PORTLAND CEMENT

CONCRETE
ANIE YULISTYORINI
JURUSAN TEKNIK SIPIL - UM
Concrete is composed mainly of cement (commonly Portland
cement), aggregate, water, and chemical admixtures.

Portland Coarse
Cement Aggregate

Fine Chemical
Aggregate Admixtures
• Concrete solidifies and hardens after mixing with water and placement due to a
chemical process known as hydration.

• The water reacts with the cement, which bonds the other components together,
eventually creating a stone-like material.
When water is added to cement, each of the compounds undergoes hydration and
contributes to the final concrete product. Only the calcium silicates contribute to
strength.

Tricalcium silicate is responsible for most of the early strength (first 7 days).

Dicalcium silicate, which reacts more slowly, contributes only to the strength at later
times.

Tricalcium silicate + Water--->Calcium silicate hydrate+Calcium hydroxide +

heat
2 Ca3SiO5 + 7 H2O ---> 3 CaO.2SiO2.4H2O + 3 Ca(OH)2 + 173.6kJ

Upon the addition of water, tricalcium silicate rapidly reacts to release calcium ions,
hydroxide ions, and a large amount of heat. The pH quickly rises to over 12
because of the release of alkaline hydroxide (OH-) ions. This initial hydrolysis slows
down quickly after it starts resulting in a decrease in heat evolved.
The formation of the calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate
crystals provide "seeds" upon which more calcium silicate hydrate
can form.

The calcium silicate hydrate crystals grow thicker making it more

difficult for water molecules to reach the unhydrated tricalcium
silicate.

The speed of the reaction is now controlled by the rate at which

water molecules diffuse through the calcium silicate hydrate coating.

This coating thickens over time causing the production of calcium

silicate hydrate to become slower and slower.
Schematic illustration of the pores in calcium silicate through
different stages of hydration.
(a) that hydration has not yet occurred and the pores (empty spaces
between grains) are filled with water.
(b) represents the beginning of hydration.
(c) the hydration continues. Although empty spaces still exist, they are
filled with water and calcium hydroxide.
(d) shows nearly hardened cement paste. Note that the majority of
space is filled with calcium silicate hydrate. That which is not filled
with the hardened hydrate is primarily calcium hydroxide solution.
(e) The hydration will continue as long as water is present and there
are still unhydrated compounds in the cement paste.
 Dicalcium silicate also affects the strength of concrete through
its hydration.
 Dicalcium silicate reacts with water in a similar manner
compared to tricalcium silicate, but much more slowly.
 The heat released is less than that by the hydration of tricalcium
silicate because the dicalcium silicate is much less reactive.
 The products from the hydration of dicalcium silicate are the
same as those for tricalcium silicate:

Dicalcium silicate + Water--->Calcium silicate hydrate +

Calcium hydroxide +heat

2 Ca2SiO4 + 5 H2O---> 3 CaO.2SiO2.4H2O + Ca(OH)2 + 58.6 kJ

The rates of hydration during the first few days ranked from fastest
to slowest are:

tricalcium aluminate > tricalcium silicate >

tetracalcium aluminoferrite > dicalcium silicate.
Heat is evolved with cement hydration. This is due to the breaking and making
of chemical bonds during hydration. The heat generated is shown below as a
function of time
(I) Stag I is hydrolysis of the cement compounds occurs rapidly with a
temperature increase of several degrees.
(II) Stage II is known as the dormancy period. The evolution of heat
slows dramatically in this stage. The dormancy period can last from
one to three hours. During this period, the concrete is in a plastic
state which allows the concrete to be transported and placed
without any major difficulty. This is particularly important for the
construction trade who must transport concrete to the job site. It is
at the end of this stage that initial setting begins.
(III) In stages III and IV, the concrete starts to harden and the heat
evolution increases due primarily to the hydration of tricalcium
silicate.
(IV)Stage V is reached after 36 hours. The slow formation of hydrate
products occurs and continues as long as water and unhydrated
silicates are present
Proportioning of Concrete Mixes

The proportioning of the concrete mix affects its properties in

both plastic and solid states.

Concrete has three different states:

• PLASTIC
• SETTING
• HARDENING
Plastic State
Plastic state: the concrete is first mixed like bread dough. It is soft and can be
worked or moulded into different shapes.

The most important properties of plastic concrete

are workability and cohesiveness.

Workability means how easy it is to:

• PLACE
• HANDLE
• COMPACT and
• FINISH a concrete mix
Plastic State
Workability is affected by:
• The amount of cement paste
• The cement paste is the soft or liquid part of the concrete mix. The
more paste mixed with the coarse and fine aggregates, the more
workable a mix.
• The aggregate grading
• Well-graded, smooth, rounded aggregates improve the workability of
a mix.

To make a more workable mix:

• Add more CEMENT PASTE.
• Use WELL GRADED aggregates.
• Use an ADMIXTURE.
Plastic State
Cohesiveness is how well concrete HOLDS TOGETHER when
plastic. Cohesiveness is affected by:
• THE AGGREGATE GRADING
Graded Aggregate means that there is a range of size of
aggregates, from large rocks to small sands.Well-graded
aggregates give a more cohesive mix, too much coarse
aggregate gives a boney mix.
• WATER CONTENT
A mix that has too much water will not be cohesive and may
separate and bleed.
Setting and Hardening State
Setting State: Concrete then begins to stiffen (rigid). The
stiffening of concrete, when it is no longer soft, is called
SETTING. Setting takes place after compaction and during
finishing.
Concrete that is sloppy or wet may be easy to place but will be
more difficult to finish.

Hardening State: After concrete has set it begins to gain

strength and harden. The properties of hardened concrete are
strength and durability. Hardened concrete will have no footprints
on it if walked on.
The basic steps required for determining
mix design proportions (weight and volume)
1. Evaluate strength requirements
2. Determine the water-cementitious materials ratio required
3. Evaluate coarse aggregates requirements
4. Determine air entrainment requirements
5. Evaluate workability requirements of the plastic concrete
6. Estimate the water content requirements of the mix
7. Determine cementing materials content and type needed
8. Evaluate the need and applications rate of admixtures
9. Determine moisture corrections
10. Make and test trial mixes
Workability – Slump Test
• The goal of the test is to measure the consistency of concrete
through out the mix.

• "Slump" is simply a term coined to describe how consistent a

concrete sample is.

• The test also further determines the workability of concrete, how

easy is it to handle, compact, and cure concrete.

• By adjusting the cement-water ratio or adding plasticizers to

increase the slump of the concrete will give a desired mix.
Process
• Fill one-third of the cone with the concrete mixture. Then tamp the layer 25
times using the steel rod in a circular motion, making sure not to stir.

• Add more concrete mixture to the two-thirds mark. Repeat tamping for 25
times again. Tamp just barely into the previous layer(1")

• Fill up the whole cone up to the top with some excess concrete coming out
of top, then repeat tamping 25 times. (If there is not enough concrete from
tamping compression, stop tamping, add more, then continue tamping at
previous number)

• Remove excess concrete from the opening of the slump cone by using
tamping rod in a rolling motion until flat.
Slowly and
carefully remove
the cone by lifting
it vertically (5
seconds +/- 2
seconds), making
sure that the
concrete sample
does not move.
After the concrete
stabilizes, measure
the slump-height by
turning the slump
cone upside down
next to the sample,
placing the tamping
rod on the slump
cone and measuring
the distance from
the rod to the
original displaced
center.
• A change in slump height would demonstrate an
undesired change in the ratio of the concrete
ingredients;
• The proportions of the ingredients are then
adjusted to keep a concrete batch consistent;
• This homogeneity improves the quality and
structural integrity of the cured concrete.
Mixing, Placing, and Handling Fresh Concrete

• Ready-mixed concrete
Mixed in the central plant, and delivered to the job site in mixing
trucks ready for placing

1. Central-mixed concrete: mixed completely in a stationary

mixer and delivered in an agitator truck (2-6 rpm)
2. Shrink-mixed concrete: partially mixed in a stationary mixer
and completed in a mixer truck (4-16 rpm)
3. Truck-mixed concrete: mixed completely in a mixer truck (4-16
rpm)
Mixing, Placing, and Handling Fresh Concrete
• Precautions for mixing water
1. Since the water-cementitious materials ratio plays an
important role in concrete quality, the water content must be
carefully controlled in the field.
2. Water should not be added to the concrete during
transportation
3. If water is added, the hardened concrete will suffer serious
loss in quality and strength.
Mixing, Placing, and Handling Fresh Concrete
• Measuring air content in fresh concrete
Mixing and handling can significantly alter the air content of fresh
concrete. Thus, field test are used to ensure that the concrete
has the proper air content prior to placing.

• Why is air content in concrete important?

The air voids provide empty spaces within the concrete that act
as reservoirs for the freezing water, relieving pressure and pre-
venting damage to the concrete. Entrained air is produced
during mechanical mixing of concrete that contains an air-
entraining admixture.
A Type B pressure meter is used to determine the air content of normal-weight
concrete. The air content is read at the dial, which is calibrated for each apparatus.
The aggregate correction factor (explained in ASTM C 231) must be subtracted
from your reading to obtain the net air content (Photo courtesy of PCA).
Spreading and Finishing Concrete
Curing concrete
• Curing is the process of maintaining satisfactory moisture
content and temperature in the concrete for a definite period of
time.
• Hydration cement is a long-term process and requires water
and proper temperature.
• Curing allows continued hydration and consequently continued
gains in concrete strength.
Curing Methods
1. Maintaining the presence of water in the concrete during early
ages (pounding, immersion, spraying or fogging, and wet
covering).
2. Preventing loss of mixing water from the concrete by sealing
the surface (impervious papers/plastic, membrane-forming
compounds).
3. Accelerating the strength gain by supplying heat and
additional moisture to the concrete (steam curing, insulating
blanket or covers, various heating techniques)