Commonproblemsofconcretingandhowtoavoidthem

LitonBiswas

ConcreteTechnology,Construction,HowtoGuide

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For producing high quality concrete you should take control of problems which are commonly
occurred during concreting. These problems mainly happen for improper mixing, placing and
handling. Some problems also happen due to weather effect and other reasons. These problems
have major impact on strength and duration of concrete First you should know about the
common problems of concreting. The common problems are:
Segregation
Bleeding
Shrinkage cracking
Dusting
Laitance
Scaling,etc.
Segregation:Segregation is the tendency of separating concrete particles in fresh concrete.
Due to segregation honey comb, scaling, laitance, porous layers and bond failure at
construction joint etc. can happen in concrete. To avoid segregation following actions can be
taken
Properly following concrete mixdesign
Mixing concrete ingredients properly
Maintaining watercement ratio
Not dropping concrete from too high during placing
Avoid over vibrating of concrete
Bleeding:when concrete begin to set the mixing water come out from the concrete and evaporates. If evaporation
rate of water is not sufficient then water stay on the concrete surface. This the conc bleeding. Normal Bleeding is a
part of concrete hardening process. But excess bleeding is harmful to concrete. It reduces the bond between
reinforcement & concrete and also concrete particles with cement paste. As a result, it reduce the strength and
durability of hardened concrete.Bleeding can be avoided using following technique:
Maintaining proper watercement ratio
Using water reducing admixture with concrete mix
Using well graded fine aggregates.

Plastic Shrinkage cracking:If the evaporation rate of mixing water of concrete is higher than
the bleed water of concrete then this cracking occurs in concrete surface. It happen due to hot
weather. To avoid this concreting problem see "Impacts of hot weather on concreting and
protective actions".

Dusting:If the concrete surface bond is weak with subsequent layer then the surface dusts
under traffic. The following measures can be taken to avoid this problem:

Keep the watercement ratio under reasonable level

Use dust free aggregates
Ensure proper hydration of concrete
Avoid concrete finishing work with bleed water. etc
Laitance: laitance is the bad effect of concrete bleeding and segregation. Due to bleeding & segregation a thin
layer of cementsand particles appears on the concrete surface that is the laitance. It's also harmful to concrete as it
weaken the bond of subsequent layers of concrete. The following measures can be taken to prevent the occurrence of
concrete laitance:
Remove the clay, dust, silt and other organic materials from concrete aggregate before mixing.
Don't apply water on fresh concrete during finishing work.
Maintain proper water cement ratio.
Using well graded fine aggregates.
Using water reducing admixture with concrete mix.

Scaling:Scaling is the appearing of concrete aggregate on surface due to flaking or peeling

away mortar from concrete surface. Same protective actions for laitance and dusting can be
taken to protect concrete scaling.
Therearealsosomeotherproblemshappenduringconcretingwork.Butthesearemajor
concretingproblemtoavoid.