Concrete Engineering

Concrete is a special construction material that is commonly utilized in the construction industry. Concrete comprises the right proportions of cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, and water. Finishing is one of the most important parts of concrete after it has been cast because it gives the concrete’s surface a pleasant appearance. Compressing, leveling, and smoothing the concrete surface is concrete surface finishing.

The most basic concrete finishes are smooth surfaces created with screeds and trowels. Work screed is used to level the concrete surface after being poured in form.
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A Concrete Block is a ‘Building Block’ composed entirely of concrete that is then mortared together to make an imposing, long-lasting construction. These construction blocks can be ‘Hollow’ or ‘Solid,’ formed of ordinary or lightweight concrete in various specified sizes, depending on the precise requirements. Concrete blocks come in various shapes and sizes, and they can be solid or hollow. 39cm x 19cm x (30cm or 20 cm or 10cm) or 2 inch, 4 inch, 6 inch, 8 inch, 10 inch, and 12-inch unit configurations are the most popular concrete block sizes. Concrete blocks are made from cement, aggregate, and water. In concrete blocks, the cement-aggregate ratio is 1:6.

Types of Concrete Blocks:
There are two types of concrete blocks:
1. Solid Concrete Blocks
2. Hollow Concrete Blocks

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Deformation of a structure due to a sustained load is known as concrete creep. Concrete can alter shape if it is subjected to prolonged strain or stress. This deformation occurs most often in the direction of the applied force. A concrete column compressing or a beam bending are examples of this. Concrete does not always fail or break down as a result of creep. When a load is applied to concrete, an instantaneous elastic strain occurs, which develops into creep strain if the load is sustained.

Concrete’s stress-strain curve is not a straight line, and at a certain value, the strain will continue to increase without a substantial increase in stress. The time-dependent component of the tension that arises as a result of stress is also known as concrete creep.

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Concrete is one of the most durable and long-lasting building materials available. Cracks in concrete can be caused by a variety of factors, including temperature variations, structural flaws, and tree roots. Contrary to popular belief, not all concrete cracks are the same. In fact, determining the suitable type might assist you in correctly repairing the cracks.

Plastic concrete refers to concrete that is still fresh. Even though the components of this concrete are fully mixed when it is in a plastic condition, it is still unable to provide strength. Fresh concrete, commonly referred to as plastic concrete, is a newly mixed substance that can be moulded into any shape. Any of these states can lead to cracks.

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What is Vibrator?
On construction sites, vibrators apply to compact concrete. Concrete vibrators come in many different shapes and sizes. Some Concrete Vibrators are smaller, more efficient, and run on battery power, whereas others are much larger and rely on power lines for power. In vibration, compacting is caused by a reduction in internal friction between various concrete particles due to particle oscillation, resulting in a dense and compact concrete mass. Vibrators work for concrete compaction in the roads, trains, and buildings. It compacts fresh concrete by removing trapped air and excess moisture. Its function is to hold the concrete in place in the formwork. And to ensure proper concrete consolidation and the avoidance of product flaws. Vibration frequencies range from 2800 to 15000 pm.

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Introduction
Concrete floors can be extremely slippery when wet or icy, especially in the winter. Slippery concrete can be extremely hazardous, resulting in accidents and injuries. When the concrete floor surface is color hardened, sealed, or polished, this problem is more likely to occur.

The coefficient of friction measures the slickness of a surface. As a result, increasing the coefficient of friction of the surface is required to increase slip resistance. Slip-resistant concrete surfaces are created using anti-slip paints, additives, or silica sand.

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Why are cement concrete pavement road joints useful?
An efficient joint system is critical to the successful operation of a cement concrete road. Tie bars and dowel bars keep the pavement strong at joints and act as load transfer devices. The first reason for jointing concrete pavements is that concrete shrinks over time. This occurs through a variety of mechanisms. Drying shrinkage occurs as a result of water being used for hydration while also being lost to the atmosphere via evaporation. The heat of hydration causes thermal shrinkage in concrete. The mixture becomes hot as cement is mixed with water. Heat is released as the concrete sets and cools and the pavement shrinks. Chemical shrinkage occurs because the cement hydration products (concrete) take up less volume than the reactants (cement and water in addition to aggregates).

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What is Geopolymer concrete?
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), which is the main ingredient for concrete production, contributes about 10% of the global carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Nearly 40% of the world’s construction sector contributes to global emissions. With the rising number of buildings every year, it is reckoned that only 40% of the infrastructure is built at present and the rest 60% is yet to be built which means more pollution is yet to be faced by the world. Thus, there is a requirement to shift industrial dependency from cement to some other alternatives that are environmentally friendly and effective.

On performing extensive analysis to develop alternate binders for the production of concrete that can help curb the CO2 burden on the planet, geopolymer concrete has appeared as a suitable replacement capable enough to replace the conventional concrete. While testing its properties, it has shown a reduction in CO2 emission in OPC production by 80%.
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Introduction:
Formwork is a term that refers to temporary or permanent moulds that are used to pour concrete or other comparable materials. The shuttering moulds are supported by the falsework in concrete construction. For all types of construction projects, plastic shuttering is the most often utilised shuttering. Both large and small projects require concrete shuttering. It is suitable for a wide range of construction projects. When concrete is poured into moulds known as formworks, it retains its position. When the moulds are removed, a solid structure will be visible. Shuttering or formwork is the term for the complete process.

Both temporary and permanent moulds can be made with formwork. The concrete is kept in shape thanks to these moulds. The mould is removed once the required strength has been achieved. This mould can also be used again in the future.

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By
Kaushal Kishore
Materials Engineer, Roorkee

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is a special type of concrete which can be placed and consolidated under it’s own weight without any vibration effort due to it’s excellent deformability, and which at the same time is cohesive enough to be handled without segregation or bleeding.

WORKABILITY:
The workability of self-compacting concrete is measured by the usual slump cone having a base diameter of 200mm, top dia 100mm, and height 300mm. The slump cone is to be placed as usual upon a base plate square in shape is having at least a 700m side. Concentric circles are marked around the center point where cone is to place. A firm circle is drawn at 500mm diameter. Read More