YOUR SYLLABUS

UNIT –I

PHYSICAL DAMAGE IN CONCRETE

ABRASION
CAVITATION
CREEP
FIRE
FREEZE & THAW
THERMAL EFFECTS
DRYING SHRINKAGE
PLASTIC SETTLEMENT
 Rearrangement of the Syllabus
EROSION- ABRASION & CAVITATION

FREEZING AND THAWING

SETTLEMENT AND MOVEMENT

SHRINKAGE – PLASTIC & DRYING

TEMPERATURE CHANGES-INTERNALLY
GENERATED, EXTERNALLY
GENERATED & FIRE
CREEP

WEATHERING
 ABRASION
• Abrasion damage can occur from waterborne debris. The
debris typically rolls and grinds against concrete when it is
in the water and in contact with concrete structures.
• Spillway aprons, stilling basin slabs and lock culverts and
laterals are the most likely types of structures to be
affected by abrasion. This is usually a result of poor
hydraulic design.
• Another cause for abrasion can be a boat hull hitting a
concrete structure.
• When abrasion takes place, concrete structures tend to
wind up with a smooth surface. Long, shallow grooves in a
concrete surface and spalling along monolith joints indicate
abrasion.
ABRASION DAMAGES
 How to Avoid Abrasion
• The three major factors in avoiding abrasion damage
are design, operation and materials.
• Here are some tips to avoid abrasion in Hydraulic
structures
• 1. Use hydraulic model studies to test designs.
• 2. A 45-degree fillet installed on the upstream side of
the end sill has resulted in self-cleaning stilling basin.
• 3. Recessing monolith joints in lock walls and guide
walls will minimize stilling basin spalling caused by
barge impact and abrasion.
• 4. Balanced flows should be maintained into basins by
using all gates to avoid discharge conditions where
eddy action is prevalent.
 How to Avoid Abrasion
• 5. Periodic inspections are needed to locate the
presence of debris. Basins should be cleaned
periodically.
• 6. All materials used must be tested and evaluated.
• 7.Install abrasion resistant concrete
• 8. Fiber reinforced concrete should not be used for
repairing stilling basins or other hydraulic structures
that are subject to abrasion
• 9. Coatings that produce good results against abrasion
include polyurethanes, epoxy resin mortar, acrylic
mortar and iron aggregate toppings.
RESEARCH ON ABRASION RESISTANCE
OF CONCRETE
*CRD-C 63-80, Test Method for Abrasion-
Erosion Resistance of Concrete (Underwater
Method
 Cavitation
• Cavitation erosion is a result of complex flow characteristics
of water over concrete surfaces. For damage to occur, the
rate of water flow normally has to exceed 40 feet per
second.
• Fast water and irregular surface areas of concrete can
result in cavitation. The surface irregularities and water
speed create bubbles. The bubbles are carried downstream
and have a lowered vapor pressure. Once the bubbles
reach a stretch of water that has normal pressure, the
bubbles collapse.
• The collapse is an implosion that creates a shock wave.
Once the shock wave reaches a concrete surface, the wave
causes a very high stress over a small area. When this
process is repeated, pitting can occur. This type of
cavitation has affected concrete spillways and outlet works
of many high dams.
CAVITATION DAMAGES
 Prevention of Cavitation
• For the prevention of cavitation following
points are the key considerations.

– 1. Include aeration in a hydraulic design

– 2. Use concrete designed with low w/c
– 3. Use hard, dense aggregate particles
– 4.Steel fibre concrete and polymer concrete can
aid in the fight against cavitation
– 5. Neoprene and polyurethane coatings can aid in
the fight against cavitation
– 6. Maintain approved construction practices
 FREEZING AND THAWING
• Deterioration of concrete from freeze thaw actions may
occur when the concrete is critically saturated, which is
when approximately 91% of its pores are filled with water.
• When water freezes to ice it occupies 9% more volume
than that of water. If there is no space for this volume
expansion in a porous, water containing material like
concrete, freezing may cause distress in the concrete.
• Distress to critically saturated concrete from freezing and
thawing will commence with the first freeze-thaw cycle and
will continue throughout successive winter seasons
resulting in repeated loss of concrete surface.
• The accumulative effect of successive freeze-thaw cycles
and disruption of paste and aggregate can eventually cause
expansion and cracking, scaling, and crumbling of the
concrete.
 FREEZING AND THAWING
• Deicing chemicals for pavements include sodium chloride, calcium
chloride, magnesium chloride, and potassium chloride. These chemicals
reduce the freezing point of the precipitation as it falls on pavements. A
recent trend has seen a wide variety of blends of these materials to
improve performance while reducing costs, and best practice indicates that
a liberal dosage greater than 4% in solution tends to decrease the potential
for scaling of pavement surfaces. The high concentration of deicers reduces
the number of freezing and thawing cycle exposures to the pavement by
significantly lowering the freezing point.

Deicers for special applications such as airport pavements require non-

chloride materials to prevent damage to aircraft. The list of deicers used for
these applications includes urea, potassium acetate, propylene glycol, and
ethylene glycols.

Since scaling damage to pavements of all types is caused by physical salt

attack, the use of high strength (28 MPa [4000 psi] or more), low
permeability, air entrained concrete is crucial to good durability in these
applications.
General Disruption from Freeze-Thaw
Attack and the effect of de-icing agent
melting from parked car
Scaling and Delamination due to
Freeze-Thaw Attack
(note small size of aggregate)
D-Cracking due to freeze-thaw attack
 Typical example of concrete
deteriorated from freeze thaw
actions. Non-air-entrained concrete
railing. PCA vol. 19/1, April 1998
 FREEZING AND THAWING
• A pattern of freezing and thawing during the
curing of concrete is a serious concern.
• Each time the concrete freezes, and it expands.
Hydraulic structures are especially vulnerable to
this type of damage. Fluctuating water levels and
under spraying conditions increase the risk.
• Using deicing chemicals can accelerate damage to
concrete. It will cause pitting and scaling.
• Core samples are likely to be needed to assess
the damage.
 Prevention of Freezing and Thawing
• Provide adequate drainage where possible
• Work with low w/c concrete.
• Use adequate entrained air to provide
suitable air void systems in concrete.
• Select aggregates best suited for the
application.
• Make sure that the concrete cures properly.
 SETTLEMENT AND MOVEMENT
• Settlement and movement can be the result of deferential
movement or subsidence.
• Concrete is rigid and cannot stand much differential movement. But
when it occurs stress cracks and spall are likely to occur.
• Subsidence causes entire structure or single element of entire
structure to move. If subsidence occurs, the concern is not cracking
or spalling. The big risk is stability against overturning or sliding.
• A failure via subsidence is generally related to a faulty foundation.
Long term consolidations, and new loading conditions are
contributors to subsidence. Geotechnical investigations are often
needed when subsidence is evident.
• Symptoms look for when structure movement is suspected include
cracking, spalling, misaligned members and water leakage.
• Specialists are normally needed for these types of problems.
 SHRINKAGE
• Shrinkage occurs when concrete is deficient in its moisture content.
• The shrinkage can occur while the concrete is setting or after it is
set. When the condition occurs during setting, it is called plastic
shrinkage. Drying shrinkage happens after the concrete is set.
• Plastic shrinkage is associated with bleeding, which is the
appearance of moisture on the surface of concrete. This is usually
caused by the settling of heavier components in a mixture.
• Bleed water typically evaporates slowly from the surface of
concrete. When evaporation is occurring faster than water is being
supplied to the surface by bleeding, high tensile stresses can
develop. The stress can lead to cracks on the concrete surface.
• Cracks caused by plastic shrinkage usually occur within a few hours
of concrete placement. The cracks are normally isolated. They also
tend to be wide and shallow. Pattern cracks are not generally
caused by plastic shrinkage.
 Shrinkage
• Weather conditions contribute to plastic
shrinkage.
• If the conditions are expected to be conducive
to plastic shrinkage, protect the pour site. This
can be done with wide breaks, tarps and
similar arrangements to prevent excessive
evaporation. In the event early cracks are
discovered, revibration and refinishing can
solve the immediate problem.
 Shrinkage
• Drying shrinkage is a long term change in volume of
concrete caused by the loss of moisture.
• A combination of this shrinkage and restraints will
cause tensile stresses and lead to cracking. The cracks
will be fine and there will be no indication of
movement. The cracks are typically shallow and only a
few inches apart.
• The symptom is like a blocky pattern cracking.
• The identification can be confused with thermally
induced deep cracking that occurs when dimensional
change is restrained in newly placed concrete by rigid
foundations or by old lifts of concrete.
PLASTIC SHRINKAGE DAMAGES
 Prevention of Drying Shrinkage
• Use less water in concrete
• Use larger aggregate to minimize paste
content.
• Use a low temperature to cure concrete.
• Dampen the subgrade and the concrete forms.
• Dampen aggregate if it is dry and absorbent.
• Provide adequate reinforcement
• Provide adequate contraction joints.
Drying Shrinkage
Restrained Drying Shrinkage
 TEMPERATURE CHANGES
• Temperature changes can affect shrinkage.
• The heat of hydration of cement in large placements,
climatic conditions involving heat and fire damage can
contribute to excessive heat.
• The internal temperature during hydration in the
freshly placed concrete is 100°F. This will cause shallow
and isolated cracks in concrete.
• To avoid this do the following
– (a) Use low heat cement
– (b) Pour concrete at the lowest reasonable temperature
– (c) Select aggregates with low moduli of elasticity and low
coefficients of thermal expansion.
• Due to external temperature changes the cracking will
appear as regularly spaced cracks.
• Using contraction and expansion joints, these external
temperatures effects can be controlled.
Thermal Cracking
 CREEP OF CONCRETE
• Concrete creep is defined as: deformation of
structure under sustained load. Basically, long
term pressure or stress onconcrete can make it
change shape. This deformation usually occurs in
the direction the force is being applied. Like
a concretecolumn getting more compressed, or
a beam bending.
• Creep does not necessarily cause concrete to fail
or break apart. Creep is factored in
when concrete structures are designed:
Summer Heat Causes Street Creep
Deformation in Concrete due to Creep
Under Sustained load
 Factors Affecting Creep

• Aggregate

• Mix Proportions

• Age of concrete
 Factors Affecting Creep

1. Influence of Aggregate
• Aggregate undergoes very little creep. It is really the paste
which is responsible for the creep. However, the aggregate
influences the creep of concrete through a restraining
effect on the magnitude of creep. The paste which is
creeping under load is restrained by aggregate which do
not creep.
• The stronger the aggregate the more is the restraining
effect and hence the less is the magnitude of creep. The
modulus of elasticity of aggregate is one of the important
factors influencing creep.
• It can be easily imagined that the higher the modulus
of elasticity the less is the creep. Light weight aggregate
shows substantially higher creep than normal
weight aggregate.
 Factors Affecting Creep
2. Influence of Mix Proportions:
• The amount of paste content and its quality is one of
the most important factors influencing creep. A poorer
paste structure undergoes higher creep. Therefore, it
can be said that creep increases with increase in
water/cement ratio.
• In other words, it can also be said that creep is
inversely proportional to the strength of concrete.
• Broadly speaking, all other factors which are affecting
the water/cement ratio are also affecting the creep.
 Factors Affecting Creep
3. Influence of Age:
• Age at which a concrete member is loaded will have a
predominant effect on the magnitude of creep. This
can be easily understood from the fact that the quality
of gel improves with time. Such gel creeps less,
whereas a young gel under load being not so stronger
creeps more.
• What is said above is not a very accurate statement
because of the fact that the moisture content of
the concrete being different at different age also
influences the magnitude of creep.
 Weathering of Hardened Concrete
• Cement Concrete behaves like an artificial calcareous rock and is
vulnerable to natural phenomena of weathering and aging.
• Currently cement concrete mixes are designed for desired strengths
and the structure built from them are designed to last for a
particular period only.
• Concrete structures are slowly and progressively affected by various
natural weathering agencies such as cyclic thermal changes,
alternate wetting and drying and interstitial volume changes due to
chemical processes of hydration, oxidation, carbonation, hydrolysis
etc.
• The above weathering agents act independently and unison,
supplementing each other and slowly but progressively cause
fatigue, exhaustion, decay, deterioration and weakening of the
cementing bonds with consequent loss of durability and danger to
the stability of the structure.
 Symptoms of Poor Weathering
• The visual symptoms of poorly weathering concrete are
all around us. They include one or more of the
following symptoms.
• (1) Dirt collection
• (2) Efflorescence
• (3) Color changes from surface erosion
• (4) Stains
• (5) Organic growths such as algae or lichens
• (6) Crazing of surface
• (7) Cracking
• (8) Spalling
• (9) Crumbling
• (10) Exposure and rusting of reinforcing steel
 Environment aspects on Weathering
Action
• Weathering is influenced by four principal
aspects of an environment.
The first is the degree of environmental
pollution
The second aspect is the wind pattern.
The third aspect is the rain pattern.
The fourth aspect is the acidity of the
environment.
 Control on Weathering Action
• Avoid the concentrated rain flows on window panels.
• Rough textures have the advantage of spreading water more evenly
over the face and disguising any localized staining, but will also hold
more dirt during dry periods. In such situation provide tilted non
absorptive concrete surfaces, to collect more water and ensure
thorough washing
• Adequate controlled flow of water on to the parts that are to be kept
clean and to get it off again without allowing dirty water to affect any
other clean areas to disturb the dirt on areas which are remain
unwashed.
• A large area of concrete, extending several storeys would need an
impervious surface to be able to wash evenly from top to bottom. It is
preferable to break up such facades with horizontal features which
either collect or throw off the water at intermediate positions.
• Every projection must have a drip groove on its underside to prevent
water from flowing back onto vertical face
• Sills, copings, string courses and other details, such as changes in plane
between one panel and another, consequently share an important role
in throwing water off the building face.
• Instead of throwing water clear of facades it is better to collect it and
conduct it away in horizontal channels or gutters.
Weathered Concrete Surface
Weathered Concrete Surface
Weathered Concrete Surface
125 Years of Extreme Weather for Lady Liberty