BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

CONCRETE
an artificial ,stonelike building material made
by mixing cement and various mineral
aggregates with sufficient water to cause the
cement to set and bind the entire mass.

Terminologies

Cement- a calcined mixture of clay

and limestone , finely pulverized and
used as an ingredient in concrete and
mortar.
Portland cement - hydraulic cement
made by burning a mixture of clay and
limestone in a rotary kiln and
pulverizing the resulting clinker into a
very
fine
powder.
TYPES of Portland Cement:
I- General Purpose ( for most purposes
of construction)
II-Moderate Sulfate Resistance ( used
in contract with water with sulfate present)
III- High Early Strength ( reduced
curing is desired)
IV- Low Heat Hydration ( for massive
structures such as dams,nuclear plants,etc)
V- Sulfate Resistant (for areas with high
sulfate concentration)

calcine - to heat a substance to a high

temperature but without melting or
fusing to drive off volatile matter.
clinker
a
fused
mass
of
incombustible matter resulting from
heating in a kiln or the burning of a
coal.
air-entraining portland cement- a
type I,II or type III portland cement to
which small quantity of an airentraining agent has been interground
during manufacture with suffix A as in
Type IA ,etc.
white portland cement - a portland
cement produced from raw materials
low in iron oxide and manganese
oxide, used in precast concrete work
and in the making of terazzo,stucco
and tile grout.
mixing water - the water used in a
concrete or mortar mix, exclusive of
any absorbed by the aggregate and
free of such harmful substances.

cement paste - a mixture of cement

and water for coating, setting and
binding aggregate particles together
in a concrete or mortar mix.
aggregate any of various
hard,inert,mineral materials, such as
sand and gravel added to a cement
paste to make a concrete or mortar.
Should be hard ,dimensionally stable
and free of clay , silt and organic
matter
which
can
prevent the
cementing matrix from binding the
particles together.
TYPES of Aggregate
1. Fine aggregate aggregate
consisting of sand having a particle
size smaller than in.(6.4mm)
2. Coarse aggregate aggregate
consisting of crushed stone,gravel or
blast-furnace slag having a particle
size larger than in.
3. Graded aggregate aggregate
having a particle size distribution
characterized by uniform grading.
Requires the least amount of cement
paste to fill the voids and surround the
particles.
admixture any substance other
than cement ,water or aggregate,
added to a concrete or mortar mix to
alter its properties or those of the
hardened
product.
Also
called
additive.
KINDS of Admixture:
air-entraining agent an admixture
that disperses entrained air in a
concrete or mortar mix to increase
workability.
accelerator an admixture that
fastens the setting and strength
development of a concrete,mortar , or
plaster mix.
retarder an admixture that slows
the setting of a concrete,mortar or
plaster mix in order to allow more time
for placing and working the mix.
surface active agent an admixture
for reducing the surface tension of the
mixing water in a concrete mix . Also
called surfactant.
water-reducing
agent

an
admixture for reducing the amount of
mixing water required for the desired
workability of a concrete or mortar
mix. Also called superplasticizer.

coloring agent a pigment or dye

added to a concrete mix to alter or
control its color.
mix design the most economical
selection
and
proportioning
of
cement , water and aggregate to
produce concrete or mortar having the
required
properties
of
workability,strength,durability
and
water tightness.
water-cement ratio the ratio of
mixing water to cement in a unit
volume of concrete or mortar mix. It
controls the strength,durability,and
watertightness of hardened concrete.
slump
test

a
method
for
determining the consistency and
workability of freshly mixed concrete
by measuring the slump of a test
specimen.
slump
a measure of the
consistency and workability of freshly
mixed concrete , expressed as the
vertical settling, in inches of a
specimen after it has been placed in a
slump cone,tamped in a prescribe
manner, and the cone is lifted.
slump cone an open-ended ,
truncated cone of sheet metal
12in(305mm) high, with base diameter
of 8in(203mm) and a top diameter of
4in(102mm), used to mold a specimen
of freshly mixed concrete for the
slump test.
sack a measure of Portland cement .
Also called bag.
compression test a test for
determining the compressive strength
of a concrete batch,using a hydraulic
press to measure the maximum load a
test cylinder can support in axial
compression before fracturing.
test cylinder a cylinder of concrete
6in(152mm)
in
diameter
and
12in(305mm) high, cast from a
representative batch and cured in a
laboratory or in the field under
controlled conditions.
core test a compression test of a
cylinder cut from a hardened concrete
structure , usually by means of a core
drill.
formwork the temporary structure
required to support newly placed

concrete including the forms and all

necessary
supporting
members,
bracing and hardware.
form boarding or sheeting of wood ,
metal , plastic or fiberglass for
containing and giving a desired shape
to newly placed concrete until it sets
and gains sufficient strength to be selfsupporting.
form liner material for lining the
inside face of a form,specially selected
to impart a smooth or patterned finish
to the concrete surface.
spreader a brace, usually of wood ,
for spacing and keeping wall or footing
forms apart. Also called spacer.
waler a horizontal timber or steel
beam for reinforcing various vertical
members , as in formwork or sheet
piling, or for retaining earth at the
edge of an embankment. Also called
breast timber,ranger,wale.
strongback a vertical support for
aligning and reinforcing walers. Also
called stiffback.
bulkhead a partition closing the end
of a form or preventing the passage of
newly
placed
concrete
at
a
construction joint.
keyway longitudinal groove or
channel formed in a concrete footing
or other member that has set,
providing a shear-resisting key for
newly placed concrete.
yoke a clamping device for keeping
column forms or the tops of wall forms
spreading under the fluid pressure of
newly placed concrete.
chamfer strip a strip of wood or
material attached to a form to produce
a smooth,rounded or beveled edge on
the outside corner of a concrete
member.
rustication strip a strip of wood or
other material attached to the inside
face of a form to produce a groove in
the surface of a concrete member.
grade strip a wood strip fixed to the
inside face of a form to indicate the
top of a concrete lift.
wedge any of a variety of slotted
devices for tightening formwork and
transferring the force in a form tie to
the walers.

form tie a metal tie for keeping wall

forms from spreading under the fluid
pressure of newly placed concrete.
snap tie a form tie having notches
or crimps which allow its end s to be
snapped off below the concrete
surface after stripping of the forms.
cone bolt a form tie having cones at
each end inside the forms, which allow
it to also serve as a spreader.
cone a small, truncated cone of
wood , steel or plastic attached to a
form tie to space and spread wall
forms,leaving
a neatly finished
depression in the concrete surface to
be filled or left exposed.
she bolt a form tie consisting of
waler rods that are inserted through
the form and threaded onto the ends
of an inner rod.
chair a device for supporting and
holding steel reinforcement in proper
position before and during the placing
of concrete.
bolster a wide chair for supporting
and spacing bottom bars in a concrete
beam or slab.
climbing form a form that can be
raised vertically for succeeding lifts of
concrete during the construction of
multistory building.
slip form a form that can be moved
slowly and continuously as concrete is
being placed during the construction
of a concrete pavement or building.
flying form a large form that can be
moved by a crane used in constructing
the concrete floors and roofs of
multistory buildings.
cast-in-place concrete concrete
deposited , formed , cured and
finished in its final position as part of a
structure. Also called cast-in-situconcrete.
placement

the
process
of
depositing and consolidating freshly
mixed concrete in a form or in the final
position where it is to harden.
chute an inclined trough or tube for
conveying free-flowing materials to a
lower level by gravity.
time of haul the period from first
contact between mixing water and
cement to completion of discharge of

the freshly mixed concrete from a

truck mixer.
agitator truck a truck equipped
with
rotating
drum
to
prevent
segregation or loss of plasticity of the
ready-mixed concrete being delivered
to a construction site.
truck mixer a truck equipped with a
rotating drum and a separate water
tank for mixing concrete en route to a
construction site.
concrete mixer a machine having a
revolving drum , often motor-driven,
for mixing cement,aggregate and
water to produce concrete.
buggy a cart, often motor-driven, for
transporting heavy materials, such as
freshly mixed concrete, for short
distances at a construction site.
pneumatic placement the delivery
of concrete, slurry or plaster by a
pipeline or hose to the point of
placement on a construction site.
shotcrete a lightweight concrete
construction consisting of a mixture of
cement ,sand or crushed slag, and
water , pumped through a hose and
sprayed
at
high
velocity
over
reinforcement
until
the
desired
thickness is reached. Also called
gunite.
consolidation the process of
eliminating voids other than entrained
air within newly placed concrete and
ensuring close contact of the concrete
with form surfaces and embedded
reinforcement.
spading consolidation of newly
placed concrete by the repeated
insertions and withdrawals of a flat ,
spadelike tool
rodding consolidation of newly
placed concrete by the insertions and
withdrawals of a rod.
vibration consolidation of newly
placed concrete by the moderately
high-frequency
oscillations
of
a
vibrator.
vibrator an electric or pneumatic
oscillating tool for agitating and
consolidating newly placed concrete.
segregation the separation of
coarse aggregate from the mortar or
of water from the other ingredients of

freshly mixed concrete, resulting from

excessive horizontal movement or free
fall of the mix , or from overvibration
after placement.
stratification the separation of an
excessively
wet
or
overvibrated
concrete mix into horizontal layers,
with increasingly lighter material
migrating toward the top.
bleeding the emergence of excess
mixing water on the surface of newly
placed concrete,caused by settlement
of solids within the mass.Also called
water gain.
laitance a milky deposit containing
cement and aggregate fines on the
surface of new concrete caused by the
bleeding of excess mixing water ,
overworking of the mix or improper
finishing.
finishing the process of leveling
,smoothing,compacting and treating ,
a newly placed concrete surface to
produce the desired texture and
appearance.
screed a wooden or metal
straightedge drawn a over a newly
placed concrete slab to bring it to
proper level.
screed a firmly established grade
strip or edge form serving as a guide
for making a true level surface on a
newly placed concrete slab.
darby a long wooden or metal
straightedge for smoothing a fresh
concrete surface immediately after
screeding.
float a flat tool for spreading and
smoothing a fresh concrete, stucco, or
plaster surface.
bull float a float having a large,flat
blade attached to a long handle.
architectural concrete exposed
concrete work requiring special care in
the
selection
of
materials,forming,placing and finishing
to acquire the desired appearance.
beton brut concrete left in its
natural state after formwork is
removed esp. when the concrete
surface reflects the texture, joints, and
fasteners of a board foam.

dry-shake finish a colored finish

produce by sparkling a dry mixture of
cement,sand , and a pigment on a
fresh
concrete
surface
following
screeding and after any free water has
evaporated , and then working the
mixture into the surface with a float.
float finish a fine textured finish
obtained by smoothing a fresh
concrete,plaster ,or stucco surface
with a wood float.
broom finish a striated finish
obtained by stroking a broom or stiff
brush over a freshly troweled concrete
surface.
exposed-aggregate
finish
a
decorative
finish
produced
by
sandblasting , etching with an acid , or
scrubbing a concrete surface after the
initial set in order to remove the outer
layer of cement paste and expose the
aggregate.
bushhammered finish a coarse
textured finish obtained by fracturing
a concrete or stone surface with a
power driven hammer having a
rectangular head with a corrugated ,
serrated or toothed face.
swirl finish a textured finish given
to a fresh plaster or concrete surface
by trowelling with a circular ,
overlapping motion.
power trowel a portable machine
having a steel trowels mounted on
radial arms that rotate about a vertical
shaft to smooth,compact,and finish a
fresh concrete surface.
edger a trowel having a long ,
curved lip for rounding the edges of a
fresh concrete slab as it begins to set.
pavement saw a wheel-mounted
,rotary power saw equipped with
silicon-carbide or diamond blade for
cutting a control joint in a hardened
concrete slab.
set the assumption of a rigid or hard
state by concrete,mortar,plaster, or
glue due to physical or chemical
change.
cure to maintain newly placed
concrete or mortar at the required
temperature and humidity for the first
seven days following placement ,
casting
or finishing to ensure

satisfactory
hydration
of
the
cementitious materials and proper
hardening.
hydration the process in which a
substance combines chemically with
water, as that occurring when cement
is mixed with water.
honeycomb voids on a formed
concrete
surface
caused
by
segregation during placement or by
insufficient consolidation.
spalling the chipping or scaling of a
hardened concrete or masonry surface
caused by freeze-thaw cycles or the
application of deicing salts. Also called
scaling.
crazing numerous hairline cracks
occurring in the surface of a newly
hardened concrete slab as a result of
rapid drying shrinkage.
drying shrinkage a reduction in
volume of concrete ,mortar,or plaster
caused by loss of moisture.
setting shrinkage
a reduction in
volume of concrete prior to its final
set, caused by hydration of the
cement paste.
REINFORCED CONCRETE
concrete in which steel reinforcement is
embedded in such manner that two
materials act together in resisting forces.
Also beton arme, ferroconcrete.

Terminologies