A STUDY ON CONCRETE

AS THE MAIN MATERIAL

IN CONSTRUCTION
This research will
discussed topics
summarized up to:


 A brief definition to concrete

 Importance of concrete
 Types of concrete
 The properties
 Mechanical testing on concrete
 Fire resistance
 Comparison of Concrete, Wood and Steel
 Advantages and disadvantages



Introduction
 Concrete is the most widely used man-
made construction material in the
world, and is second only to water as
the most utilized substance on the
planet. It is obtained by mixing
cementitious materials, water,
aggregates and admixtures in required
proportions.
 The mixture when placed in forms and
allowed to cure hardens into rock-like
mass known as concrete.
Concrete : Main
Material in
Construction
 Concrete is a composite man-made material
consists of a mixture of binding material such
as cement, well graded fine and coarse
aggregates, water and admixtures (if needed
to produce concrete with special properties).
 In a concrete mix, cement and water form a
paste or matrix which fills the voids of the
fine aggregate and binds both coarse and
fine aggregates. Freshly mixed concrete
before set is known as wet or green concrete
whereas after setting and hardening it is
known as set or hardened concrete.
Types of concrete
 Polymer concrete
This type is used for repair, thin overlays for
floors and bridges, and for precast
components.
Compared to cement-based concrete, polymer

concrete (PC) is stronger and more durable.

polymer concrete is used in many structures

such as box culverts, hazardous waste

containers, trench lines, floor drains, and in
the repair and overlay of damaged cement
concrete surfaces such as pavement and
bridges.
Polymer
Concrete
Lightweight Concrete
 Lightweight Aggregate Concrete, LWAC
or simply known as Lightweight
Concrete, LWC is not a new invention
in concrete technology. It has been
known since ancient times as it was
made using natural aggregates of
volcanic origin such as pumice, scoria,
etc.
 lightweight concrete has also been used
in ship building, and for thermal
insulation.
Lightweight
Concrete
Properties of
Concrete
 Concrete can be distinguished onto two
distinct phases, the fresh concrete and
the hardened concrete. Three main
properties should be controlled in
 1- fresh concrete; workability,
consistency and cohesiveness.
 2-hardened concrete, the strength,
durability and volume stability are
the properties that should be
controlled.

Fresh Concrete
Freshly mixed concrete is known as wet or green


concrete, or just fresh concrete.

 1-Workability is the relative ease with which a
fresh concrete mix can be handled, placed,
compacted, and finished without segregation
or separation of the ingredients. . Concrete
with poor workability does not flow
smoothly into forms and properly envelop
reinforcing steel and embedded items,
and it is difficult to compact and finish.

 2-Consistency
.Concrete with poor workability does not
flow smoothly into forms and properly
envelop reinforcing steel and
embedded items, and it is difficult to
compact and finish.
There is a certain range of consistency
that is appropriate for each type of
work. Workability is at a maximum in
concrete of medium consistency with a
slump between 3 and 6 inches.

 3-Cohesiveness
 is the element of workability which
indicates whether a mix is harsh,
sticky, or plastic. Plasticity is a
desirable property in concrete,
indicating that a mix can be molded
and hold a shape when formed.
Hardened Concrete
Concrete is strong in compression but


relatively weak in tension and bending. It

takes a great deal of force to crush
concrete, but very little force to pull it apart
or cause bending cracks.
 Compressive strength is determined
primarily by the amount of cement used,
but is also affected by the ratio of water to
cement, as well as proper mixing and
placing and the adequacy and extent of
hydration and curing.

 Durability
Might be defined as the ability to maintain
satisfactory performance over an
extended service life.
Satisfactory performance is related to

intended use.
Mechanical Testing
Compression Strength
The compressive strength of concrete is
measured by breaking cylindrical concrete
or concrete cube specimens in a
compression-testing machine .
The compressive strength is calculated from

the failure load divided by the cross-

sectional area resisting the load and
reported in unit psi or MPa in SI units. The
compressive strength is taken as the
maximum compressive load it can carry per
unit area.
 Flexural Strength
 Flexural test is a measure of an
unreinforced concrete beam or slab to
resist failure in bending.

Cracking, Corrosion and
Spalling
 Cracking of concrete, corrosion of reinforcement, spalling of
the concrete cover, and surface scaling are the four most
common and important types of deterioration of reinforced
concrete. Deterioration of concrete can result from:
1. environmental factors including moisture levels, temperature

levels,
2. the original materials and workmanship, including aggregate

material, level of consolidation of the concrete during

placement,
3. improper maintenance such as prolonged exposure to

moisture, application of waterproofing coatings

Fire Resistance
 Concrete offers great fire resistance to
structures. It is reasonably physically
stable to about a thousand degrees
Fahrenheit, and even above that
temperature it usually does not fail
dramatically. Concrete's thermal
properties protect reinforcing steel and
pre-stressing steel, and it does not fall
off structural steel members like some
fireproofing coatings do.

Recommendations
 Carefully estimate quantities of concrete required
on the jobsite; that help to reduce waste and
save raw materials and energy.
 Consider precast systems to reduce job site
operation and minimize the amount of waste.
Modularity simplifies precast production.
 Specify fly ash because it is a recycled product that
substitutes a portion of a cement, using fly ash
environmental impacts are minimize.
 Specify recycled aggregate: reduce the amount of
material going to the landfill and the mining
operations.

ADVANTAGES
 Concrete has many environmental advantages, including
durability, longevity, heat storage capability, and
chemical inertness.
 The raw materials used in cement production are widely
available in great quantities.
 Exploit concrete thermal mass in walls and floor for passive
solar design
 Needs little or no finish or final treatments.
 Low It is possible to burn waste as a fuel for the cement
manufactures
 maintenance and Can be reused or recycled
 No risks for the workers. Only during extraction and
manufacture of raw materials it is better to take some
precaution to protect the skin from the high alkalinity.

DISADVANTAGES
 All phases of concrete's life cycle have some environmental
concerns, such as: land and habitat loss from mining
activities
 Cement is energy intensive to produce. Cement represents
only about 9-13% of concrete and accounts for 92% of the
total embodied energy
 It is not a particularly good insulator (energy saving) so,
use high insulation value concrete.
 Disposal of the demolition debris due at the great volume
and weight represent more than 50 % of the demolition
waste going to the landfill in the US.Waste disposal is
still a problem.



Conclusion