VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

BELGAUM- 590014, KARNATAKA

A Technical Seminar Report On

“UNDERWATER CONCRETING”

Submitted in the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the
Degree of
Bachelor of Engineering
In
Civil Engineering
Submitted by
SHWETA CHAURASIA [1OX11CV038]
Under the guidance of
Mr. SHIVANAND C G
Assistant Professor, Department Of Civil Engineering

THE OXFORD COLLEGE OF ENGINNERING

BOMMANAHALLI, BANGALORE-560068
2014-2015
 THE OXFORD COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
BOMMANAHALLI, BANGALORE-560068

(Affiliated to VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, Belgaum)

Department Of Civil Engineering

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Technical seminar entitled “UNDERWATER CONCRETING” is

a bonafide work carried out by SHWETA CHAURASIA [1OX11CV038] in partial
fulfilment for the award of BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING in CIVIL ENGINEERING
of VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, BELGAUM during the year
2014-2015. The technical seminar report has been approved as it satisfies the academic
requirement in respect of work prescribed for bachelor of engineering.

GUIDE: HOD:

MR SHIVANAND DR. AMARNATH

Assistant Professor Department Of Civil Engineering

Department Of Civil Engineering

 STUDENT’S DECLARATION

I, SHWETA CHAURASIA, student of THE OXFORD COLLEGE OF

ENGINEERING, hereby declare that the seminar entitled "UNDERWATER
CONCRETING”, is an original work carried out by me under the guidance of Mr
shivanand, assistant professor, is submitted in the partial fulfilment of the requirements for
the civil engineering of the VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. This
is a bonafide work carried out by me. The results embodied in this project report have not
been submitted to any other university or institution for the award of any other degree or
diploma certificate.

NAME: USN:
SHWETA CHAURASIA 10X11CV038 SIGNATURE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

TOCE, BANGALORE
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The satisfaction and euphoria that accompany the successful completion of any task would be
incomplete without the mention of people who made it possible and whose constant guidance
and encouragement crowned our effort with success.

I consider myself proud to be a part of oxford family, the institution that stood by my way in
all my endeavours.

I would like to express my gratitude to our principal Dr. Rajendra Prasad, The Oxford College
of Engineering for providing me a congenial environment and surrounding to work in.

I profoundly thank Dr Amarnath K, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering who has
been an excellent guide and also a great source of inspiration to my work.

I would like to thank Mr Shivanand, assistant professor, civil engineering department for his
technical guidance, constant encouragement and support

The satisfaction and excitement that accompany the successful completion of the task would
be great but incomplete without the mention of the people who made it possible with their
constant guidance and encouragement crowns all the efforts with success. In this context, we
would like thank all the other staff members, both teaching and non-teaching, who have
extended their timely help and eased my task.

SHWETA CHAURASIA

10X11CV038
 INDEX

SL. CONTENTS PAGE REMARKS

NO. NO.
1 Abstract
2 Introduction
3 Performance requirements and problems faced
4 Types of materials 1. Cement
used and its mix
2. Coarse Aggregates
proportions
3. Fine Aggregates

4. Admixtures

5. Concreting 1. Introduction
2. Concreting 1. Tremie method
methods
2. Bucket Placing
3. Placing in Bags
4. Prepacked
concrete

6. Underwater Repair Works

7. Conclusion
8. References
1.0 ABSTRACT

The pouring of underwater concrete is considered as challenge for engineers even during the
design or during implementation and supervision, due to the fact that many precautions must
be taken for the success of casting process. The most important precaution is to protect the
fresh concrete during the casting process from the water until the completion of the pouring
of concrete and the concrete harden, so as to avoid the risk of washout of cement past and
segregation of aggregates. Concrete can be placed underwater successfully though good
design of concrete mix, and through choosing the most suitable method for placing of
concrete underwater. There are wide ranges of methods for underwater concreting including
traditional methods such as Tremie method, Placing in bags method, Bucket placing method
and Pre-packed concrete method. The use of admixtures are must in underwater concreting.
The admixtures include Ani-washout admixtures and Viscosity modified admixtures. The
main objective of the research is to present a study for the performance requirements and the
several problems faced while carrying out underwater concreting, types of materials required
and its mix proportions, and the capability of preparation and execution of pouring the
concrete underwater by using above mentioned several methods.

1
 2.0 INTRODUCTION

There are often situations, such as basements, sewerage and marine works, in which
concrete is to be placed underwater. In diaphragm wall construction, concrete is placed in a
trench filled with bentonite slurry. Concrete cast under water should not fall freely through
the water; otherwise it may be leached and become segregated. When concrete has to be
deposited underwater, one of two courses may be adopted. Either the space may be enclosed
and the water excluded temporarily or the concrete may be placed directly in the water using
one of the underwater placement methods.

Special precautions need be taken whenever the concrete is to be placed underwater. In

regard to the quality of concrete, the recommendations of the Portland Cement Association
are follows.

The concrete should be plastic and cohesive but should have good flowability. This
requires a fairly high slump, usually 150 to 180mm. A richer mix than generally used for
placing under normal conditions is required; usually the cement requirement is not less than
eight sacks per cubic meter of concrete. The proportions of fine and coarse aggregates should
be adjusted to produce the desired workability with somewhat higher proportion of fine
aggregates than used for normal conditions. The fine aggregate proportions can often be from
45 to 50 percent of the total aggregate, depending on the grading.

The demands on the formwork are usually higher than in normal concreting under dry
conditions. The formwork is usually higher than in normal concreting under dry conditions.
The formwork not only has to impart the required shape to the structure or its elements, it
must also protect the concrete mix during placing until it matures from the direct action of
current and waves . Thus , the formwork also serves as a temporary protective casing which
during concreting prevents possible washing out of cement and the leakage of cement mortar
from the concrete mix after completion of concreting, it will protect the sift concrete from
high impact and abrasive of the water currents. If necessary, coffer dams are to be constructed
to reduce the velocity of flow through the construction zone.

2
3.0 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS AND PROBLEMS
FACED

3.1 Performance requirements for UWC


Workability & self-compaction

Cohesion against washout, segregation & laitance formation

Low bleeding

Low heat of hydration

Controlled set time

Compressive strength

Adequate bond

3.2 Problems faced


Segregation of fine aggregates from coarse aggregates

Water pollution

Increased w/c ratio

Washout

3
4.0 TYPES OF MATERIAL USED AND ITS MIX
PROPORTIONS


Cement

Coarse aggregates

Fine aggregates

Admixture

Mix Proportion:
Concrete mix design involves the selection and proportioning of available material to
produce concretes which in both the fresh and hardened state meet requirements of specified
applications. Generally these requirements concentrate on the properties of workability/flow,
compressive strength and durability. The overall concreting operation needs to be achieved as
economically as possible and for simple concrete construction this often requires the mix
design to minimize the material cost, i.e. the cost of ingredient. However, for some
specialized applications higher concrete material costs are more than compensated for by
savings achieved at the transportations/casting stage, or the speed with which the structure
can start to earn revenue.
In case of the underwater concreting operations, mix design plays a significant part
overall efficiency of construction in terms of technological quality and overall economics
.Almost without exception trial mixes will be required.

Principle parameters in mix design:

1) Particles packing characteristics – sand course a gradation, size and shape.
2) The water to fine ratio – enough fine to make it flowable and cohesive (0.85 -1.0 by
volume )
3) Cementitious material content – high volume fly ash plus silica fume
4) Dispersion characteristics – proper use of chemical admixtures - HRWR and set
retarder

4
4.1 Cement:

Sulphate in ground water and particularly in sea water present the well-known problem of
tricalcium aluminate reaction, causing swelling and the related disintegration of concrete. As
under water concrete usually have comparatively large cement contents, attack due to
sulphates in ground water can be counteracted in the usual way by adjusting the cement
content or use of sulphate resisting Portland cement.

The presence of chloride in sea water can reduce the above effect of expansion and
determination of concrete. The gypsum and calcium sulphoaluminate resulting from sulphate
attack are made soluble in choride solutions and are leached out of concrete permanently
immersed in sea water. However concrete in the splash zone and above is particularly
vulnerable as not only does sulphate attack occur, but also pressure is exerted by salt crystals
formed in the pores of the concrete at locations where evaporations can take place chlorides
migrate above normally wetted areas owing capillary action, and the production of concrete
with low permeability reduces this effect.
Fundamental to the durability of concrete subjected to attack due to sulphate in the
ground water and the sea water is minimizing the porosity of the concrete at the bit
engineering level by achieving full compaction.


ORDINARY POTLAND CEMENT :
OPC having not more than 10% tricalcium aluminates is suitable for underwater
concrete construction where the sulphate content of ground water does not exceed
1200ppm and for marine structures which are permanently submerged.


SULPHATE RESISTING – PORTLAND CEMENT :
SRPC with its reduced tricalcium aluminates content should be used where the
sulphate content of ground water exceed 1200ppm. Its use in marine structures in the
splash zone and above is less straight forward. While low aluminate content provides
the protection against sulphate, it reduces protection to steel reinforcement in chloride
rich environment. The tricalcium aluminates should not be less than 4% to reduce the
risk of reinforcement corrosion to the chlorides.

5

LOW HEAT PORTLAND CEMENT :

Large pores of concrete cast underwater are particularly susceptible to thermal

cracking as relatively high cement content concretes are used. LHPC not only reduces the
rate of heat evolutions but also provides protection against sulphate attack owing to the
low level of tricalcium aluminate in this cement. The use of cement replacement materials
is an alternative method of reducing the thermal effects and provides additional benefits.

4.2 Coarse Aggregates:

As it is impossible to achieve detailed visual inspection during the placing of the

underwater concrete , and it is usually necessary for the concrete to flow and self-
compact, it is important to select aggregate and grading which are particularly resistant to
segregation and bleeding and which and have high cohesion.

COARSE AGGREGATES :

It is well known that rounded aggregates achieve more dense packing and have
reduced water demand for a given degree of workability than do crushed rock aggregate.
Thus the use of rounded aggregates generally tends to increase cohesion for a given sand
friction and cement content to have reduced tendency to segregation and bleeding.

However, strength and abrasion resistance are particularly significant parameters in

some underwater applications and it may thus be necessary for this reasons to select
crushed rock aggregates. When this is the case particular care must be paid to overall
grading of the aggregates.


The coarse aggregate for intruded in concrete shall conform to the following gradation:

Maximum Size - 1.5-2 inch (100% shall pass a 75 mm sieve )

Minimum Size - material passing a 19 mm sieve shall not exceed 5% by mass
of the coarse aggregate.

6
4.3 Fine aggregates:

The only special requirement for sand fraction over and above those needed for normal
concreting mixes is that there should be significant proportions with a particle size less than
300. At least 15 – 20% of sand fractions should pass a 300 m sieve as this necessary to
enhance the cohesive property of concrete to be placed underwater. When suitable sand
are unavailable it is necessary to increase significantly the cement content of mixes, or
add pulverized fuel ash or ground granulated blast furnace sag.

The sand for the intruded grout shall be well graded, preferably of round grains and
shall conform to the following gradation:

Passing 1.18 mm sieve 95 - 100%

Passing 600 um sieve 60 - 85%

Passing 300 um sieve 20 - 45%

Passing 150 um sieve 15 - 30%

Passing 75 um sieve 0 - 10%

GRADING:

As underwater concrete needs good flow and self-compacting properties, and

sufficient coefficient to resist segregation and bleeding, the aggregate grading
requirements are very similar to those needed for concrete pump mixes. Pump mix
requirements requires the above properties plus the need for the cement paste or mortar
paste to form lubricating film on the pipe walls, while this latter requirements are not
essential for under water concrete mixes, and it is common practice to have relatively
high cement content to improve cohesion, compensate for segregation effects and allow
for the inevitable losses of cement due to washout.

Continuous grading curve gives have been found to give the best results. Generally
20mm maximum size aggregates is most satisfactory with sand content of at least 40% of
total aggregates. If necessary a void meter can be used to optimize the proportions. This
approach is recommended if crushed rock aggregates are used.

7
MIX PROPOSTION:

Use air entraining admixtures

Slump of approximately 18cm

4.4 Admixtures:

Admixtures are the chemical compounds in concrete other than hydraulic cement, water
and aggregates, and mineral additives that are added to the concrete mix immediately before
or during mixing to modify one or more of the specific properties of concrete in the fresh or
hardened state. The use of the admixture should offer an improvement not economically
attainable by adjusting the proportions of water, cement and aggregates, and should not
adversely affect the performance of the concrete. Admixtures are no substitute for good
concreting practice. An admixture should be employed only after appropriate evolutions of its
effects on the performance of the concrete under the condition in which the concrete is
intended to be used.

The admixtures have formulated chemical composition and special chemical action, and
are used to modify certain properties of concrete. They are used primarily to reduce the cost
of concrete construction; to modify the performance of hardened concrete; to ensure the
quality of concrete during mixing, transporting, placing, compacting and curing; and to
overcome certain emergencies during concreting operations. The properties commonly
modified are that the rate of hydration or setting times, workability, dispersion and air
entrainment. The mixtures are added generally in a relatively small quantity. A degree of
control must be exercised to ensure proper quantity of admixtures as an excess quantity may
be detrimental to properties of the concrete.
Here in underwater concreting we use Anti-washout admixtures. Anti-washout admixtures
can be used to reduce the risk of segregation and washout with tremie method of placement,
improve self-compaction, flow properties and enable methods of placements which are faster
and less sensitive to operational difficulty to be used. In particular combinations of
admixtures have been developed to produce a non-dispersible concrete.

8
The Anti- washout admixtures are:

Rheomac uw-450

Hydrocem

Mellose


Rheomac uw-450

Rheomac uw-450 anti washout admixture is patented, ready to use liquid cellulose based
admixture that is specially developed for underwater concrete applications. Concrete
containing rheomac uw-450 admixture exhibit superior resistance to washout of cement and
fines while impending the blending of external water to the plastic concrete.

Properties of the Rheomac uw-450:


It is cellulose based admixture.

No effect on slump or setting time.

Useful for mortar or grouting where mixture have high w/c ratio.

Lessons strength when used out of water.

Increases strength when used underwater.

Features of Rheomac uw-450:


Reduction in washout of cement and fines.

Reduction in segregation, even with high fluid, high water to cementitious
materials ratio concrete mixtures.

Thixotropic action that provides concrete stiffening after placement.

Reduction or eliminations of concrete bleeding.

Benefits of Rheomac uw-450:


Superior and predictable in-place concrete properties.

Dewatering cost reduces/eliminated.

9
 
Environmental impact of cement washout in water minimized.

Flexibility in batching procedures.


Hydrocem admixture:

Hydrocem is a powdered admixture.

Hydrocem admixtures increases the cohesiveness while maintaining high
workability

It increases the strength up to 39 times the strength of underwater concrete
without admixtures.

Hydrocem test results:

 Sample 1: Concrete with silica fume.

 Sample 2: Concrete with hydrocem.

All other variables constant.

Strength of concrete outside of water after 28 days.


Sample 1: 35% stronger than sample 2.

Strength of concrete under water after 28 days.


Sample 2: 39% stronger than sample 1.


Mellose Admixture :

Mellose is a viscose agent based on under water Cellulose (Hydroxyl Propyl Methyl
Cellulose). It is commonly referred to as a self-levelling agent that increases viscosity
when is dissolved in water. It can be also described as an anti-washout concrete or non-
dispersible concrete mixture. Mellose is an essential component of high performance
concrete construction under water.

In under-water construction the concrete particles can be either separated or lost because
of water pressure, water flows or different densities. When Mellose is added, it prevents the
loss of cement in the mortar and the separation of the concrete particles due to

10
 its increased viscosity. It combines first with the water than with the cement and the other
concrete particles.

Benefits:

Mellose increases the viscosity of suspended concrete but decreases the viscosity
of flowing concrete. Therefore, it increases the workability of the concrete, while
there is no separation of its aggregates. It prevents the segregation of aggregates as
well as the bleeding when used for under water construction. The product comes in
the form of a powder that is added as a concrete admixture

Concrete particles with MELLOSE.

*Here water is pictured as black dots.

Concrete particles without adding MELLOSE under water.

The Viscosity modified admixtures are:


Naphthalene Formaldehyde

Sulfonated Melamine Formaldehyde

11
 
Naphthalene Formaldehyde :
The most widely accepted compounds of this group are poly B – Naphthalene
sulphonates, having molecular weight of about 2000. These materials have significant effect
on surface tension and are to be used with defoaming materials. These condensates are
employed in the form of sodium salts for their easy solubility in water.
This category of super plasticizers gives not only slightly greater levels of set retardation
and air entrainment than those of category-A, but also gives significantly larger periods of
workability retention. This makes it possible for the admixture to be dosed at a ready mixed
plant prior to trucking site. The increase in the level of air entrainment is too low to affect the
cohesiveness of the mix so a high sand content is desirable with the high workability mixes to
prevent bleeding and segregation.
The longer period of workability retention coupled with a set retardation of 20 to 40
minutes in high strength low water content mixes, makes this category of superplasticizers
very effective for pre-cast concrete.


Sulfonated Melamine Formaldehyde:

Sulfonated Melamine Formaldehyde condensates or poly-melamine sulphonates

having molecular weight in the range of 20000 are family of sulphonated superplasticizers that
are widely used in the concrete industry. These condensates are usually employed in the form of
sodium salts, which are easily soluble in water. This category of super plasticizers are nearest to
ideal one as they do not interfere with hydration of cement , i.e. they have very little effect on
set , even at high dosage and do not have any tendency to entrain air . The dosage can be upto 3%
by mass of cement beyond which beneficial effect is minimized.

In water-reduced concrete, this category results in fairly rapid loss of workability and the set
time may be accelerated by about 40 to 30 min over that of normal mix of equal workability.
Twenty-four hour strength typically in excess of 150 per cent of that of normal concrete. The
workability of a flowing mix may fall to 70mm slump in less than 15min at 40 degree Celsius. It
is therefore, preferable to add this category of superplasticizer directly into the ready mix truck at
the job site and then place the concrete as quickly as possible. If workability is lost before
placing, a second dose of this admixture may be added to restore the workability without

12
significant loss of mechanical properties of the hardened concrete. This procedure is not
recommended with other category of superplasticizers.

Sulfonated Melamine Formaldehyde superplasticizers, which tends to reduce air

entrainment, results in mix which may be more prone to bleeding, and segregation, so a
higher than normal sand content desirable. Vibration should, therefore, be kept to minimum.
This type of super plasticizers should preferably use for underwater concreting, where high
early strength is required.

EXCAVATION TECHNIQUES:

 Air lifting

 Jetting

 Suction dredging

 Controlled

 Blasting

13
5.0 CONCRETING

5.1 Introduction
It should be in accordance with ACT 211.1-91, standard practice for selection of
proportion for normal, heavy weight and mass concrete

Good graduation with sand, gravel and cement.

Good quality of water for mix.

The concrete should incorporate water reducing admixtures.

Formwork in which the concrete is placed must be secure and with care

Concrete placed underwater is typically placed in a form. Forms used in underwater
construction included cut plywood forms that are fabricated on site, flexible fabric
forms that are that are secured underwater, cylindrical fibre glass forms, rigid fibre
board form etc.

5.2 Concreting methods:

The following are the principal techniques which have been used for placing concrete
underwater.


Tremie method

Bucket placing

Placing in bags

Prepacked concrete


5.2.1 Tremie Method :

A tremie is watertight pipe, generally 250mm in diameter, having a funnel shaped

hopper at its upper end and a loose plug at the bottom or discharge end. The valve at the
discharge end is used to de-water the tremie and control the distribution of the concrete.
Placing it is built up in 1to 3.5m sections. The tremie is supported on working platform above
water level, and to facilitate the placing it is built up in 1 to 3.5 section.

14
Typical arrangement for a Tremie pipe

15
 During the concreting, air and water must be excluded from the tremie by keeping the
pipe full of concrete all the time; and for this reason the capacity of the hopper should be at
least equal to that of the tremie pipe. In charging the tremie a plug formed of paper is first
inserted into the top of the pipe. As the hopper is filled the pressure of fresh concrete forces
the plug down the pipe and the water in the tremie is displaced by concrete.

For concreting, the tremie pipe is lowered into the position and the discharge end is
kept as deeply submerged beneath the surface of freshly placed concrete as the head of the
concrete in tremie permits. As concreting proceeds the pipe is raised slightly and the concrete
flows outward. Care should be taken to maintain continuity of concreting without breaking
the seal provided by the concrete cover the discharge end. Should this seal be broken, the
tremie should be lifted and plugged before concreting is recommended. The tremie should
never move laterally through freshly placed concrete. It should be lifted vertically above the
surface of concrete and shifted to its new position.

When large quantities of concrete are to be placed continuously, it is preferable to

place concrete simultaneously and uniformly through a battery of tremies, rather than shift a
single tremie from point to point. It has been recommended that the spacing of tremie be
between 3.5 to 5 m and that the end tremies should be about 2.5m from the formwork.

The risk of segregation and non uniform stiffening can be minimized by maintaining
the surface of concrete in the forms as level as possible and by providing a continuous and
rapid flow of concrete.

16
Flow Patterns of Tremie Concrete

Bulging Flow

17
 Termie Pipe Spacing


5.2.2 Bucket Placing:

This method has the advantage that concreting can be carried out at considerable depths.
The buckets are usually fitted with drop-bottom or bottom-roller gates which open freely
outward when tripped as shown in fig. The bucket is completely filled with concrete and its
top covered with a canvas cloth or a gunny sack to prevent the disturbance of concrete as the
bucket is lowered into water. Some buckets are provided with a special base which limits the
agitation of the concrete during the discharge and also while the empty bucket is hoisted
away from the fresh concrete. The bucket is lowered from a crane up to the bottom surface of
concrete and then opened either by divers or by suitable arrangements from the top. It is
essential that the concrete be discharged directly against the surface on which is to be
deposited. Early discharge of bucket, which permits fresh concrete to drop through water,
must be avoided. The main disadvantage of the bucket method is the difficulty in keeping the
top surface of the placed concrete in the reasonable level. The method permits the use of
slightly stiffer concrete than does tremie method.

18
 (a) FILLED (b) DISCHARGING

PLACEMENT WITH BOTTOM DUMP BUCKET

TYPICAL ARRANGEMENT FOR A BOTTTOM OPENING BUCKET

19
 
5.2.3 Placing in Bags:

The method consists in partially (usually about 2/3rd) filling of cloth or gunny sacks with concrete,
and tying them in such a way that they can readily be accommodated in a profile of the surface on
which they are placed. The properly filled bags are lowered into water and placed carefully in a header
and stretcher fashion as in brick masonry construction with help of drivers.

The method has advantage in that, in many cases, no formwork is necessary and comparatively
lean mixes may be used provided sufficient plasticity is retained. On the other hand , as the accurate
positioning of bags in place can be only accomplished by the drivers, the work is consequently slow
and laborious , Voids between adjacent bags are difficult to fill, there is little bonding other than that
achieved by mechanical interlocks between bags . The bags and labourers necessary to fill and tie
them are relatively expensive; and the method is suited for only placing the concrete in shallow water.


5.2.4 Prepacked Concrete:
This technique is also called as grouted concrete; consist of placing the coarse aggregate only
in the forms and thoroughly compacting it to form pre-packed mass. This mass is then grouted
with the cement mortar of the required proportions. The aggregate should be wetted before placed
in position. The mortar that grouts the concrete displaces water and fills the voids.
The aggregates should be well graded to produce a dense and compact concrete.
Aggregates upto the maximum size of 80mm can be conveniently used. Only shutter
vibrators can be used for compacting the coarse aggregates. The coarse aggregates may also
be allowed to fall from heights of upto 4 mts, without causing any appreciable segregation.

The mortar consists of fine sand, pozzolanic filler material and a chemical agent, which serves

I. To help the penetration.

II.To inhabit early setting of cement.
III.To aid the dispersion of the particles, and
IV. To increase the fluid of mortar.

An air-entraining agent is also added to the mortar to entrain about 4% of air, a small
variation of the procedure of preparation of the cement mortar of grouting leads to the process

20
called concrete. In this process the mortar grout is prepared in a special high speed mixer. No
admixtures are used in this process. The high speed mixing produces a very fluid grout which
is immiscible with water. The maximum size of sand used is 5mm and the sand should be
well graded. The mix ratio ranges from 1:1.5 to 1:4 with a water cement ratio of about 0.45.
Rich cement mortar is used for underwater construction and grouting of prestressing cables in
post tensioned bonded construction.

The grouting of prepacked aggregates can be done in any of the following methods;
i. The mould can be filled with grout, and the coarse aggregates can then be deposited in
the grout.
ii. The grout can be poured on the top surface of aggregates and allowed to penetrate to
the bottom. The method is particularly useful for grouting thin sections.
iii. Pumping the grout into the aggregate mass from at carefully designed positions
through a network of pipes. The formwork should be constructed at the top of the
coarse aggregates in the method.

The quantity of grout in any of these methods should be estimated from the void contents
of the coarse aggregates. The grout pressure employed will be of order of 0.2 to 0.3 MPa.
The technique is very much suited for underwater construction and repair work of mass
concrete structures, such as dams, spillways, etc. The Prepacked concrete is known to exhibit
lower drying shrinkage and higher durability. Especially the freezing and thawing resistance
compound to ordinary concrete of the sane proportions. The rate of development of strength
st
is comparatively slow for the 1 two month and eventual strengths are about the same as for
the normal concrete.

21
 AGGREGATE REPLACED INTO FORM

Precautions required during underwater concreting:

The following precautions should be taken during underwater concreting.

i. Dry ingredients should not be dumped into water, nor should the concrete be allowed to
fall water from any height.
ii. Pumping or bailing out of water should not be done while the concrete is being deposited, and
within 24 h of placing the concrete, as it may suck the cement particles of the laid concrete.
iii. No tamping, ramming or compaction of concrete should be done until concrete surfaces
raises above water level.
iv. The concrete mix should be rich and have 10% to 30% extra cement content of the
concrete should not be less than 380 -390 kg/m3.
v. The aggregates should properly be graded to reduce voids to a minimum and produce a
concrete mass of excellent plasticity and strength.
vi. Concrete should not be placed in very cold water, as this causes hardening problems.
Accelerators such as sodium chloride or sodium silicates can be used based on
requirements.
vii. No construction joint is allowed within 600mm below the water level. Underwater
concreting should be done in one continuous operation.

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Underwater concreting is a specialized operation. It needs appropriate equipments, material,
and operation skills. It should be done under good supervision.

UNDER-WATER CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES:

Concrete mix Under-water Mass tremie

concrete concrete
proportions
construction properties
Workability and Concrete Thermal

placement
rheology planning behavior
Strength Concrete Form pressure

production and
development transportation
Finish and Laitance,

bleeding
protection segregation
Inspection and

quality

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6.0 UNDERWATER REPAIR WORKS

The special features of underwater repairs are

 Due to high cost and complexity of underwater working, the repair operations need be
made as simple as possible. The choice of repair technique is influenced by the
available method of access.
 Adequate preparation of damaged area may require specially updated techniques.
 The repair material must be compatible with underwater applications both during
placing and curing. Cementitious systems have been found to be better suited for
underwater use.
 Formwork and placement method adopted must minimize mixing between repair
material and water.
 Underwater supervision of repair operations is difficult and costly.

Generally, laboratory trials on both materials and repair methods are used to identify
possible problem areas and ensure smooth site operations. Before a repair is undertaken it
is necessary to clean the damage area of marine contaminants to allow the detail
inspection to access the extent of damage. In case of smaller areas, this can be
accomplished by using mechanical wire brushes, needles guns or scrabbling tools.
However for large areas a high pressure jet may provide solutions. Once the area has been
cleaned, the extent of cracked and spilling concrete may be defined with the help of
divers or remote operated vehicles to photograph the area.

The step involved in underwater repair are;

 Defining the Area

 Cleaning the Affected Area

 Equipment Haulage

 Use AWA

 Personnel requirements

 Inspection methods

 Environment consideration

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7.0 CONCLUSION

Concrete is often placed beneath water surface for the construction of offshore
platforms, docks, harbours, bridge structures etc. . . . We should take serious precautionary
measures and care while concreting beneath water level. Since w/c plays an important role in
attainment of strength of concrete. Also one cannot see the underwater concreting process.
Hence of mistakes or error are more which will lead to serious problem later. Quality of
concerting in case of land is easily seen, but in case of underwater is difficult, so proper care
must be taken in every steps. There may be possibilities of segregations, bleeding etc. .Thus
concreting underwater should be carefully controlled and carried out.

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8.0 REFERENCES:
www.ce.berkley.edu/~parmont/165/tremie

www.vulcanhammer.net

www.ce.gatech.edu/~kk92/classpress/uwater/index.html

www.scanecm.com.au/products/additives/hydrocem/index.html

www.ce.ecn.purdue.edu/cem/cliproj/civil/mellose.html

www.masterbuilder.com/uc.html

Concrete Technology - M S Shetty

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