INTRODUCTION

Concrete the man made rock is the

most widely used construction
material.
More than 80,000 crores cum of
concrete are poured every year.
India has an installed capacity of 200
million tonnes of cement.
Some Structures are designed with
life of 100 years.

So it is necessary that the concrete used is durable.

Quality
Definition : Conformance to
requirements expressed & implied.

Objective : Total customer (both internal

& external) satisfaction.

Performance standard : ZERO DEFECTS.

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 Quality
System of causing Quality
DIRFT (DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME)

Process oriented & Not Inspection

oriented approach.

Prevention and not appraisal.

MBWA and not MBTA (Management by

Wandering Around and not Management
by Talking Around.)
3
Quality
Measure : The measurement of quality is
the Price of non-conformance.

Responsible for non- quality : Seniors

are the sinners.

4
 Durability
Definition
A durable concrete is one that performs
satisfactorily in the working environment during
its anticipated exposure conditions during service
(IS 456-2000)
Durability of concrete is its ability to resist
weathering action, chemical attack, abrasion or
any other process of deterioration (American
Concrete Institute).
When exposed to environment durable concrete
is likely to retain its original form,
quality and serviceability during its lifetime.
Durable Concrete envisage limits for maximum
water cement ratio, minimum cement content,
cover thickness, type of cement used and
presence of amount of chloride and 5 sulphates
in concrete. ( IS-SP-28)
 Consequences of Improper
Quality and
Inadequate Durability
Loss of strength of concrete
Concrete liable to be easily affected by deterrents
Corrosion of rebars
Loss of serviceability
Unpleasant appearance
Danger to persons and property
Expensive repair costs
Poor perception of concrete as a material
Poor perception of agencies involved
Reduction of service life
External agencies like weathering, attack by natural or
Industrial liquids, Gases, bacterial Growth etc.
Alkali- aggregate reaction.
Ingression of moisture/air facilitating corrosion of steel and
cracking concrete cover. 6
Consequences of
Inadequate
Durability

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Consequences of
Inadequate
Durability

8
Consequences of
Inadequate
Durability

9
Factors Influencing
Durability of Concrete (IS:
456-2000)
The Environment
Type and quality of constituent materials
Cement content and W/C ratio of concrete
Workmanship especially in compaction
curing it is very important
Cover to embedded steel
Shape and size of the member

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 Factors Affecting Durability
Durability depends on two main factors
a) The concrete system &
b) The service environment

a) Concrete system is based on

Quality and quantity of materials used and
Processes involved in manufacture of concrete.

b) Service environment affects concrete by way

of
Physical actions and
Chemical actions on concrete.
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 Factors Affecting Durability

DURABILITY

The Concrete System Aggressiveness of the

Environment

Materials Process Physical

Chemical

Binder type Mixing

Abrasion Dissolutio
Binder Transporting
Erosion n
content Compaction
Cavitatio Leaching
Aggregates Curing
n Expansio
Admixture Temperatur
Freeze- n
Mix design e
workmanshi thaw Alteration
12
p
MATERIALS

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 Selection of
Good Quality Materials
(Conforming to relevant IS codes)
Cement (from Reputed Manufacturers)

Sand (River / Crushed, Silt < 5%)

Aggregates (Cubical in shape, Innocuous)

Water (Tested) with PH value ranging 6to 8

Admixture (From Reputed Manufacturer)

Compatibility of cement and plasticizer (PC based

or Naphtha based) and 3rd generation
superplasticiters of Polycarboxylates base,
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Polyacrylates based or Monovinyl alcohols based
UNSOUND MATERIALS

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 UNSOUND MATERIALS
Cement or aggregate is considered
unsound when they cause unacceptable
volume change, hardened concrete or
mortar which causes cracks and affects
durability.
Aggregates containing certain materials
such as shale, clay lumps, coal, iron
pyrites etc show unsoundness later when
concrete undergoes wetting and drying or
freezing and thawing.
More moisture absorption in aggregate
(CA1 or CA11) is often used as a rough
index for unsoundness 16
 Water - Permissible Limits for Solids. IS
456:2000 Table-1

Sr. No. Tested as per Permissible Limit, Max

i) Organic IS 3025 (Part 18) 200 mg/l

ii) Inorganic IS 3025 (Part 18) 3000 mg/l
iii) Sulphates (as SO3) IS 3025 (Part 24) 400 mg/l
iv) Chlorides (as CI) IS 3025 (Part 32) 2000 mg/l
for concrete not
containing embedded
steel and 500 mg/l for
reinforced concrete
work
v) Suspended matter IS 3025 (Part 17) 2000 mg/l
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Impact of W/C Ratio
On Durability
Permeability is the contributory factor for
volume change and higher W/C ratio is the
fundamental cause of higher permeability.
Use of higher W/C ratio permeability
volume change cracks disintegration
failure of concrete is a cyclic process in
concrete.
For a durable concrete, use of lowest possible
W/C ratio is the fundamental requirement to
produce dense and impermeable concrete.
Modern superplasticizers of Polymer base are
so efficient that it is now possible to make
flowing concrete with a W/C as low18as 0.31 or
even as low as 0.29 with increased slump
Permeability Vs W/C Graph

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PROCESSES

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 Workmanship for
Durable Concrete
Batching

Mixing

Transportation

Placing

Compaction

Finishing

Protection

Curing 21
 Compaction of Concrete
Ensuring suitable workability
employing appropriate placing and
compaction equipment
Adequate compaction without
segregation
1% voids reduces strength by 5%
Criticality of Curing
Extremely important if the water-
cement ratio is low & cement content
is high.
If the cement has a high rate of
strength development
Ambient temperature during placing
is high and day is windy
If the concrete contains GGBFS or
Pulverized Fly ash (PFA)
Recommended Moist Curing
(IS 456: 2000)
Normal Weather Conditions
7
* OPC Based Concretes -
Days
Blended Cements based 10
* -
concretes Days
Harsh Weather Conditions (Hot and
Dry)
* OPC Based Concretes - 10 Days
Blended Cements based
* - 14 Days
concretes
Cracks on concrete surface
due to inadequate curing
ENVIRONMENT
Environment can be classified as

a) Physical
Temperature, Moisture, alternate
wetting and drying, freezing and
thawing

b) Chemical
Acidic, gaseous, alkaline, corrosive
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS
ATTACK AFFECTING
DURABILITY
Physical Environment impacts
Temperature
Significantly affects rate of hydration of
cement.
Leads to Plastic shrinkage cracks in fresh
concrete
Volume changes and cracking especially
in mass concrete
Spalling and disintegration of concrete at
higher temperatures > 250C (3000c as
per A.M. Neville P-387)
Variation in ambient temperature causes
Physical Environment impacts
Moisture
Shrinkage on drying, consequent volume
change and cracking
Induces corrosion of steel
Acts as carrier of chemicals inside the body
of concrete
Causes efflorescence and deposition of
Ca(Cao+2H2 0= Ca (OH)2 +H2 0 OH)2 on
surface
Seepage / Leakages cause inconvenience to
occupants and deteriorates structures due to
 Physical Environment impacts
Alternate wetting and drying
Causes secondary stresses in the
structures
Accelerates corrosion of steel and
Chemical attack on concrete

Freezing and Thawing

Leads to expansion of concrete and
cracking
Ice-melting salts cause erosion of
concrete
CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT
ATTACK AFFECTING
DURABILITY
 Chemical Action
When we are dealing with durability, chemical
attack which results in volume change,
cracking and consequent deterioration of
concrete become a major cause of concern
Types of Chemical attack
Sulphate attack
Alkali aggregate reaction
Chloride ion attack - Corrosion
Carbonation
Acid Attack
Effect on concrete in Seawater
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 1. Sulphate attack
Sulphate attack denotes an increase in the
volume of cement paste in concrete or
mortar due to chemical action between the
products of hydration of cement and
solution containing sulphate, and also
sodium, magnesium and Cholorides.
In hardened concrete, calcium aluminate
hydrate (C-A-H) can react with sulphate salt
from outside, product of reaction is calcium
sulphoaluminate, which can cause an
increase in volume up to 227%
Rate of sulphate attack increases with a
saturated sulphate solution.
 Sulphate attack
Methods of controlling sulphate
attack
Use SRC (sulphate resisting cement)
Quality concrete - low w/c ratio, well
designed and compacted dense concrete
Use of air-entrainment
Use of puzzolana
High pressure steam curing
Use of high alumina cement

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 2. Alkali - Aggregate Reaction
Alkali from cement, reacts with reactive
silica (of aggregates) to form alkali-silica
gel of unlimited swelling type.
The continuous growth of silica gel exerts
osmotic pressure within the concrete.
This manifests into cracking and bulging of
concrete
Occurrence is due
to :
1. High alkali content
in cement (more
than 0.6%)
2. Reactive silica in
aggregate
Alkali - Aggregate Reaction
Alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) is basically a
chemical reaction between the hydroxyl ions in
the pore water within concrete and certain types
of rock minerals
Since reactive silica in the aggregate is involved
in this chemical reaction it is often called alkali-
silica- reaction (ASR).
It is recognized as one of the major causes of
cracking of concrete.
The reaction produces what is called alkali-silica
gel of unlimited swelling type under favorable
conditions of moisture and temperature.
The crack width can range from 0.1mm to as
much as 10mm. 37
Alkali - Aggregate Reaction
Alkali content (K2O and Na2O) or what is
called soda equivalent.
This is calculated as the actual Na2O
content plus 0.658 times the K2O content
of the clinker.
It should be less than 0.6 percent by mass
of cement.
Alkalis from all these sources must be
included in finding the total alkalis.
British standard 5328 : part 1 : 1091
specifies a maximum of 3.0 kg of alkalis
(expressed as soda equivalent) in 38
1 m 3
of
 Alkali - Aggregate Reaction
Remedial Measures:
1. Use non-reactive
aggregates from
alternate sources
2. Use low-alkali
cement
3. Reduce cement
content in concrete
4. Use of pozzolana,
slag or silica fume
5. Control on service
condition, limiting
degree of saturation
of concrete
3. Chlorides in Concrete
Chlorides in concrete increases risk of
corrosion of steel (Electrochemical
reaction) (IS 456:2000)
Higher Chloride content or exposure to
warm moist conditions increase the risk
of corrosion
To minimize the chances of corrosion, the
levels of chlorides in concrete should be
limited
Total amount of chloride content (as Cl) in
concrete at the time of placing is
Methods of Controlling
Chlorides
Chlorides in cement to be less than 0.1 %
max ( or 0.05% max for prestressed
works)
Chlorides in water to be less than 2000
mg/ltr for PCC and below 500 mg/ltr for
RCC
Chlorides in aggregates are generally not
encountered but, its a good practice to
wash sand containing salt more than 3%
Chloride traces are also found in chemical
admixtures. Chloride free admixtures
should be generally preferred. 41
Corrosion
Corrosion is an electro-chemical process
Basic Mechanism :
Different areas of the same steel bar become anode
and cathode. The electrical connection being
maintained by pore water, which acts as electrolyte

At the anode, steel releases electron and takes the

ionic form
Fe 2e- + Fe2+

At the cathode, water in presence of oxygen and the

released electron forms hydroxyl ions (OH)-
2O2 + H2O + 2e- 2(OH)-
2H2O+O24e-=4 (OH-)
Fe++ + 2(OH)- Fe(OH)2 Iron Hydroxide (Rust)
Example of Delamination
of Concrete cover
Corrosion
Crack formed due to bursting pressure on
account of rusting of reinforcements
Methods of
Controlling Corrosion
Limit the chlorides in water, cement,
superplastizers, etc to acceptable levels
Provide proper cover as per IS norms
Cover blocks also need to be of good
quality
Concrete should be properly compacted
Make dense, impermeable / waterproof
concrete
Have protective coatings wherever
suitable
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Ensure proper & timely maintenance of
4. Carbonation of Concrete
Mechanism : Carbon dioxide from the air
reacts with calcium hydroxide to form
calcium carbonates
In the presence of moisture, carbonic
acid is formed which reduces the
alkalinity of concrete
pH value of concrete reduces from 12.5
to 9, thus destroying the protective layer
and exposing the steel to corrosion
Rate of Carbonation depends upon
relative humidity, grade of concrete,
permeability of concrete, depth of cover
and time
Measurement of
Depth of Carbonation

Pink color indicates that Ca(OH)2 is unaffected by

carbonation. The uncolored portion indicates that
 Carbonation
Carbonation of concrete is a process by which carbon
dioxide from the air penetrates into concrete and
reacts with calcium hydroxide to form calcium
carbonates.
In actual practice, CO2 present in atmosphere
permeates into concrete and carbonates the concrete
and reduces the alkalinity of concrete.
When all the Ca(OH)2 has become carbonated, the pH
value will reduce upto about 8.3. In such a low pH
value, the protective layer gets destroyed and the steel
is exposed to corrosion.
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 Carbonation
The highest rate of carbonation occurs at a relative
humidity between 50 and 70 percent.
Protective coating is required to be given for long
span bridge girders, flyovers, Industrial structures and
chimneys. Such as plastic paints (Impermeable)
Deep cover plays an important role in protecting the
steel from carbonation.

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Steel in Passivity condition
Concrete is under continuous attack by
aggressive environmental agencies.
Good concrete and sufficient cover is
the answer for durability

Steel in passivity 51
5. Acid attack
Concrete is not fully resistant to acids
depending upon the type and
concentration of acid.
Oxalic acid and phosphoric acids are
harmless.
The most vulnerable part of the cement
hydrate Is Ca(OH)2, but C-S-H gel can also
be attacked.
Concrete can be attacked by liquids with
pH value less than 6.5.
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Acid attack
But the attack is severe only at a pH value
below 5.5.
At a pH value below 4.5, the attack is very
severe.
Cement compounds are eventually broken
down and leached away.
If acids are able to reach the reinforcing
steel through cracks corrosion can occur
leading to further cracking

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COVER TO REINFORCEMENT

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Cover to Reinforcement
(IS 456 2000)
Exposure Min Nominal
Condition cover (mm)
Mild 20
Moderate 30
Severe 45
Very Severe 50
Extreme 75
Note :
1) For main reinforcement upto 12 mm dia bar for mild
exposures, the nominal cover may be reduced by 5
mm
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2) Unless specified otherwise, actual concrete cover
 Effect of Other materials
Mineral Oil usually effects only fresh concrete
in their hardening process (petrol, petroleum
distillates etc)
Organic Acid have corrosive effect
Vegetable & Animal oils & Fats causes
deterioration of concrete surfaces due to their
corrosive action
Action of Sugar has retarding effect on fresh
concrete; has gradual corrosive effect on
hardened concrete
Action of Sewage concrete sewers running
full remain unaffected; but in partially filled
sewers where hydrogen sulphide gas
56
is evolved
 Fire Resistance
The fire resistance is not only dependent
upon the type of concrete but also on the
thickness of cover to reinforcement.
Effect of temperature on the strength of
concrete is not much upto a temperature
of about 250oC
Above 300oC definite loss of strength takes
place.
Portland blast furnance slag cement is
found to be more resistant to the action of
fire.
Light weight concrete stand up better
57 to
 Fire Resistance
Best fire resistant aggregates amongst the
igneous rocks are, the basalts and
dolerites less amount of silica.
Since then decomposition takes place only
at a very high temperature of 900oC ,
Limestone is considered as a good fire
resistant aggregate.
Serious reduction in strength occurs at a
temperature of about 600oC.

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Constraints/Issues for Concrete in
Aggressive Environment

Contaminants in soil/water like

sulphates, chlorides, effluents, etc.
highly affect the durability of concrete
(limitation of SRC)
Heavy reduction in the headroom space
due to large depths of the beam
Limitation of OPC leading to weak
micro -pore structure
Large dimension of columns in
particular, leads to space
constraints.
 Why is Quality
necessary?
Intense Competitive Environment
Entry of Foreign Goods and Services
Increased Customer Consciousness
Earning Profit instead of making
profit
Organizations survival / progress
depends on it
Safety vs. Operation

Quality vs. Progress

Typical example in Railways
Operation vs safety
Both are PHODs/CHODs
With different duties
and responsibilities

I am CSO I am COM

In our day to day work COM gets a lot of

importance.Safety comes after Operation.
Similarly Quality comes after Progress..
 A KEY TO QUALITY WORK

Similarities between Human Body and Railway Track/Bridge/Structure

Segment

Man Track/Structure

Good Physique Good Construction

Regular Check ups
Preventive Measures
& Medicines
Proper & Timely Cure &
Restoration
Regular Inspections
Preventive Measures &
Materials
Proper & Timely
Repairs & Restoration

G HEALTHY LIFE
SMOOTH,SAFE TRAIN OPERATION & LONGER LIFE
 This ROB constructed 14years
back, was partly closed in 2007
Distress in Concrete Slab at
Bagha jatin ROB
GHPR Swimming Pool

Poor Quality & incomplete work

by RITES as like this.

After
construction &
commissioning
Construction Process Analysis
What it should be
What we think it is

What it really is ( Hidden ) What it could be

 5 Gaps in Service Quality
Gap 1: Consumer Expectation- Management Perception

Gap 2: Management Perception-SQ Specification

Gap 3: SQ Specification- Service Delivery

Gap 4: Service Delivery- Perceived Service

Gap 5: Perceived Service- Consumer Expectation

5-S.
Seiri - Remove unnecessary items

Seiton - Keep necessary things

properly

Seiso - Clean workplace thoroughly

Seiketsu - Maintain high standards

regularly

Shitsuke - Maintain self-discipline

 Quality work
does not mean
the work to stop
or standstill
 Quality consciousness

Give wider publicity

about Quality and
consequences of poor
quality.
This is a quality project..
Never disrespect contractors

Listen to them but ensure quality

 Quality
Audit

I can straightway say there is a

huge mistake I dont know
whether its human error or an
error in our judgment but we did
not follow QAP properly.
Durability of
Structures
Blacklisted
Contractors
Poor quality is always exposed at sometime.
RVNL OFFICE
RVNL
PIU
Are You Lonely and Worried for quality and durability of Concrete??

Dont like working on your own?

Hate making decisions?
Then call A MEETING!!
You can

SEE people
DRAW flowchats
FEEL important
IMPRESS your
colleagues

And must discuss on quality related issues

for Project Implementation.

MEETINGS
The practical alternative to work.
 Concluding Remarks
Strength and durability are two important
properties of concrete.
Concrete is a long lasting material provided
adequate care is taken in
Selection of ingredients
- Right type of materials & right concrete for
appropriate end applications
Mix design, batching, mixing, transporting,
placing, compaction, finishing, protection &
curing
Reinforcement detailing and adequate cover
Good quality form work
Maintenance and upkeep

Concrete is a dependable construction

Quality of Food is important for him. Quality of Construction is important for us.
 THANK YOU

It was a
presentation by
Rajesh Prasad