FRESH CONCRETE

Properties of Fresh Concrete

In the fresh (as well as the hardened) mixture there are two major components:
1) the cement paste – consisting of water and cement, and
2) the aggregates.
When preparing a concrete mix, one’s main concern is to produce a concrete having the
required properties which make it easy to handle when fresh, and serve the purpose it is
intended for, when hardened, such fresh concrete is said to be workable.

1-Workability

In the freshly mixed plastic concrete the aggregate and cement particles are
temporarily suspended in water. This separation of the particles and the lubrication effect
of the water layers, together with the interparticle forces among the finest particles, make
the fresh mixture plastic and possible to place, compact and mould in any shape and
hence workable.

Workability of concrete is sometimes defined as “the property or group of

properties which determines the ease with which a material or group of properties which
a material can be used to give a product of the requisite properties.” And sometimes as
“the combined effect those particles of fresh concrete that determine the amount of
internal work required for placement and compaction, and that determine the resistance
to segregation .”or according to Ritchie and Newman workability comprises at least
three separate properties as follows:
1) compactability or the with which the concrete can be compacted and the air
voids be removed,
2) mobility or the ease with which concrete can flow into moulds, around
reinforcing steel and be remolded (i.e. that property which is inversely
proportional to the internal resistance of the mix to deformation .) and
3) Stability or ability of concrete to remain a stable coherent homogeneous mass
during handling and vibration without the constituent segregating.

Generally, workability is a relative property which should be seen in relation to

the equipment used for mixing, method of transporting, placing, consolidating, and size
and shape of mass to be formed.

2-Consistence

Consistence is the term used to denote the degree of wetness or fluidity of

concrete. By definition it is “the rheological behavior of a material under the condition of
stress and strain which either occur in practice or are realized in experimental study.” Or
“it is the property of a material by which it resists a permanent change of shape and it is
defined by the complete flow force relation.”

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By Habtamu Melesse
 Experience has shown that wet concretes are more workable than dry (stiff) concretes,
but concretes of the same wetness (consistence) may differ in workability. The degree of wetness
of a concrete mix may be classified and described as stiff, plastic, and flowing.

Factors That Affect Workability and Consistence

Workability and consistence of fresh concrete are principally affected by the

materials that constitute concrete. The basic influences of the constituent materials of the
different phases on the workability and consistence of concrete are stated as follows:
“The factors governing the plasticity of a concrete mixture are:
1) Relative quantities of cement paste and aggregates,
2) Plasticity of the cement paste,
3) Grading of aggregates,
4) Shape and surface characteristics of aggregate particles.”
For any given paste, that is, a quantity of cement with its definite proportion of
water, decreasing the amount of paste with respect to the quantity of aggregate stiffens
the mixture, and increasing the amount of paste renders the mix more fluid. If the
quantity of paste is reduced to the point where there is not enough to fill the spaces and
actually float the aggregate particles, the mix will become granular or will be impossible
of proper placement.

Similarly, for a given quantity of paste and aggregate the plasticity of the mix
will depend upon the relative quantities of cement and water in the paste. A paste that is
high in cement and low in water content will itself be stiff and cannot carry much
aggregate without becoming so stiff as to be wholly unplaceable. On the other hand, if
the cement content of the paste is low and the water content high, the paste may be so
thin and watery that it will be unable to hold the aggregates in the cohesive mass which is
the very embodiment of plasticity.

The grading of the aggregates affects plasticity of the concrete:

a) by affecting the quantity of paste necessary to fill the spaces thoroughly and surround
the aggregate particles completely, and
b) by affecting the resistance which is offered to the mobility of the mass through the
varying combination of size.
As in the case of grading, the shape and surface characteristics of the particles
affect the plasticity of the mix through their effect on the amount of paste required and on
the friction between the particles as the concrete is molded. Angular particles or those
with rough surfaces require a greater amount of paste for the same mobility of mass than
is necessary for well rounded particles or those with smooth and slippery faces, other
conditions remaining the same.

From the forgoing it could be understood that:

a) the fresh cement paste, its structure, its plastic deformability or its rheological
properties, its relative quantity or the average paste layer thickness in concrete,
and

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By Habtamu Melesse
 b) the aggregate particles, their shape, surface texture and their relative quantity are
major factors highly influencing the workability and consistence or in general
term, the plastic deformability of fresh concrete.
The properties of fresh cement paste are dependent on factors such as:
 The initial volume fraction of cement particles as given by the
water/cement ratio,
 The chemical composition of the cement,
 The particle size and size distribution of the cement.

Handling, placing and compacting fresh concrete

In order to secure good hardened concrete, certain fundamental principles should be

borne in mind in handling it when fresh. The best concrete mix can be easily damaged
when a little mistake is made on the way from the mixing place to the forms. Therefore,
each step in handling and transporting should be carefully controlled. Segregation i.e. of
coarse aggregate from mortar or of water the other ingredients, should be prevented. The
equipment and method of handling and transporting concrete should be selected
according to placing conditions. For instance, when concrete is transported by cranes,
circular buckets should be used. Gates should be as large as possible and they should
form the bottom of buckets.

Concrete is a plastic material when fresh hence it needs forms or moulds until it
sets and hardens. The forms are generally made of either timber or steel. Before placing
concrete the forms and subgrade should cleaned and moistened thoroughly specially in
hot weather. Where wooden forming have been exposed to the sun for some time, it may
be necessary to saturate the wood to tighten the joints. In order to prevent concrete from
adhering to the surface, forms should be thoroughly oiled. When concrete is to be placed
on hardened concrete, few millimeters thick layer of mortar is necessary to prevent
formations of stone pockets and secure tight joints. The mortar should be made from the
concrete mix to be cast without its coarse aggregate.

Concrete should be placed in the forms as soon as possible, in no case more than
30 minutes after mixing. It should be deposited in layers of uniform depth, usually not
exceeding 25cm. Each layer should be compacted before the next is placed.

Problems that arise due to poor handling of fresh concrete are segregation and bleeding.

The handling, placing and compacting process must be done with great care to avoid this
problems.

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Segregation

Separation of the coarse aggregate from the mortar or the water from other ingredients.
The equipment and method of handling and transporting concrete should be selected
according to the placing condition. Segregation can also result due to improper filling
method.

Bleeding

Concrete must be compacted to have higher density, strength and durability before it
hardens. The objective is to eliminate air holes and achieve maximum density which
leads to higher strength. Compaction can be done with hand or vibrator. Excessive
vibration can result in bleeding concrete. The rising water tends to carry with it many
fine particles which weakens the top portion and in extreme cases form scum over the
surface.

Curing Concrete

Moisture is necessary for the proper hardening of concrete because the chemical action
which results in the setting and hardening of the paste takes place only in the presence of
water. Normally the amount of water used at the time of mixing is enough for this
purpose, however, the loss from evaporation from the concrete is mixed and placed is
usually so rapid that there may not enough of it left for full hydration and hardening.
Excessive loss of water due to evaporation may cause the hydration to stop all together
with a consequent reduced strength development. In addition, if concrete dries out too
quickly by exposure to sun and wind, it will shrink. This early and unusually rapid
shrinkage will result in tensile stresses which will lead to surface cracks.

Therefore the purpose of curing is to:

a. Prevent formation of surface cracks due to rapid loss of water while the concrete
is fresh and weak.
b. Assure attainment of strength by providing enough moisture for the hydration of
the cement grains throughout the concrete.

Volume of Fresh Concrete

The volume of the fresh concrete is equal to the sum of the absolute volumes of
its components, including the naturally entrapped or purposely entrained air.
If Va = volume of the air
Vw = volume of the water
Vc = absolute volume of the cement
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 Vfa = absolute volume of the fine aggregate
Vca = absolute volume of the coarse aggregate
Then the total volume of the fresh compacted concrete will be:

V = Va + Vw + Vc + Vfa + Vca

From the point of view of concrete technology it would be best to prescribe mix
proportions by the “absolute volume” of the ingredients, because the volume of the
resulting concrete and its properties are dependent on them, and not on their weight or
bulk volume. But this is impractical way to proportion materials, because the absolute
volumes of the ingredients can not be measured in the field.
However, the absolute volume can easily be calculated from the relationship of
the weight and specific gravity of the material:

V = W/1000(G)

Where, V = the absolute volume in m3

W = weight of material in kg
G = specific gravity of the material
1000 = unit weight of fresh water in kg/m3

*The specific gravity of cement is taken as 3.15

* For calculating the volumes of aggregates, their specific gravity on saturated surface
dry basis is used.
Substituting weight and specific gravities in the above equations:

V = Va + Ww/1000 + Wc/1000Gc + Wfa/1000Gfa + Wca/1000Gca

Where Ww = weight of water

Wc = weight of cement
Wfa = weight of fine aggregate
Wca = weight of coarse aggregate.

Examples

MEASURMENT OF WORKABALITY

Unfortunately, there is no acceptable test which will measure directly the

workability and consistence of fresh concrete. There are, however, approximate methods
which give information within a range of consistency and workability good enough for
practical purposes.

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The slump test

In this test fresh concrete is filled to a frustum of cone with 300mm height and
200 & 100mm diameters at the bottom and top respectively. The concrete is filled in
three layers, each being approximately one third of the volume of the cone. Each layer is
tamped 25 times with a standard straight tamping rod 16mm in diameter, the mould being
held firmly at the base. The cone is lifted slowly. The consistency or workability is
measured in terms of the amount it has slumped.

Three types of results could be obtained:

1. True slump: the slump could slump evenly all round.
2. Shear slump: part of the top cones might shear off and slide down an
inclined plane.
3. Collapse slump: the cone completely collapses.

The first type of slump indicates a well proportioned concrete where as the second, or
shear slump, occurs usually with harsh mixes with lack of cohesion. The third is an
indication of test failure or poor proportion of the aggregate, cement and water. In this
case the test must be repeated. Mixes of stiff consistency have a zero slump.

True slump Shear Collapse

*Description of Workability and Magnitude of Slump

Description of Workability Slump (mm)
No Slump ………………………………………………………...0
Very Low …………………………………………………………5-10
Low………………………………………………………………..15-30
Medium…………………………………………………………....35-75
High………………………………………………………………..80-155
Very high…………………………………………………………160-collapse

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By Habtamu Melesse
Compacting Factor Test

There is no generally accepted method of directly measuring the amount of

work necessary to achieve full compaction, which is a definition of workability. Probably
the best test yet available uses the inverse approach: the degree of compaction achieved
by a standard amount of work is determined. The work applied includes perforce the
work done against the surface friction but this is reduced to a minimum.

The degree of compaction called compacting factor, is measured by the

density ratio, i.e the ratio of the density actually achieved in the test to the density of the
same concrete fully compacted.

The apparatus used in this test consists of two hoppers. The bottom of these
hoppers consists of hinged doors and the distances of the hoppers from the base are fixed.
Below the lower hopper is the cylindrical mould 30cm high and 15cm in dia. The test is
performed as below:
i) Fill the top hopper and release the bottom door. The concrete falls from a
specified height into the lower hopper. The work done in its fall compact
concrete as it is collected in the lower hopper.
ii) Release the door of the lower hopper. The concrete fill with the mould
placed below.
iii) Remove the surplus concrete from the mould by using two steel floats
simultaneously from the circumference to the center in mould.
iv) Determine the weight of the concrete in mould.
v) Determine the theoretical weight of the concrete required to fill the
mould with concrete without air voids. This gives the maximum weight
of the concrete which can fill the mould. This is obtained by filling the
concrete in four layers, each tamped or vibrated, or alternatively
calculated from absolute volume of the mix ingredients.

The observed weight divided by the theoretical weight represents the compaction factor
workability of the mix.

*Description of Workability and Compacting Factor

Description of Workability Compacting Factor Corresponding Slump (mm)
Very low 0.78 0-25
Low 0.85 25-50
Medium 0.92 50-100
High 0.95 100-175

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