Project Report

Group Members: M. Umar Ramzan Ahmad Hassan Mauz Khalid Hassan Khan 2008-civil-54 2008-civil-57 2008-civil-60 2008-civil-92

Project Adviser: Dr. Burhan

Project Report 2012

THE PROJECT: DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE USING VARIOUS POZZOLOANS INTRODUCTION:
High strength concrete as the name symbolize is a concrete type with a high value of compressive strength. There is no particular boundary above which the concrete may be said as high strength concrete. It is somewhat a relative term and is used as a comparison for the concrete samples. High strength concrete is used where excessive strength is required for the structures and where ordinary concrete may fail for on field loading conditions. High-strength concrete resists loads that cannot be resisted by normal-strength concrete. Not only does high strength concrete allow for more applications, it also increases the strength per unit cost, per unit weight, and per unit volume as well. These concrete mixes typically have an increased modulus of elasticity, which increases stability and reduces deflections. There are many challenges for the development of high strength concrete. Most of the challenges are due to a lack of adequate research under field conditions, although many of the issues are currently being alleviated though the use of improved admixtures. First, increased quality control is needed in order to maintain the special properties desired. High-strength concrete must meet high-performance standards consistently in order for it to be effective. Second, careful materials selection is necessary. High quality materials must be used. These materials may cost more than materials of lower quality. Third, allowable stress design discourages the use of highstrength concrete. One solution is to use load factor and resistance design when using high-strength concrete. Fourth, minimum cover over reinforcement or minimum thickness of members may restrict the realization of maximum benefits. Fifth, available pre-stress force in a member may be inadequate to achieve maximum strength. Sixth, low water to cementitious materials ratios require special curing requirements. Finally, since serviceability conditions such as deflection can control design, increased capacity may not be fully utilized (Peterman). The main objective of our project will be to achieve high strength concrete (concrete having compressive strength of at least 10,000 psi). For this purpose we will cast some cylinders with a trial concrete mix that too have been designed keeping in view the objective of meeting higher strength. Once 28 day strength of the samples is observed we will be able to make necessary amendments in the concrete mix for achieving the required strength. Since there is no hard and fast rule for concrete mix design of high
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Project Report 2012 strength concrete, therefore, we shall have to make number of trials for attaining minimum required high strength. This makes our project more tedious and time taking. For the achievement of higher strength various techniques will be used. We will be using different types of pozzolans like rise husk, fly ash, silica fumes etc. Since the casting is to be carried out in cold weather, therefore, we also have to use accelerator (HE 200) for the concrete mix to reach higher strength.

LITERATURE REVIEW: High Strength Concrete (HSC)

The methods and technology for producing HSC are not basically different from those required for concrete of normal grade except that the emphasis on quality control is perhaps greater with HSC. Including Portland cement, sulfate-resisting Portland cement, and combinations with pulverized fuel ash and ground granulated blast furnace, silica fume slag. High early strength cements should preferably be avoided as a rapid rise in hydration temperature may cause problems of (internal) cracks or microcracks due to the higher cementations material content. HSC can be produced with a wide range of aggregates, but smooth and/or rounded aggregates may tend to exhibit aggregate bond failure at a relatively low strength. Crushed rock aggregates, of 10 to 20 mm size, which is not too angular and elongated, should preferably be used. However, it has been found that bond strength between smaller size aggregates is greater than between larger size aggregates and for that reason smaller size aggregates (say 10 to 17 mm) tend to give better results. Fine sands should be avoided, particularly those with high absorption. Super plasticizers should be used to achieve maximum water reduction, although plasticizers may be adequate for lower strength HSC (C60 to C70). Silica fume (micro silica) can be used to enhance the strength at high levels. To facilitate handling, silica fume is often blended into slurry with super plasticizers, or supplied as a dandified powder. Increasing the cement content may not always produce higher strength. Above certain levels it may have little effect. An optimum amount of total cementations material usually appears to be between 450 and 550 kg/m3.HSC mixes tend to be very cohesive and a concrete with a measured slump of 50 mm may be difficult to place.

Mixture proportioning and evaluation

Concrete proportioning requires cognizant thought processes, particularly when designing mixtures that approach or exceed the limits of the method being used. Empirically-based proportioning methods can be quite useful, but an awareness of their
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Project Report 2012 limitations is essential. Compared to conventional-strength concrete, developing highstrength concrete is a more meticulous process. As the target W/B ratio progressively decreases: the proportioning principals that were appropriate with conventional strength concrete progressively become less applicable; and Some of the constituents that worked well with conventional concrete become less appropriate. The Absolute Volume Method commonly used to proportion conventional-strength normal-weight concrete forms a solid foundation for proportioning high strength concrete.

Proportioning considerations
When developing mixture proportions for high-strength concrete, three fundamental factors must be considered in order to produce a mix design satisfying its intended property requirements: mechanical properties of the aggregates; mechanical properties of the paste; and bond strength at the paste-aggregate interfacial transition zone. Upon satisfactorily addressing relevant mechanical and durability properties, the fresh concrete should be capable of satisfying the following constructability- related requirements: be easily produced and delivered; exhibit reasonable within-batch and between-batch uniformity; maintain the desired consistency throughout the intended placement period; resist segregation when placed and consolidated; and When necessary, exhibit satisfactory finishing characteristics. The most common method used for proportioning normal weight concrete is by calculating the absolute volume occupied by the individual constituents. The fundamental procedures described in ACI 211.1 for proportioning normal weight concrete is generally applicable for proportioning high strength concrete; however, distinct limitations do exist in the applicability of ACI 211.1 to high-strength concrete. Recognizing this, ACI Committee 211 published ACI 211.4, a revised method for proportioning concrete by the absolute volume method that is empirically better suited to low W/B ratio paste-rich mixtures. However, rather than using the modified ACI 211.4 method, the 211.1

Water-binder ratio (W/B)

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Project Report 2012 The distance cementing particles are spaced at the time of hardening establishes the capillary porosity, or gel-space ratio of hardened cement paste, and it is the single most important factor influencing the strength, and largely influencing the durability of concrete. The relationship between the W/C ratio and compressive strength was first described by Duff Abrams in December 1918 at an annual meeting of the Portland Cement Association. After conducting countless tests on various concretes and mortars over a four-year period at the Lewis Institute in Chicago, Abrams first published his findings in 1919 in Design of Concrete Mixtures. Provided that concrete is of a workable (plastic) consistency, Abrams surmised that for given materials, strength depends only on one factor . As Figure demonstrates, given the many different types and feasible combinations ofcementitious materials for use in the production of hydraulic cement concrete, it would seem more appropriate to envision the relationship between water-binder ratio and strength in terms of a strength envelope rather than a single curve. A similar relationship was suggested by Atcin (1998) whether a material is classified as hydraulic or pozzolanic when first combined is irrelevant compared to the manner in which the materials interact, what they ultimately become, and the manner in which they become 1111 1011 3111 20111 30111\\\

35 40111 45111

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Project Report 2012

Aggregate characteristics
The size, shape, texture, and grading characteristics of coarse aggregates significantly affects the fresh and hardened performance of high-strength concrete. When used individually, there are advantages and disadvantage associated with the use of crushed and naturally rounded coarse aggregates. The benefits or shortcomings of each depend on the specific concrete properties under consideration and the properties of each aggregate. Important aggregate properties that will determine the optimum blending ratio include gradation, shape, angularity, and hardness. The strength-attaining limitations of larger-sized coarse aggregates become apparent when attempting to produce high-strength concrete. Figure shows the effect of aggregate size when producing plain (Portland cement only). If sand with a fineness modulus of less than 2.5 is employed, the resulting highstrength concrete could be overly cohesive (sticky), resulting in poor workability and possibly a higher water demand. In general, because of the increased cementitious fines content of a high-strength concrete, the volume of sand is kept to the minimum necessary to achieve workability and consolidation ability. 20111 30111 35 40111 45111

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Project Report 2012

METHODOLOGY:
Estimating coarse aggregate volume
Selecting an appropriate volume of coarse aggregate for high-strength concrete is one of the most challenging aspects for beginners. It is at this point in the proportioning process that the customary empirical relationships between coarse aggregate volume, coarse aggregate size, and fineness modulus of fine aggregates seriously break down. In general, as the fineness modulus of fine aggregates decrease, it is possible to use higher volumes of a given coarse aggregate without sacrificing workability. In fact, this is one of the cornerstone principles making it possible to proportion concrete in a systematic empirically based manner. However, there are certain presumptions behind empirically based selection tables, such as those in ACI 211.1, and there are boundaries at which the applicability of the proportioning method breaks down. Being paste rich, the workability of high-strength concretes can be maintained using coarser sands. In fact, when considering both fresh and hardened properties, it is the authors view that the overall performance of highstrength concrete improves with sands approaching, and in many cases exceeding the 3.1 upper limit fineness modulus stated in ASTM C 33. This being the case, selecting a coarse aggregate volume using a proportioning method designed for lower paste content mixtures will result in an over-sanded high-strength mixture. If using the ACI 211.1 method for proportioning normal weight high-strength concrete, for initial estimating purposes, the author suggests increasing the coarse aggregate volume (i.e. volume of coarse aggregate per unit of volume of concrete) initially by approximately 40 percent. Doing so should reduce the number of laboratory trial iterations needed to identify the most suitable coarse aggregate volume for the materials being used. This principle will be addressed in the proportioning example presented at the end of this chapter. By increasing the coarse aggregate volume by approximately 40 percent, it will become necessary to reduce the estimated water content from the tabulated values in ACI 211.1. For initial estimating purposes, the author suggests reducing the tabulated values by about 10 percent.

ACI 318 code requirements for strength acceptability

When no data are available to establish a sample standard deviation (ss) for concrete having a specified compressive strength with a magnitude greater than 35 MPa (5000 psi), the required average compressive strength (fcr ) shall be computed from the following equation (from ACI 318 Table 5.3.2.2): fcr = 1.10 fc + 5 (MPa) fcr = 1.10 fc + 700 (psi)
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Project Report 2012

Proportioning high-strength concrete: (calculation)

The structure has been designed according to ACI 31805. The specified compressive strength (fc ) is 70 MPa (10,000 psi) at 56 days. The concrete producer has previous experience successfully making concrete with specified strengths up to 65 MPa (9500 psi) at 56 days. The contractor has indicated that they would like to place this concrete at a 400 to 500 mm (16 to 20 in) slump spread.

Design Mix of Concrete

fc = 70 MPa Slump Value Ranges Max = 100 mm Min = 75 mm

Aggregate Size = 9.5 mm or 3/8 Weight of water = 207 kg/m3 Air entrapped = 3% Fineness Modulus of course Aggregate = 2.80 Volume of coarse Aggregate = .46 Bulk Specific gravity of cement = 3.15 Specific gravity of coarse Aggregate = 2.65 Specific gravity of fine Aggregate = 2.65 Weight of coarse Aggregate = 1200 kg/m3 Weight of fine Aggregate = 419.2 kg/m3 Amount of water =186.3 kg/m3 Weight of cement = 540 kg/m3

HE-200
It is super plasticizer and accelerator for concrete and mortar. It promotes high early strengths without negatively influencing the final strengths. Advantages of Using HE-200
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Project Report 2012 It is provided for following reasons Better cement dispersion Improved consistency at low water/cement ratio. High early and ultimate strengths We will use pozzolans after getting results of this casting. Amount of pozzolan will be decided at that time depending upon how much we want to increase strength of concrete.

FUTURE PLAN:
Up till now we have casted few cylinders so as to get a reference value of the compressive strength. Once a 28 day compressive strength test will be carried out, we shall get a reference value of the strength of the concrete mix. We shall then establish and design more concrete mixes using fly ash, rice husk, silica fume etc. for in appropriate quantities and ratios. Then we shall again test the casted cylinders for their strengths. Hopefully they meet the required strength. However, failing to do so, we shall be required to modify the concrete mix and then strive for the desired strength of the concrete mix. The trials will be performed until we shall find the concrete mix that serves the loading capacity that we want it to serve.

Adviser Remarks:

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