By

E.Ram Sai
Concrete placed under difficult situations special care is
to be taken.

We dont want to stop the work under any circumstances.

Changes in temperature will effect the concrete.

The initial rate of development of strength can be
expected to be faster in hot weather and slower in cold
weather.

If proper precautions are not taken the cement may be
leached or the aggregates may become segregated.


Special Circumstances
Hot Weather Concreting
Cold Weather Concreting
Underwater Construction
Constructions of Piles
Diaphragm Walls
Underground Construction
Concrete Construction in Marine Environment
Miscellaneous Concreting
Hot Weather Concreting
concreting done or placing at atmospheric
temperature above 40C.
IS 7861(part-1)-1975 gives the recommended
practices that would result in concrete possessing
improved characteristics in the fresh as well as
hardened state.

Effects of Hot Weather on Concrete
Accelerated Setting: High Temperature increases the initial setting
of concrete accelerated.
Rapid Hydration: Higher temperatures result in rapid hydration of
cement, increased evaporation of mixing water, greater demand of
mixing water, and large volume changes resulting in cracks.

Reduction in Strength: High temperature results in the increase of the
quantity of mixing water to maintain the workability with consequent reduction
in strength.



Increased Tendency to Crack: Either before or after hardening,
plastic shrinkage cracks may form in the partially hardened concrete
due to rapid evaporation of water.






Affected Curing:
It is difficult to retain moisture for hydration and
maintain reasonably uniform temperature conditions
during the curing period.


Difficulty in control of Air Content in Air-Entrained
Concrete:
This adds to the difficulty of controlling workability.
For a given amount of air-entraining agent, hot
concrete entrains less air than concrete at normal
temperatures.

Recommended Practices and Precautions
Temperature control of concrete ingredients
Aggregates- stored under shade or cooled by water.
Water- used in the form of ice or in near freezing temperatures.
Cement- Temperature restricted to 77
0
C .
Mix Design
Use low cement content and cements with low heats of
hydration.
Use approved admixtures for reducing the water demand or for
retarding the set.
Production and Delivery:
Temperature of concrete at the time of placement should be
below 40
0
C.
The mixing time should be held at minimum, subject to uniform
mixing.
Period between mixing and delivery should be kept to a
minimum.
Placement and Curing:
Prior to placing concrete formwork, reinforcements and
sub grade should be kept cool by spraying with cold
water. If possible, concreting may be restricted to
evenings and nights.
Placement and finishing should be speedy.
Fresh concrete, as soon as laid, should be covered by fog
sprays, wet burlap, cotton mats, or other similar means.
Immediately after compacting and finishing, concrete
should be protected from evaporation of moisture.
Continuous curing for a period of not less than 10 days
should be done without fail since volume changes due to
alternate wetting and drying promote development of
surface cracks.

MOIST CURING
Covering the Concrete
Surface
Cold Weather Concreting
Any operation of concreting, whether mixing, placing, casting, etc., done
at about 5
0
C atmospheric temperature or below is termed as Cold
Weather Concreting.
It is essential to keep the temperature of the concrete above a minimum
value before placing.
Proper care should be taken on concrete in cold climates because it has
to sustain several problems.
IS 7861(part-1I)-1981 gives the recommended practices that would result
in concrete possessing improved characteristics in the fresh as well as
hardened state.

Effects of cold weather on concrete
Delayed Setting:
When the temperature falls to about 5
0
C or below, the
development of concrete strength is retarded compared with
the strength that is developed at normal temperatures.
Forming of Ice-Lenses:
Severe damage may occur if concrete, which is still in the
plastic state, is exposed to low temperature ice lenses are
formed.
Due to ice lenses expansion occurs within the pores of the
mixed and poured concrete.
Stress Due to Temperature Differential:
Large temperature differentials within the concrete members
may promote cracking and have harmful effects on the
durability.
Such differentials are likely to happen in cold weather
conditions at the time of removal of forms.

Freezing of Concrete at Early Age: When concrete is exposed
to freezing temperatures, there is a risk of concrete suffering
irrevocable loss of strength and other qualities, that is,
permeability may increase and the durability may be impaired.

Impact on Strength: Concrete produced at lower
temperatures normally develops strength at a slower
rate.
Repeated Freezing and Thawing of Concrete: If concrete is
exposed to repeated freezing and thawing immediately after final
setting and/or during the hardening period, the final qualities of the
concrete are also affected.

Recommended Practices and Precautions
Temperature control of concrete ingredients
Aggregates- heated by steam or hot blowers.
If coarse aggregates are free of frozen lumps, ice and/or snow, only
sand should be heated up to a temperature of about 40
0
C.
Water - can be used up to boiling point temperature.
Cement - Heat of Hydration should be more.
Mix Design- The Mix design should separately be done for the
cold weather conditions and additives if any should be used only
on results of the extensive study of the trial mixes made on the
mix design.
Production and Delivery:
Making sure that the concrete is delivered to the point of
placing at not less than 10
0
C, followed by placing quickly and
insulating.
If concrete is delivered to the point of placing at not less than
5
0
C, placing quickly and providing continuous heating to the
concrete externally.


Placement and Curing:
Ensuring that the concrete temperature is not less than
5
0
C at the time of placing it.
Making sure that the concrete is not placed against a
frozen sub-grade or against reinforcement or forms
covered with snow or ice.
Covering the top of concrete surface as well as the forms
with insulating material.
During freezing or near freezing conditions, water curing
is not necessary.
Low-pressure, wet-steam curing provides the best means
of both heating the enclosure and curing the concrete.


Underwater Construction
Situations: Basements, Sewerage and Marine works.
Inspection of concrete during placement under-water is
difficult.
Underwater concrete should have a slump of 100 to 180mm.
The water cement ratio should not exceed 0.6 and may need
to be smaller, depending upon the grade of concrete or the
type of the chemical attack.
For aggregates of 40mm maximum particle size, the cement
shall be at least 350kg/m
3
of concrete.
For aggregates of 20mm maximum particle size, the cement
shall be at least 380-390 kg/m
3
of concrete.
The void content of the coarse aggregates should be kept as
low as possible. The code assumes a maximum void content
of 55 percent.




How to Place Concrete Underwater
The methods to be used for depositing concrete under water shall be
one of the following:
Grouting
Bags
Tremie
Drop bottom bucket
Direct placement with pumps
Cofferdam or Formwork


Placing concrete by Tremie


Placing concrete by Bucket


Placing concrete by Direct Pumping


Placing concrete by Cofferdam or Formwork
Cofferdams or forms shall be sufficiently tight to ensure still water
and in any case to reduce the flow of water to 3m/min through the
space into which concrete is to be deposited.
Coffer dams or forms in still water shall be sufficiently tight to prevent
loss of mortar through the walls.

Placing concrete by Constructing form work

Concrete Repair underwater
Precautions
Concrete cast under water shall not fall freely through the water.
Otherwise it may be leached and become segregated.
Concrete shall be deposited continuously until it is brought to the
required height.
While depositing, the top surface shall be kept as nearly level as
possible and the formation of seams avoided.
De-watering by pumping shall not be made while concrete is
being placed or until 24 hours thereafter, otherwise it may disturb
the concrete and may lead to undesirable results.
No tamping, ramming or compaction of concrete underwater.
The concrete mix should be rich and have 10% - 30% extra
cement
No construction joint is allowed within 600mm below the water
level.
The aggregates should be properly graded to reduce the voids to
a minimum.




Construction of Piles
Piles are used for deep foundations.
Methods of piles installation
Dry Installation Cohesive soil
Franki Process
Casing protected Installation Water Bearing ground
Slurry Method Fine sand, Silt and Clay soil
Construction of Piles by Dry Installation
Construction of Piles Franki Process

Construction of Piles Franki Process
Construction of piles by Slurry Method

Construction of Diaphragm Walls
Diaphragm walls can be used in underpasses as abutment walls to
support the superstructure load and transfer them to the soil. They
are generally used as load-bearing elements and retention systems.
Underground Construction
Situations :
Underground water tank
Trench
Sewerage System laying
Deep Excavation in site
Foundation works
Types of Cofferdams

Single Sheet
pilling

Precast Concrete sheet
pilling
Tongue and groove wood sheet
pilling

Concrete Construction in Marine Environment
The amount of Chlorides and sulphates in the mix should be reduced
to a minimum.

Cement Factor: 400 kg/m
3
, W/C ratio should be less than 0.45

Portland slag cement may be used but it will be necessary to seek
specialists advice.

Precast members are to be preferred because then it will be possible
to achieve dense concrete and eliminate those with porous or
defective concrete by inspection before installation.

Unreinforced elements should be used if practicable, as reinforcing
steels are susceptible to corrosion caused by chlorides present in
sea water.

Construction joints are potentially weak and the problems of
durability are accentuated in the zone subject to alternate drying and
wetting that is, between upper and lower planes of wave actions.

No construction joints shall be allowed within 600 mm below low
water-level or within 600 mm of the upper and lower planes of wave
action.

In reinforced concrete structures, care shall be taken to protect the
reinforcement from exposure to saline atmosphere during storage
and fabrication.

Aggregates should be non reactive and sound.

IS 4082-1977 recommends a coat of cement water over the
reinforcing steels stored in coastal areas.

Miscellaneous Concreting
Bubble Deck Slab

Self Compaction Concrete