50th ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, “Safer, Smarter & Greener”

Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

INVESTIGATION OF CONCRETE MIXTURES FOR THE

REPAIR OF CONCRETE COVERS OF RC COLUMNS

Anna Francesca DEL CASTILLO1, Sarah Linette CORNEJO1, Romwell Louis TAN1
and Andres Winston ORETA2
1
BSCE, De La Salle University-Manila, Philippines
Email: chescacdc@yahoo.com
2
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, De La Salle University-Manila, Philippines
Email: andyoreta@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT: The most common type of damage in reinforced concrete (RC) columns due to
severe environmental conditions and loads is the cracking or spalling of the concrete cover with
the steel and concrete core intact. Replacing the spalled concrete is the most common approach
in the repair of concrete columns. This paper explores the effect of various types of concrete
mixtures in the repair of the concrete cover of rectangular RC columns. In this study, two types
of admixtures – one with water proofing admixture and another with water reducer admixture
were used as a replacement to the “spalled “ concrete cover. The repaired columns were tested
uniaxially to investigate the effect of the concrete cover on the axial capacity of the columns.
The repaired columns using the admixtures were compared with the original column which has
an ordinary mixture for the concrete cover. Based on the results, the water-reducing admixture
has the most promising effects as repair mixture for the concrete cover of RC rectangular
columns. It increases the axial load capacity of the columns significantly and has positive
effects on ductility and confinement.

KEYWORDS: concrete column, repair, concrete cover, admixture, confinement

1. INTRODUCTION

Structures after several years of service and due to environmental factors deteriorate causing
damage in its structural members such as columns and beams. Reinforced concrete columns are
usually covered by a minimum thickness of concrete cover to protect the steel against corrosion
and fire. However, in time, the column deteriorates which causes cracking and spalling of the
concrete cover. Cracking is only the beginning of its deterioration process, after some time,
spalling occurs. Spalling can be described as the breaking of layers or pieces of concrete from
the surface of a structural element. The concrete cover may also contribute to the confined
compressive strength of columns. It prevents the reinforcement bars from yielding laterally as
load is applied. It also lessens the degree of change in volume in the column. Since columns
are critical structural elements, the repair of damaged columns is necessary.

There are several methods of repairing damaged columns, patching is the most common and
cost-effective approach especially for lightly damage columns which is characterized by spalled
concrete cover. Patching is generally done by removing the damaged concrete beyond the
reinforcement bars, after which is replaced by a new concrete cover. The new concrete cover
may have different mixture and strength compared to the substrate or old concrete. This study
aims to investigate the use of commercially available chemical admixtures commonly used in
concrete repair and their effectiveness in repairing the concrete cover of RC square columns.

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 50th ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, “Safer, Smarter & Greener”
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

Specifically, the study aims to:

(a) Compare the structural performance and behavior of rectangular concrete columns with the
concrete cover replaced using commercial admixtures with those repaired with ordinary concrete
mix
(b) Investigate the contribution of the concrete cover to the confined compressive strength and
ductility of RC columns

2. DETAILS OF THE EXPERIMENT

2.1 Admixtures

Admixtures have been widely used in the construction mainly due to its capacity to improve the
properties of plain concrete. Two types of chemical admixtures were used in the study.
Admixture A (Water Reducer), based on the product description, is a highly effective dual
action liquid super plasticizer for the production of free flowing concrete or as a substantial
water reducing agent for promoting high early and ultimate strengths. As a water reducer it can
reduce the amount of water by 20% and produce a 40% increase in 28 days compressive
strength. It can also produce a relatively high strength within 12 hours. Admixture B (Water
Proofing), on the other hand, is a ready for use waterproofing powder admixture for cement
mortars and is suitable for use in tropical conditions. It contains pore sealing and water repelling
substances which provide beneficial properties such as improved workability without increasing
the amount of water and increased impermeability.

2.2 Specimen Preparation

Three cylinders for each type of concrete mixture – core concrete mixture, ordinary concrete
mixture, concrete mixtures with admixtures A and B after 28 days were casted to determine the
unconfined compressive strength (f’c). Twelve (12) core columns were produced and let to cure
for 28 days after which the concrete covers were formed and poured; formworks with the
designed dimensions were used. To ensure a monolithic failure and bond between the old and
new concrete, the old surface was chipped using concrete nails to produce a rough surface. The
old concrete surface was also brushed with an epoxy to further enhance the bond. Ordinary
concrete mixture was cast on to three (3) core columns. Concrete with water reducing admixture
was also cast on to three (3) core columns and concrete with waterproofing admixture was also
cast on to another set of three (3) core columns.

The column designation is shown in Table 1. Co corresponds to the core column specimens, C1
corresponds to a column with a concrete cover using an ordinary concrete mixture, C2
corresponds to a column with a concrete cover with water reducer and C3 corresponds to a
column with a concrete cover with water proofing admixture.

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 50th ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, “Safer, Smarter & Greener”
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

Table 1. Specimen Designation

Column Co: C1: C2: C3:
Designation Core column Ordinary Admixture Admixture
Mix A B

Specimen

2.3 Column Specifications and Instrumentation

The concrete columns tested had the following dimensions: column size with cover: 230 mm x
230 mm, concrete core size: 150 mm x 150 mm, concrete cover: 40 mm, height: 600mm. The
RC column has 10 mm diameter longitudinal steel bars at the four corners of the column and 10
mm diameter ties spaced at 260 mm. Figure 1 shows the typical column specimen tested.

strain gauge for εt

strain gauge for εS
strain gauge for εCC

Figure 1. Typical Column Specimen

Three strain gauges were placed on each column; one along the main reinforcement—assuming
equal strain for all four reinforcements, another was placed on the middle tie and the last strain
gauge was placed on the concrete cover.

3. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

3.1 Concrete Cylinder Tests

The compressive strengths of the concrete mixtures were obtained by following the
specifications stated in ASTM C-39 Standard for Compressive Testing of Cylindrical Specimens.
Figure 2 shows the average values of the unconfined compressive strength of the cylinders.

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 50th ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, “Safer, Smarter & Greener”
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

For the concrete mixtures of the

concrete covers, the average 28. 58
compressive strengths of 20.08 MPa, 30 25. 76 20.07
20. 0820. 07
MPa, 28.58 MPa and 25.76 MPa were
20 Co
obtained for Co, C1, C2 and C3
respectively. By design, the average 10 C1
compressive strength of the ordinary C2
concrete cover mixture resulted to a 0 value
C ompres s ive  S trength  (28 C3
that is almost equal to the average
compressive strength of the core Days )
columns. The specimens with
admixtures yielded higher compressive
Figure 2. Cylinder Strength (f’c)
strengths.

3.2 Column Tests

The specimens were tested using the Universal Testing Machine (UTM) as shown in Figure 3.
Load was continuously applied until failure and data was recorded for every 500 kg interval
using a data logger. The peak load was recorded and loading was continued until failure. In this
study, failure was the point in which the columns where destroyed—large cracks were already
visible. Table 2 and Figure 4 show the compressive force and the deformation at peak and
ultimate conditions. The core columns recorded a peak load of 480.87 kN. As anticipated, there
is an increase in peak load values for the specimens with
concrete covers. Among the specimens with concrete covers, C1
showed the least increase in peak load with a value of 589.10 kN;
a 22.50% increase in peak load. C3 followed with a recorded
value of 737.12 kN or a 53.28% increase in peak load value
compared to the core column. With the highest recorded
increase, C2 increased by as much as 78.05%, having a value of
856.31 kN for its peak load. The increase in peak loads of
specimens with concrete covers implies the substantial effect of
concrete covers to the strength of the column because of the
increase in cross-sectional area.
Figure 3. Column Test

Table 2 Summary of Load-Displacement Values

Co C1 C2 C3
P at peak(kN) 480.87 589.10 856.31 737.12
Δpeak(mm) 0.8407 1.0817 1.948 1.7180
Pultimate(kN) 372.68 575.94 692.68 736.63
Δultimate(mm) 0.8376 1.1603 2.005 1.7805

When compared to C1, an increase of 45.35% and 25.12% can be observed for C2 and C3
respectively. These values show the effects of admixtures to the confined compressive strength

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 50th ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, “Safer, Smarter & Greener”
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

provided by the concrete covers. On the basis of peak axial loading capacity, C2 shows the most
significant change. C3, on the other hand had the largest ultimate axial force.

The displacement at the peak value

provides additional information on
the effect of the admixtures. The
admixtures increased the ductility
of the columns since the
displacements increased both at
peak and ultimate conditions..
Again column C2 has the largest
displacement of 1.948 mm. A
comparison of the ultimate values
also shows a similar trend with C2
having an ultimate displacement of
2.005 mm. In general, it can be
observed that the concrete cover
increased the ductility of the Figure 4. Load-Displacement Curves
column.

Figure 4 shows the significant increase of the peak loads of columns with concrete cover
compared with Co. Moreover, the effect of admixtures for C2 and C3 can be observed when
compared with C1 (no admixtures). The peak loads of C2 and C3 were reached at a latter point
or larger displacement, indicating an increase in ductility.

3.3 Strain Results

Strain values at peak and ultimate axial loads were taken so as to evaluate the behavior of
the mixtures as repair materials more. The strain experienced by the ties will be used to assess
the confining ability of the concrete cover.

Table 3. Strain at the steel ties at peak load

Co 0.000277
C1 0.00009033
C2 0.000121
C3 0.000261

Among the three strain gauges attached to the specimen, the strain gauge attached to the ties has
the most relevance to the study. Table 3 shows the average strain obtained from the tests. With
just 480.89 kN of load applied, Co already recorded a strain of 0.000277. This value is relatively
large compared to the recorded 0.00009033, 0.000121 and 0.000261 strain values for C1, C2 and
C3 at their peak loads. The strain values of the ties of the columns with concrete covers have
smaller values at larger peak loads when compared to the core column. From the tests, C1, C2,
and C3 all had smaller recorded strain values compared to Co. This illustrates that the concrete
cover resists the lateral movement or expansion of the column when under compressive loading.
The concrete cover definitely has a positive contribution to confinement.

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 50th ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, “Safer, Smarter & Greener”
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

Comparing the strain values for the

columns with concrete cover, C1
had the smallest amount of strain of
0.00009033. But it does not mean
that C1 has the most effective
confining ability since it
experienced the strain at only
589.10 kN Between C2 and C3, C2
still is more effective since its stain
of 0.000121 occurs at a larger peak Figure 5. Stress-Strain of Ties
value.

Figure 5 shows the stress and strain up to ultimate loading. Again it is observed that Co attained
the largest strain at a lower load. The ties of the columns with admixtures reached lower strain
values at higher loads. The elastic linear behavior of the ties is exhibited in the figure.

3.4 Axial Compressive Strength

The axial compressive strength of concrete columns depends on the areas of the concrete column
and the longitudinal steel. The column area consists of the concrete core and concrete cover. A
simple estimator of the ultimate axial load of a rectangular column is given by equation no. 1.
P’=Acore f’c + As es Es + Acc ecc Ec (1)

Where Acore = area of conrete core

f’c = cylinder compressive strength
As= area of longitudinal steel
es = measured strain of longitudinal steel
Es = modulus of elasticity of steel
Acc = area of concrete cover
ecc = measured strain of concrete cover
Ec = 4700 √f’c

To determine the possible contribution of confinement due to lateral ties and concrete cover, the
difference of the peak load at testing and the theoretical load P’ was computed to obtain ΔP as
shown in Table 4.

Considering the strain values at peak, additional loads of 137.10 kN, 212,46 kN and 156,47 kN
may have been contributed by confinement for C1, C2 and C3, respectively.
For C1, 23.27% of its peak nominal load from the test was contributed by confinement. For C3,
21.22% of its peak nominal load from the test was contributed by confinement whereas C2,
24.80% of its peak nominal load from the test was contributed by confinement.

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 50th ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, “Safer, Smarter & Greener”
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

Table 4 Theoretical and Experimental Peak Loads The increase in axial load due to
P’ (kN) PTESTING(kN) ΔP k(N) confinement by lateral ties and
concrete cover ranges between 21
C1 451..99 589.09 137.10 to 25%. If concrete cover really
contributed to the confined
C2 643.86 856.32 212.46 strength, then the water reducing
admixture showed the largest
C3 580.65 737.12 156.47 increase of the axial load capacity
of a column with its recorded
212.46 kN contribution.

4. CONCLUSION

Based on this study, the concrete mixture with the water-reducing admixture (or admixture A)
replacing the damaged concrete cover of rectangular columns (C2) showed the most positive
effects such as (a) a significant increase of the confined compressive strength, (b) an increase in
the ductility as reflected by the large displacements at the peak and ultimate conditions, and (c)
reduction in the lateral strain of the steel ties at peak values showing its effectiveness in
confinement of the RC column.

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 50th ASEP Anniversary International Convention & Exposition, “Safer, Smarter & Greener”
Technical Proceedings ISSN 1656-7757, September 28-30, 2011 Makati City, Philippines

Shubel, P.J., Warrior, N.A. and Elliot,K.S. (2008). Evaluation of Concrete Mixes and Mineral Additions
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The specimens were fabricated by E.P. Cornejo Construction. The cylinder tests were conducted at the
DLSU CE Testing Laboratory. The columns were tested at the Industrial Research and Training Center,
TUP, Manila.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Anna Francesca Del Castillo, Sarah Linette Cornejo and Romwell.Louis Tan graduated Bachelor Science
in Civil Engineering with major in Structural Engineering at De La Salle University-Manila in 2010. This
paper is an output of their undergraduate thesis, “Investigation Of Concrete Mixtures For The Concrete
Cover Repair of RC Square Columns.”

Andres Winston C. Oreta is a professor in civil engineering at De La Salle University-Manila. He is a also

a fellow of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP) and a life member of the
Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE). He can be contacted at andyoreta@yahoo.com.

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