Selection and suitability of stones

Name of the Reason for Use

stone selection
Granite and sand Hardness due to Construction of
stone presence of silica buildings exposed to
high wind blowing
particles
Granite and gneiss Strong, durable, For heavy
capable of resisting engineering works
thrust such as bridges and
light houses
Granite and compact Acid and smoke For building in
sand stone proof industrial town
Granite and basalt Hard ,tough and For road metal and
possess abrasion railway ballast
resistance
Slabs of marble and Possess electric Electrical switch
slate resistance , non boards
absorbent of water
and easily cut into
pieces.
Lime stone Decomposed in to Manufacture of lime
quick lime on heating

ALTERNATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS

Concrete blocks : are blocks which are made up of cast concrete ie cement,
aggregate(sand or gravel) and water for high –density block (aggregates used
should be less than 12mm.)
Solid blocks: have no cavities or according to US board standards the voids
should not be more than 25% of the gross cross sectional area.
Advantage of solid blocks
 High compressive strength, resistance to weathering Impact and abrasion
 Good fire resistance up to about 400c.
 It gives very good stability.
 Rapid construction can be achieved.
 Water to cement ratio for preparing mix should be about 0.5.
 Solid concrete blocks are basically load bearing.
  Density of concrete blocks-1800kg/m3.
 Minimum compressive strength 4 to 5 N/mm2.
 Water absorption should not be more than 10% by its mass.
 The mix should be lean.
Hollow block
 They are two types
 Load bearing ,non load bearing.
Hollow blocks are type of concrete blocks having one or more holes that are open at
both sides the total void area should not cross 50% of the gross cross sectional
area.
Advantages of hollow blocks
 It can be made larger tAutoclave areated concrete blocks(AAC)han solid
blocks
 They are lighter in weight.
 Construction of wall is easy and quick.
 The voids can be filled with steel bars and concrete zchieving high earth
quake resistance.
 Density of the block varies from 1500kg/m3.
 Compressive strength varies from 1.5-5N/mm2.
 It Requires rich mix fine are used upto 60%and coarse are used upto
40%.

Aerated blocks or autoclaved aerated concrete.


Raw material cement fine aggregate, aluminium powder.

AAC contains 80% of air.

The density of the block varies from 450-1000kg/m3

The compressive strength of aerated blocks are 1.5 -6N/mm2.

Steam curing is done the temperature is generally between 170-215c

Dimension of AAC

Length 400,500,600

Height 200,250or 300.

Width 100,150,200,250.

It is non combustible

Autoclaved cellular block are usd for both load bearing and non load
bearing internal wall
Reinforced brick work is one in which the brick masonry is strengthened by the
provision of mild steel flats, hoop iron expanded mess or bars
It is adopted in following circumstance
 When the brick work has to bear tensile and shear stresses.
 When it is required to increases the longitudinal bond
 When the brick is supported on soil which is susceptible to large settlement.
Two types of reinforcement
 Horizontal and vertical.
Horizontal reinforcement: consist of wrought iron, flat bars, steel mesh.
It is usually to reinforce every sixth coarse.
Horizontal reinforcement which is more commonly used in provision of steel mesh
called exmet. It is provided for every third coarse.

Vertical reinforcement
In the form of mild steel bars is provided in brick columns, brick wall, and brick
retaining wall.
 Rammed Earth :rammed earth is a technique for building walls using the raw
material of earth, sometimes chalk lime and gravel; it is a ancient construction
technique developed in part of china ,the middle east and not Africa.
 Rammed earth are simple to construct non combustible, thermally massive
strong and durable.
 For construction of earth wall the soil should contain four elements have high
sand /gravel with some silt and just enough clay to act as binder.
 Density of rammed earth -1.85gm/cc.
 The compressive strength of a rammed earth can be up to 4.3MPa.
 Rammed earth using rebar wood or bamboo reinforcement can prevent failure
caused by earthquakes or heavy stones.
 Rammed earth is a thermal mass.
 The small amount of water present in the rammed earth provides extra
strength to the material. Excess of water causes loss of strength.
The process of rammed earth construction involves 5 stages.
 Frame work is built and a layer of moist earth is filled in
 The layer of moist earth is compressed
 Next layer of moist earth is added
 Successive layer of moist earth are added and compressed.
 Frame work is removed leaving the rammed earth wall.
Stabilized earth or mud block: it is called as compressed earth block. It cant be
used for building more than 2 storey.
Compressed earth block are defined as earthen bricks created by means of
compression in hand operated or hydraulic machines.
Top soil and organic soils must not be used.
Stages in preparing SBM.
 preparation(digging and seiving) ,Measuring, Mixing ,Pressing curing.
 The block must be cured for four weeks after manufacture.
 Compressed earth block can be stabilized ,most of the time, they are
stabilized with cement or lime.
 To use cement as a stabilizes
 Gravel -15% Sand -50%, silt- 15%,clay -20%.
 To use lime as a stabilizer
 Gravel15% sand -30% silt 20%,clay-35%.
 compressive strength2-5Mpa.
 Advantage
 It is produced in site
 It is economical
 It is ecofriendly
 Lime as a stabilizer reduce plasticity ,increase workability reduce
swelling and increase strength
 BRICKS
Brick is a building unit its constituents are
Alumina -20-30% ,Silica -50-60%, Lime -5%, oxide of iron -5-6%
Qualities of brick earth:
The qualities of good brick earth are:
 It must have proper proportions of sand ,silt , and clay.
 It should be homogeneous
 It must be free from pebbles grits and lumps of earth
 It should not contain vegetable and organic matter.
 It should not be mixed with salty water.

Quality of a good brick or properties of a good brick

 The brick should be table moulded well burnt free from cracks and with sharp
and square edges the colour should be uniform and bright.

 It should have uniform size and shape the depth of the frog should be 10-
20mm length and width of a frog should be 40-100mm the weights of standard
brick is 30N.

 The brick when broken or fractured should show a bright homogeneous and
uniform compacted structure free from voids.

 The brick should be sufficiently hard no impression should be left on brick

surface when it is scratched with finger nail.

 The brick should not break into pieces when dropped flat on hard.

 The bricks when soaked in water for 24hours should not show deposits of
white when allowed to dry in shade.

 No brick should have the crushing strength below 5.5N/mm.

Testing of bricks

Absorption test: the specimen brick is first weighed dry.it is then immersed in
water for a period of 16 hours it is weighed again . the difference in weight
indicates the amount of water absorbed, it should not exceed 20% of weigth of
dry brick.

Compressive strength test: the specimen brick is immersed in water for 24

hours the frog of the brick is filled flush with 1:3 mortar and the brick is stored
under damp jute bag for 24 hours f followed by immersion in clean water for
three days The specimen is then placed between the plates of the compression
testing machine load is applied axially at a uniform rate and maximum load at
which the specimen fails is noted The crushing or compressive strength of
common building bricks should not be less than 3.5N/mm 2brick of high quality
do not have strength less than 14N/mm2.

Hardness test :hardness of the brick can be estimated with the help of the
scratch of the finger nail. If no nail scratch is left on the brick ,it is considered
to be having sufficient hardness.

Shape and size test: All the faces of the brick should be truly rectangular and
size truly standard as specified .All the edges should be sharp and right angled.

Soundness test: soundness of the brick is estimated by striking two brick

against each other .they should emit ringing sound

Toughness: A good brick should not break, when made to fall flat on hard
ground, from a height of about 1M.

Test for presence of soluble salts or efflorescence: A brick is taken and kept
immersed in water for 24 hours. It is then taken out and allowed to dry. Soluble
salts ,if present in the brick ,will get dissolved in water and when wet brick is
allowed to dry, grayish or whitish powder of soluble salts will get deposited as
its surface .if no white or grey powder is deposited, the brick is free from
soluble salts..if powdered salts cover only about 10% of the surface of the
brick, amount of soluble salts are considered low. If they cover 50% surface,
amount of salts are considered moderate . if powder covers more than 50% of
the surface, amount of salts present is considerable and thus considered very
harmful.
Fine and coarse aggregate

Fine aggregate(sand): it is a form of silica (sio 2)which may be siliceous argillaceous

according to composition. It is formed by the decomposition of sand stone due to
various weathering effects .it is mostly obtained from pits shores river bed and sea
bed. The size of aggregate smaller than 4.75mm is considered as fine aggregate.

Properties of fine aggregate


It should be inert completely

Its grains should be sharp, strong and angular

It should not contain slats which attract atmospheric moisture

Clay and silt are considered harmful ingredients there amount should not
exceed 4%

It should not be too fine .it should be coarse and clean free from all sorts of
deleterious material

Impurities like iron pyrites ,acidic and basic slats ,mica etc should not be
present in a sand.

Uses
Fine aggregate are used in construction.
It prevents excessive shrinkage and helps in the adjustment of strength of
mortar

Coarse Aggregate

The size of aggregate bigger than 4.75mm is considered as coarse aggregate the
maximum size can be used in concrete is 80mm

Advantages using maximum size

 Reduction of cement content,
 Reduction in water requirement ,
 Reduction in drying shrinkage.
Properties of coarse aggregate
-Shape of the aggregate
-Specific gravity
-Texture
-Toughness

Shape: shape of the aggregate affects the workability of concrete

Rounded , Irregular or partly rounded, Angular, flaky

For making of concrete angular shape is used due its interlocking bond between the
particle

Addition of cement required for angular aggregate is offset of some extent by
the higher strength and sometimes by greater durability as a result of the
interlocking texture of the hardened concrete and higher bond character
between aggregate and cement paste

Flaky aggregate makes very poor concrete

Rounded aggregate lack of bond between the smooth surface of the aggregate
and cement paste.

Specific gravity: specific gravity of aggregate is made use of in design

calculation of concrete mixes. The specific gravity of the stones vary from 2.6-
2.8

Toughness: The toughness which is measured as the resistance of the

aggregate to failure by impact. The impact value does not exceed 30% for
concrete.

Texture: Surface texture is a property as surface smoothness increases, contact

area decreases, hence a highly polished particle will have less bonding area
with the matrix than a rough surface texture depends on hardness ,and grain
size.

Texture are glassy, smooth, granular,crystalline.

Grading of aggregate
 Grading refers to the determination of the particle-size distribution for
aggregate.It is done through sieve analysis .
The grading of coarse aggregate affects the workability and paste requirements
The gradation of fine aggregate affects the workability and finish ability of
concrete .

Types of grading :
continuous grading : incorporates a combination of particles of many sizes ,
hence it minimizes the volume of voids but increase particle surface area.
Uniform Grading: All particles are of same size this produces a large volume
of voids irrespective to particle size.

Gap Grading : It is defined as a grading in which one oe more intermediate

size fraction are absent .

The particle size distribution of a mass of aggregate should be such that the
smaller particles fill the voids between the large particles ,the proper gradation
of an aggregate produces dense concrete and needs less quantity of fine
aggregate and cement paste

from the sieve analysis the particle size distribution in a sample of aggregate is
found out and the term known as fineness modulus
The fineness modulus is a numerical index of fineness giving some idea of a
mean size of a particle present in the entire body of aggregate .

Test on aggregate

Sieve analysis
THEORY:
Fine aggregates as the aggregate most of which will pass 4.75mm IS sieve. The fine
aggregate is often termed as a sand size aggregate. The sand is generally considered
to have a lower size limit of 0.07mm. The material between 0.06mm and 0.002 mm is
classified as silt and still smaller particles are termed as clay. The fineness modulus
is a numerical index of fineness, giving some idea of the mean size of the particles
present in the entire body of the aggregate.

IS test sieves: Fine wire cloth nos. 4.75mm, 2.36mm, 1.16mm, 600 m, 300 m, 150
m and75m. weighting balance(sensitive to 1/1000 th of the test specimen), sieve
shaker, trays,drying oven(to operate between 100 to 110 o C.
PROCEDURE
Take 1Kg of sand from a laboratory sample of 10 Kg by quartering and break
clay
lumps, if any.
 2. Arrange the sieves in order of IS sieve nos: 4.75mm, 2.36mm, 1.18mm,
600micron,
300micron and 150micron keeping sieve nos. 4.75mm at the top and 15micron
at the bottom.
Fix them in the sieve shaking machine with the pan at the bottom and cover at
the
top.
3. Keep the sand in the top sieve; carry out sieving in the set of sieves as
arranged
before for not less than 10minutes.
4. Find the mass retained on each sieve.
5. Fineness modulus is an empirical factor which is obtained by dividing the
cumulative sum of the percentage of aggregate retained on each IS sieves taken
in
order by 100.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FINE AGGREGATE

Specific gravity of an aggregate is the ratio of its mass to that of an equal
volume of distilled water at specific temperature.The Specific gravity of the
fine aggregate is generallyrequired for calculations in connection with concrete
mix design for determination of moisture content and for the calculation of
volume yield of concrete. The Specific gravity also gives information on the
quality and properties of aggregate.

Procedure
 .Calibrate the Pycnometer, by weighing it empty and full with water at room
 temperature. (w1)
 Immediately weight 500gm of saturated surface dry sand in the flask(2/3) -
(w2).
 Fill the flask with water to the top of the cone. Wipe the flask dry and weigh it
accurately.
 Fill the pycnometer only with water (w4)
 Calculate the specific gravity
 G=[(W 2 – W 1 )/

(W 4 – W 1 ) – (W 3 – W 2 )]

Bulking of sand : the increase in the volume of given mass of fines caused by the
presence of water is known as bulking .free moisture form a thin film around each
particle .this film of moisture excreted is known as surface tension , surface tension
keeps every particle away from each other .
Procedure :
 Put sufficient quantity of the oven dry sand loosely into the container until it is
 two-third full. Calculate the mass of sand by deducting the mass of container.
 Push a steel rule vertically down through the sand at the middle to the bottom
and
 measure the height of sand. Let it be ‘h’mm.
 .Empty the sand out into a clean metal tray without any loss.
 Add one percent of water by mass of sand. Mix the sand and water thoroughly
by
 hand.
 Put the wet sand loosely into the container without tamping it.
 Smooth and level the top surface of the inundated sand and measure its depth
at
 the middle with a steel rule. Let it be “h`”mm.
 Repeat the above procedure with 2 percent of water by mass.
 Go on increasing the percentage by one till bulking is maximum and starts
falling
 down and ultimately bulking is zero, i.e., saturated sand occupies the same
volume
  as dry sand.
(h ` - h/h)*100

SIEVE ANALYSISOF COARSE AGGREGATE : is a process of dividing a

sample of aggregate in to various fractions based
on particle size, this process is referred to as grading. Fineness modulus is an
empirical
factor obtained by adding the cumulative percentage of aggregate retained in each of
standard sieves and dividing the sum by 100. Smaller the value of fineness modulus,
finer
is the aggregate. Sieve analysis is conducted as given in IS 2386 (Part – I). Fineness
modulus is calculated as below,
Fineness modulus = (ΣC + 500) / 100
Sieves of size 40mm, 20mm , 10mm, 4.75mm, pan, weighing balance.
PROCEDURE:
 The sieves of various sizes are cleaned and weighed.
 The sieves are arranged in the decreasing order of their aperture sizes.
 5Kg of coarse aggregate is accurately weighed and placed on to the topmost
sieve.
 The entire setup is placed on the sieve shaker and jolted for 5min.
 The sieves along with retained aggregate is weighed separately and the weight
of
 coarse aggregate in each sieve is calculated.
 Percentage weight retained is calculated and then cumulative percentage
retained
 and fineness is found out.

Elongation test
The elongation index is the total weight of the material retained on the various
length
gauges, expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the sample gauged.

1.The sample is sieved through IS Sieve specified A minimum of 200

aggregate pieces of each fraction is taken and weighed
2. Each fraction is the thus gauged individually for length in a length gauge. The
gauge
length is used should be those specified in the table for the appropriate material.
3. The pieces of aggregate from each fraction tested which could not pass through the
specified gauge length with its long side are elongated particles and they are collected
separately to find the total weight of aggregate retained on the length gauge from
each
fraction.
4. The total amount of elongated material retained by the length gauge is weighed to
an
accuracy of at least 0.1% of the weight of the test sample.
5. The weight of each fraction of aggregate passing and retained on specified sieves
sizes
are found as W1, W2, W3, ............... And the total weight of sample determined W1+
W2+W3+.................=Wg. Also the weights of the material from each fraction
retained on the specified gauge length are found = x 1 , x 2 , x 3 ...... and the total
weight
retained determined = x 1 +x 2 +x 3 +........=X gm.
(x 1 + x 2 + x 3 + ......)
Elongation index = ---------------------------- x 100
(W 1 + W 2 + W 3 + ...)

Flaky ness index

the apparatus consist of a standard thickness gauge, IS Sieve of size 63, 50, 40, 31.5,
25,
20, 16, 12.5, 10 and 6.3 and a balance to weight the samples.
PROCEDURE:
1. The sample is sieved with the sieves mentioned in the table.
2. A minimum of 200 pieces of each fraction to be tested are taken and weighed (W1
gm)
3. In order to separate flaky materials, each fraction is then gauged for thickness on
thickness gauge, or in bulk on sieve having elongated slots as specified in the table.
4. Then the amount of flaky materials passing the gauge is weighed to an accuracy of
at least
0.1% of test sample
5. Let the weight of the flaky materials passing the gauge be W1gm. Similarly the
weights
of the fractions passing and retained on the specified sieves be W1, W2, W3, etc, are
weighed and the total weight W1+W2+W3+.....= Wg is found. Also the weights of
the
materials passing each of the specified thickness gauge are found =W1, W2, W3....
And
the total weight of the material passing the different thickness gauges =
W1+W2+W3...=Wg is found.
6. Then the flakiness index is the total weight of the flaky material passing the
variousthickness gauges expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the sample
gauged
Flakiness index=
( w 1 +w 2 +w 3 +........)
---------------------------------- x 100
(W 1 +W 2 +W 3 +............)

Waterabsorption of coarse aggregate :

The coarse aggregate passing through IS 10mm sieve is taken about 200g.
2) They are dried in an oven at a temperature of 110 ±5 C for 24 hours.
3) The coarse aggregate is cooled to room temperature.
4) Its weight is taken as (W 1 g)
5) The dried coarse aggregate is immersed in clean water at a temperature 27 ±2 C for
24 hours.
6) The coarse aggregate is removed from water and wiped out of traces of water with
a
cloth
7) Within three miniutes from the removal of water, the weight of coarse aggregate W
2 is
found out
water absorption=(w2-w1)/w1

CRUSHING STRENGTH OF AGGREGATES

The aggregate crushing value provides a relative measure of resistance to crushing

under gradually applied crushing load.
The test consists of subjecting the specimen of aggregate in standard mould to a
compression test under standard load conditions (See Fig-1). Dry aggregates
passing through 12.5 mm sieves and retained 10 mm sieves are filled in a
cylindrical measure of 11.5 mm diameter and 18 cm height in three layers. Each
layer is tamped 25 times with at standard tamping rod. The test sample is weighed
and placed in the test cylinder in three layers each layer being tamped again. The
specimen is subjected to a compressive load of 40 tonnes gradually applied at the
rate of 4 tonnes per minute. Then crushed aggregates are then sieved through 2.36
mm sieve and weight of passing material (W2) is expressed as percentage of the
weight of the total sample (W1) which is the aggregate crushing value.
Aggregate crushing value = (W1/W2)*100
A value less than 10 signifies an exceptionally strong aggregate while above 35 would normally
be regarded as weak aggregates.
M-SAND
Manufactured sand (M-Sand) is a substitute of river sand for concrete construction .
Manufactured sand is produced from hard granite stone by crushing.
The cost of construction can be controlled by the use of manufactured sand as an
alternative material for construction
The other advantage of using M-Sand is, it can be dust free, the sizes of m-sand can
be controlled easily so that it meets the required grading for the given construction.

Advantages of Manufactured Sand (M-Sand)

 It is well graded in the required proportion.
 It does not contain organic and soluble compound that affects the setting time and properties
of cement, thus the required strength of concrete can be maintained.
 It does not have the presence of impurities such as clay, dust and silt coatings, increase water
requirement as in the case of river sand which impair bond between cement paste and
aggregate. Thus, increased quality and durability of concrete.

Properties of manufactured sand on cement concrete


Increases the workability of concrete

Higher strength of concrete

It is Economical and eco friendlily

less construction defects

Durability of concrete increases

Raw materials when subjected to high clinkering temperature combine with each
other to form complex compound called as bouge’s compound
Tricalcium 3cao sio2 C3S
silicate
Dicalcium 3cao sio2 C2S
silicate
Tricalcium 3cao Al2o3 C3A
aluminate
Tetracalcium 4caoAl2Fe2o3 C4AF
 aluminoferri
te.

CEMENT

The properties of cement

• Setting Time
• Soundness
• Fineness
• Strength

Setting Time
• Cement paste setting time is affected by a number of items including: cement
fineness, water-cement ratio, chemical content (especially gypsum content) and
admixtures. Setting tests are used to characterize how a particular cement paste
sets. • For construction purposes, the initial set must not be too soon and the final set
must not be too late. Normally, two setting times are defined:
• Initial set. Occurs when the paste begins to stiffen considerably.
• Final set. Occurs when the cement has hardened to the point at which it can
sustain some load.
• Setting is mainly caused by C3A and C3S and results in temperature rise in the
cement paste.
• False set :No heat is evolved in a false set and the concrete can be re-mixed
without adding water
• Occures due to the conversion of unhydreous/semihydrous gypsum to hydrous
gypsum(CaSO4.2H2O)
• Flash Set: is due to absence of Gypsum. Specifically used for under water repair.

Soundness
• When referring to Portland cement, "soundness" refers to the ability of a hardened
cement paste to retain its volume after setting without delayed expansion. This
expansion is caused by excessive amounts of free lime (CaO) or magnesia
(MgO). Most Portland cement specifications limit magnesia content and
expansion.
• The cement paste should not undergo large changes in volume after it has set.
However, when excessive amounts of free CaO or MgO are present in the cement,
these oxides can slowly hydrate and cause expansion of the hardened cement
paste.
• Soundness is defined as the volume stability of the cement paste.

Fineness
• Fineness, or particle size of Portland cement affects Hydration rate and thus
the rate of strength gain. The smaller the particle size, the greater the surface
area-to-volume ratio, and thus, the more area available for water-cement
interaction per unit volume. The effects of greater fineness on strength are
generally seen during the first seven days.
• When the cement particles are coarser, hydration starts on the surface of the
particles. So the coarser particles may not be completely hydrated.This causes
low strength and low durability.
• For a rapid development of strength a high fineness is necessary.
Strength: cement paste strength is typically defined in 3 ways compressive, tensile
and flexural,water cement ratio, cement fine aggregateratio type and grading of fine
aggregate

POZZOLONIC MATERIAL: are silicious and aluminous material, which

themselves posses little or no cementitious value but when finely divided they
chemically react with calcium hydroxide to form compounds possessing
cementitious properties possessing cementitous properties.

RICK HUSK ASH : Is obtained by burning Ricehusk in a controlled

manner ,when is burnt it has high SiO2.content and can be used as concrete
admixture. Ricehusk ash exhibits high pozzolonic charaxcterics and contribute
high strength and high impermeability of concrete.

- The specific surface of RHA IS BETWEEN 40-100m2/g

- It is used in small quantity 10% of the volume of cement

Fly ash

Is a finely divided residue resulting from the combustion of powered coal.

It gives high strength and high performance concrete use of right fly ash results
in reduction of water demand for desired slump., bleeding and drying
shrinkage will also be reduced in fresh concrete.

Specific gravity of fly ash is 1.3-1.6

The initial strength of fly ash concrete trends to be lower than the concrete
with out fly ash at later stages it develops greater strength.

It makes the texture of concrete resulting in decrease of water permeability

Since pozzolonic reaction can only proceed in the presence of water enough
moisture should be available for long time fly ash concrete is cured for longer
time.

Granulated blast furnace slag

 
GGBS is a non metallic product consisting of essential of silicates and
aluminates of calcium and other bases the molten slag is rapidly chilled by
quenching in water to form glassy sand like granulated material.

It has a specific surface about 400-600m2/kg

The performance of slag, largely depends on the chemical composition glass
content and fineness of grinding

The blast furnace slag is used in manufacture of slag cement.

Effect on fresh concrete


The replacement of cement with GGBS will reduce the unit water content
necessary to obtain the same slump in addition water used for mixing is not
immediately lost as the surface hydration of slag is slightly slows

Reduction of bleeding is not significant with slag of 400cm 2/g. fineness but
significant beneficial effect is observed with slag fineness 600m

The advantage of using this is

-Reduced heat of hydration
-Reinforcement of pore structure
-Increased resistance to chemical attack

Silica Fumes :It is the product resulting from reduction of high purity quartz
with coal in a electric arc furnance in the manufacture of silicon or ferrosilicon
alloy
silica fumes rises as an oxidized vapour it cools condenses and is collected in
cloth bags
1micron and with an average diameter of about 0.1micron about 100times
smaller than average cement particles
specific surface area of silica fumes is 230-300m2/kg
the C-S-H Gel formed by the reaction between microsilica and Ca(OH) 2 appear
dense&amorphous

Effect on Fresh concrete

 The addition of microsilica will lead to slump but more cohesive mix
 the micro silica make the fresh concrete sticky in nature and hard to handle
 large readuction in bleeding and concrete with microsilica could be handled
and transported without segreggation .
 Concrete with silica produces more heat of hydration at the initial stage

Influence on hardened concrete:

 Modulus of elasticity of microsilica concrete is less than that of concrete without
microsilica at the same level of compressive strength

 Improvement in durability aspects