinkage cracking and minimizing of thermal cracking. By

utilization of Polypropylene fibers in concrete not only optimum utilization of materials is
achieved but also the cost reduction is achieved

1.2.4 Fly Ash for concrete

FA is an Industrial waste which is accepted as an environmental pollutant,

generated during the combustion of coal for energy production. When the coal is fired
inside the grate of a boiler, Carbon and volatiles materials completely burnt off. But still,
some inorganic impurities of earth elements (sand, Feldspars etc.) are bonded together and
are discharged out through flue gases. When these fused materials are allowed to solidify,
it results in the formation of fine and spherical particles called Fly ash. These FA particles
are tiny spheres enclosed in a big sphere called plerospheres. Hollow spheres are also called
ecospheres. The morphology of FA particles is sphere due to the bonding which takes place
during suspension of released flue gases from chimney or boiler. These fine particles
mainly consist of oxides of silicon, aluminum and iron. Some elements like P, Mg, K, Ca,
with small traces of Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, B, and Mo are also found. The properties of FA vary
from different sources, from the same source but with time and with the techniques used
for handling, storage and variation in load generation. Fly Ash can also be known by its
different name such as Coal ash, Pulverized Flue ash, and Pozzolona. FA is characterized
by its light weight, Silicate glassy appearance, spherical in shape, grey colored, polymeric,
alkaline and refractory in nature. In addition, FA has a pozzolanic property. The FA forms
a hard and cementitious compound like calcium silicate hydrate and calcium aluminate
hydrate in the presence of moisture. The hydration reactions of fly ash and Portland cement
are almost similar resulting in similar properties as compared to each other. It is
advantageous to use FA as a replacement of cement in the concrete, providing some distinct
features.

1.3 Nanotechnology for Concrete

Nanotechnology is an emerging field of science related to the understanding and

control of matter at the nanoscale, i.e., at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nm
at the nanoscale. Nanotechnology encompasses nanoscale science, engineering, and

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technology that involve imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at this
length scale. Just how small is “nano”? In the serviceability index system of units, the
prefix “nano” means 1-billionth or 10–9. Therefore 1 nm is 1-billionth of a meter. It’s
difficult to imagine just how small that is, so here are some examples

 A sheet of paper is about 100,000-nm thick.

 A strand of human DNA is 2.5 nm in diameter.
 There are 25,400,000 nm in 1 in.
 A human hair is approximately 80,000 nm wide.
 On a comparative scale, if the diameter of a marble was 1 nm, then diameter of the
Earth would be about 1 m.

Nanoscale particles are not new in either nature or science. Recent developments in
visualization and measurement systems for characterizing and testing materials at the
nanoscale have led to an explosion in nanotechnology-based materials in areas such as
polymers, plastics, electronics, car manufacturing, and medicine. Matter can exhibit
unusual physical, chemical, and biological properties at the nanoscale, differing in
important ways from the properties of bulk materials and single atoms or molecules. Some
nanostructured materials are stronger or have different magnetic properties compared to
other forms or sizes of the same material. Others are better at conducting heat or electricity.
They may become more chemically reactive or reflect light better or change color as their
size or structure is altered. Nanotechnology is not simply working at ever-smaller
dimensions; rather, working at the nanoscale enables scientists to utilize the unique
physical, chemical, mechanical, and optical properties of materials that naturally occur at
that scale. Of particular relevance for concrete is the greatly increased surface area of
particles at the nanoscale. As the surface area per mass of a material increases, a greater
amount of the material can come into contact with surrounding materials, thus affecting
reactivity.

Recently, nano-particles have attracted great interests due to their four major
effects including size effect, quantum effect, surface effect and interface effect. By adding
nano-particles into cement, the performance and properties of materials could be improved.
Some researches on adding nanoparticles into cementitious materials were reported. the

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flexural and compressive strength of concete is improved and the setting time of fresh
cement paste could be shortened with the increase of the nano-particles content.

Use of nano-materials, particularly nano-silica as supplementary cementitious

material, in manufacturing of paste, mortar, and concrete offer the potential of producing
materials with new and interesting properties, such as enhanced strength and durability
properties.

1.4 Organization of Report

The project work is detailed in following steps:

Chapter 1: Deals with introduction of present topic. It states brief about scope of present

work

Chapter 2: Explores brief about literature in the area of development in concrete

technology and in material science

Chapter 3: Explain brief study about characterization of material properties of different

material used in concrete

Chapter 4: Explain in brief, experimental programme followed for the present research

work.

Chapter 5: Explain brief about effect of different materials and their different proportions

On compressive and flexural strength of concrete and results are interpreted

Chapter 6: Brief conclusion of total work done.