GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH

OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (PR) Vig & QC SUB-DIVISION, NALGONDA.
Circular No. AEE1/CC Roads/VQC Nlg/2013, Dated: 16.08.2013.

Sub:-Planning, Design & Construction of Cement Concrete Pavements with Design Mix concrete in rural areas - Certain provisions and prescribed standards communicated for guidance of field engineers - Reg. * * * The PR Dept. is executing huge quantum of CC Roads in every nook & corner of this district. Every village now has minimum of one CC road being constructed every year. It is observed during the inspection of the various CC roads by the QC Wing in the district that the Field Engineers are paying scant attention to the aspect of Design, Execution, Maintenance of CC Pavements. The IRC/IS Codal provisions are not known & not followed in many of the CC roads. The knowledge of Design of CC Pavement thickness, Design Mix, procedures of construction,correct proportions of ingredients, admixtures, expansion & contraction joints,curing, water/cement ratio, proper compaction, quality controlis very meager among field engineers. The construction of CC Roads is going toawry, left to the mercy of contractor & meastry. It is unfortunate to see that even though in each mandal Rs.1.00 crore and above CC roads under MGNREGS Scheme for SC/ST are taking up but it is rather pathetic to see that the construction of CC roads are going as usual without any latest technical know how being implemented, though there are enormous literature , IRC & IS Standard Codes available on this subject. In view of the above, for guidance of field engineers every aspect pertaining to CC Roads as per IRC/IS Codes, other literatures, internet contents etc., are reviewed extensively and the following brief provisions are compiled in a nut shell & put up below for guidance & better understanding. (1) Literature & References :: The following codes may be referred for in-depth knowledge on the subject. IRC: 15-2002 -"Standard Specifications & Code of Practice for Const. of Concrete Roads". IRC: 43-1986 -"Recommended Practice for Tools, Equipment & Appliances for Concrete Pavement Construction". IRC: 44-1976 -"Guidelines for Cement Concrete Mix Design for Pavements". IRC: 57-1957-"Recommended Practice for Sealing of joints in Concrete Pavements". IRC: 58-1988 -"Guidelines for the Design of Plain Jointed Rigid Pavements for Highways IRC: SP-83-2008 - Mtc.,& Repairs of CC Pavements IRC: 59-1976 - Gap Graded Cement Concrete Mixes IRC: 61-1976 - CC Pavements in Hot Weather IRC: 84-1983 - Curing of CC Pavements IRC: SP-62-2004 - CC Pavements for Rural Roads. IRC: SP-69 2011 - Guidelines Specifications for Expansion Joints IS-383-1970 - Specifications for Fine & Coarse Aggregates IS-10262 - 2009 -Concrete mix proportioning-Guidelines IS-6509-1995 - Installation of Joints in Concrete Pavements IS-SP23-182 - Handbook on Concrete Mixes

Preamble :: Concrete pavements offer an alternative to flexible pavements especially where the soil strength is poor, the aggregates are costly and drainage conditions are bad (as in portions of the roads passing through villages and water-logged area). The choice depends on these factors and the life-cycle cost (IRC-SP-62-204). It should be noted that concrete pavements demand a high degree of professional expertise at the stages of design, construction and maintenance. (2) Preparation of Subgrade & Subbase :: (i) Preparation of subgrade: The materials and their specifications for base, sub-base and subgrade preparation shall be as per IRC:15. The camber and super elevation of subgrade shall be same as that of the concrete slabs. The thickness of subgrade shall be 150-300 mm. If the k value of the subgrade tested under wet condition is less than 6 kg/cm^2(Aprox.CBR Value 15%), the cement concrete pavement should not be laid directly over the subgrade. A sub-base layer as per Clause 6.2 may be provided. (ii) Preparation of sub-base course :: The sub-base shall be laid over a properly compacted subgrade to give uniform support. The sub-base may be composed of (a) Granular Material (WBM or WMM or GSB Soaked CBR 20), (b) Stabilised Soil with Lime, (c) Semi-Rigid material (Lean Concrete). The 1st two shall have a min thickness of 150mm & 3rd shall have 100mm thickness (IRC:63). Any ruts or soft yielding places on the surface shall be corrected and rolled to getfirm surface. Further provide a drainage layer of 150mm thick using granular material in addition to the base course layer in case of very weak subgrade (CBR 2%). Note: Advantages of using lean concrete sub-base instead of granular sub-base. There are several shortcomings of using granular sub-base in concrete carriageway: Since sub-base is permeable, water can seep through sub-base and soil particles will be pumped out through contraction/expansion joints when subject to traffic load. Consequently, voids are formed underneath the pavement structure and the concrete pavement may crack under severe traffic loading. (ii) Lean concrete increases the strength and renders the roads capable of carrying heavy traffic loads. (iii) Due to workmanship problem, the unevenness of sub-base may results in cracking of concrete carriageway when subject to severe traffic loading. iii) Methodology of Construction of Pavement Quality Concrete (C.C. Pavement):: (a) Equipment : Tools, equipments and appliances for concrete pavement construction shall be as per IRC:43 and IRC:SP:49. (b) PQC wearing base course: The CC base course shall be laid as per the procedure as mentioned in IRC:I5-2002. In brief the procedure is given here as: (i) A separation membrane shall be used between the concrete slab and sub-base, having impermeable plastic sheeting 125 microns thick laid over without bends, which serves (i) to prevent the loss of water from cement paste (ii) enhances the movement of concrete slab relative to sub-base layer and reduces the frictional forces developed at their interface. (iii) prevents the intermixing of freshly placed concrete with loose materials on the surface of sub-base. Before placing, the sub-base shall be swept clean of all the extraneous materials using air compressor. Fixing of formwork shall be set to true level and securely fixed in position to prevent any subsequent disturbance during compaction. (i)

(ii)

(iii)

The coarse aggregate shall not be dumped in heaps directly on the sub-base/base within the area over which Concrete is to be laid. (iv) The concrete ingredients shall be weighed in a batching plant. Where volume batching is permitted, every effort should be made to minimise variation in batching. Mixing of concrete shall be done in a power driven mixer ensuring a uniform distribution of materials. (v) Concrete shall be deposited within 20 minutes. Concreting shall not be done when the atmospheric temperature is below 5C and above 40C. No concreting shall be done when concrete temperature is above 30C (IRC-15). (vi) Water in the fresh concrete should not be in excess of the stipulated quantity, otherwise concrete is likely to crack within very short period after drying. After compacting and finishing with screed, a float and then a broomer is used to finally finish the top surface with required texture to avoid skidding. Any depressions or high spots showing departures from the true surface shall be immediately rectified. High spots shall be cut down and refinished. Depressions shall be enlarged to about 80-100 mm and refilled with the same fresh concrete, compacted and finished. All the above operation shall be completed within 75 minutes in winter or 60 minutes in summer from the time of adding water into the mix. (vii) Contraction and expansion joints shall be provided as per the Guidelines mentioned in IRC:15 or IRC:58 and details are given below. (viii) Adequate compaction of concrete by suitable vibratory (first by needle vibrator specially at edges and then by screed vibrators) equipment is necessary. Every 1% void remaining in the concrete means a loss of strength of the order of 4-5%. (ix) The CC layer shall be tested for thickness with wooden blocks. (x) Curing shall commence soon after the finished pavement surface can take the weight of the wet jute mats as per guidelines of IRC:SP:11. Details are given here under. (xi) There should not be any surface variations more than specified as per Table 13 of IRC15. (xii) The strength of concrete shall be ascertained either from cube or beams specimens as detailed here under. (xiii) The camber in straight section of the CC road for annual rainfall less than 1000mm shall be maintained at 2% as per Table 2.11 of IRC SP-20. The sample design of rigid pavement for rural roads is appended to this circular. iv) Design Mix :: The Basics. Nominal Mix: Nominal mix is the prescriptive type mix achieved by volume proportioning of ingredients such as 1:2:4 or 1:1:3 and not indented or designed to get the desired compressive strength of concrete, say M15. These are never denoted as M15 or M20 etc., Design Mix: Concrete is an extremely versatile building material because, it can be designed for strength ranging from M10 to M100 and workability ranging from 0 mm to 150mm slump. Concrete Design Mix is made mandatory for M20 and above grades by IS 456-2000. Design mix is the process of proportioning by weight of all ingredients by Trial and Error with different quantities to arrive exact proportions such that the desired target mean strength is achieved,say M20, in which the letter M refers to the mix and the number to the specified 28 day cube strength of mix in N/mm. Thus the M20 grade concrete may not necessarily be 1:1:3 proportions of aggregates. Both IS : 456-2000 as well as IS : 1343-1988 envisage that design of concrete mix be based on the following factors (a) Grade of concrete (b) Type of cement (c) Maximum nominal size of aggregates (d) Minimum water-cement ratio (e) Workability (f) Minimum cement content. The concreting shall only be commenced for the required grade based on the Design mix arrived through the Trial mix of same concrete ingredients prior to construction of pavement. One sample design mix for M20 grade is enclosed to this circular.

v)

Ingredients of Concrete::

The Basic Ingredients of Concrete are : 1. Coarse Aggregate- It is the basic building component of concrete. 2. Fine Aggregate It forms mortar grout and fills the voids in the coarse aggregates. 3. Cement It is the basic binding material in concrete. 4. Water It hydrates cement and also makes concrete workable. 5. Admixtures - They enhance certain properties of concrete e.g. gain of strength, workability, setting properties, imperviousness etc. (i) Coarse Aggregates:-

a) Max.size of coarse aggregate: Maximum size of aggregate is the standard sieve size through which at least 90% will pass. Chances of segregation increases, if maximum size of aggregate exceeds 25 mm & affects the workability and strength of concrete.(IRC-152002). b) Shape of coarse aggregate: Rounded aggregates have lower surface area will have lowest water demand and also have lowest mortar paste requirement. Hence they will result in most economical mixes for concrete grades up to M35. Flaky and elongated coarse aggregates not only increase the water demand but also increase the tendency of segregation, also reduce the flexural strength of concrete. MoRTH restrict the combined flakiness and elongation to 30% by weight of coarse aggregates. c) Grading of coarse aggregate: The grading of coarse aggregates of different sizes is very important to get cohesive & dense concrete and to minimize the segregation. The voids left by larger coarse aggregate particles are filled by smaller aggregate particles and so on. Thus the volume of mortar required to fill the final voids is minimum. d) Strength of coarse aggregate: Cement concrete in pavements is subjected to high flexural stresses and abrasion. Material strength of coarse aggregate is indicated by aggregate crushing value, impact value, abrasion value which should not more than 30 (IRC-SP-20). (ii) Fine Aggregates (Sand):Generally, when the sand is fine, smaller proportion of it is enough to get a cohesive mix; while coarser the sand, greater has to be its proportion with respect to coarse aggregate. a) Gradation of fine aggregates: IS classifies fine aggregates in 4 zones starting from zone I representing coarse sand to zone IV representing the finest sand. The fineness of sand governs the proportion of sand in concrete. The fineness modulus of sand varies from 2.0 to 4.0, higher the FM coarser is the sand. d) Silt Content by weight: This is found by wet-sieving of sand and material passing 75 micron sieve is classified as silt and shall not more than 3% by weight. This silt has tremendous water demand, affects the workability of concrete resulting in higher water/cement ratio and lower strength. e) Stone Dust : In case of coarse sand, a part of sand may be replaced by fine sand to increase the missing fines in concrete. In case fine sand is not available stone dust (600 passing more than 60 % and 150 passing not more than 20%) may be used to replace a part of sand. Such stone dust should not replace more than 15 Kg of sand under normal circumstances. Stone dust reduces the workability, hence, the water cement ratio is likely to increases. Further, if the sand received at site is finer than the one considered in mix design, the excess surface area created by the fines will increase the water demand.

(iii)

Cement:-

Cement is the core material in concrete, which acts as a binding agent and imparts strength to the concrete. The cement in the concrete mix used in rural roads shall not be less than 310kgs/cum and not more than 425 kgs/cum (IRC-SP-62-2004). If age of cement is more than 1 month or if it is not stored properly, the strength of cement will be reduced. As a general note the age of cement more than 3 months may rejected. Initial & Final setting time of cement: The initial setting time of cement indicates the time after which the cement paste looses its plasticity. Operations like mixing, placing and compaction should be completed well before the initial setting time of cement. The minimum initial setting time specified by IS 4562000 & IS 8112-1989 is 30 minutes. Beginning of hardening of cement paste indicates the final setting of cement and the maximum limit is 600 minutes i.e., 10 hours. Curing can be started immediately after final setting of cement. (iv) Water/Cement Ratio:According to Abrahams law the strength of fully compacted concrete is inversely proportional to the water-cement ratio i.e., higher the w/c ratio, lower is the strength of concrete. Water to cement ratio (W/Cratio) is the single most important factor governing the strength and durability of concrete and the strength of concrete depends upon W/C ratio rather than the cement content. As a thumb rule every 1% increase in quantity of water added it reduces the strength of concrete by 5% and increase the workability by 25 mm. A water/cement ratio of only 0.38 is required for complete hydration of cement. Water added for workability over and above this water/cement ratio of 0.38, evaporates leaving cavities in the concrete. These cavities are in the form of thin capillaries. They reduce the strength and durability of concrete. Hence, it is very important to control the water/cement ratio on site. The w/c ratio strongly influences the permeability of concrete and durability of concrete. Revised IS456-2000 has restricted the maximum water/cement ratios for durability considerations by clause 8.2.4.1, for M20 grade the max.w/c ratio is 0.50. The effect of w/c ratio on compressive strength of concrete is as shown in the table below: Water Cement (w/c) Probable Compressive Strength (%) (v) Measurement of volume mix concrete Volume batching may be allowed only where weigh batching is not practical. The Chief Engineer (Designs & Admn.),PR, Hyd. vide Cir.Memo No.AEE4/DEE1(D)/CC ROADS/2008 Dt 23.10.2008 has informed that the Measurement of Volume Mix concrete in rural areas is generally done by locally made containers and there is no uniformity in size. It is advisable to key 6 steel boxes each with a volume of half bag, the size being 300 x 300 x 195mm with 2 handles. This can be easily lifted by a male labour. With usage of this boxes quality of concrete improves. However the IRC 43-1986 specifies container (box) gauge sizes ( L x B x H) as follows: 0.25 x 0.20 x 0.30 M ( 0.015m) or cubic feet 0.30 x 0.25 x 0.40 M ( 0.030m) or 1 cubic feet. It is advisable to keep 1 feet containers 4 Nos & feet containers 2Nos or feet containers 6 Nos. Further it should be make a practice to keep 5 Ltrs / 10 Ltrs plastic cans, or measurement buckets for accurate water measurement & strict control shall be exercised for water pouring into the concrete mixer. vi) Joints in Cement Concrete Pavement:: 0.40 100 0.50 87 0.60 70 0.70 55 0.80 44

Concrete, like all other materials, will slightly change in volume when it dries out. In typical concrete, this change amounts to about 1/16" for 10ft (0.4cm in 3m). Joints are preplanned cracks to accommodate the expansion and shrinkage of concrete, caused by changes

in moisture and temperature. Although irregular cracks are unsightly and difficult to maintain, they generally do not affect the integrity of the concrete. Cracks in concrete can be controlled and minimized by properly designed joints. The below two types of joints are commonly used in concrete pavement. Expansion Joints: Such joints provides the space in pavement which can expand, relieving compressive stresses due to expansion and inhibiting any tendency towards buckling of concrete slabs. Not providing such joints will restrict free expansion, then the structure is subject to an axial stress of 6.21MPa. If the structure is very slender like concrete carriageway, buckling may occur. The compressible fibre board/synthetic board (Mastic pads) with dowel joints shall be provided in a pavement at suitable intervals. The joint filler shall extend to the entire width of the pavement and from the sub-base to 25 to 30 mm below the surface of the pavement. Different components of a typical expansion joint. In a typical expansion joint, it normally contains the following components: Bitumen primer, Bitumen sealant, Mastic pad, dowel bar, PVC dowel sleeve, Polythene sheathings (covers) etc., Bitumen Primer: The primer is used to improve the adhesive bond between sealing compound and concrete, to penetrate the pores of the concrete and to coat it with a thin film of a viscous, sticky material. MORD Data specifies usage of Bitumen primer @ 200 ml per joint. Bituminous sealant: it seals the joint width and prevents water and dirt from entering the joint and causing dowel bar corrosion and unexpected joint stress resulting from restrained movement. MORD Data specifies usage of Bitumen sealant @ 800 ml per joint. The sealing compound shall conform to Grade A for normal pavement constructions (IRC-57-1957). Mastic Pad 25mm: it is compressible so that the joint can expand freely without constraint & serves the purpose of space occupation such that dirt and rubbish are not intruded in the joint.These shall be of 20-25mm thickness within a tolerance of 1.5 mm and of a compressible synthetic material and having compressibility more than 25% IS:1838. It shall provided 25mm less in depth than the thickness of the slab within a tolerance of 3 mm and provided to the full width between the side forms. Holes to accommodate dowel bars shall be accurately bored or punched out to give a sliding fit on the dowel bars. Dowel bar: It serves to guide the direction of movement of concrete expansion and are required to transfer wheel loads to the adjacent slab. Therefore, incorrect direction of placement of dowel bar will induce un necessary stresses in the joint during thermal expansion. The mis-alignment of dowels can induce a crack away from a expansion joint, if the dowels physically lock two slabs together and restrain their contraction. The dowel bars shall be held accurately in position during the placement, compaction and finishing of concrete at the expansion joint by dowel chair assembly (IRC-15). However for slabs of thickness less than 150mm no dowel bars required (IS:6509-1972). RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENT OF DOWEL BARS IN CC PAVEMENTS.(IS-6509-1995) Pavement thickness 150 200 250 Dowel Dia. 25 25 32 Dowel Length 500 500 500 Dowel Spacing 200 300 300

PVC dowel sleeve(pipe): It serves to facilitate the movement of dowel bar. On one side of the joint, the dowel bar is encased in concrete. On the other side, the PVC dowel sleeve is bonded directly to concrete so that movement of dowel bar can take place.

Polythene sheaths: The polythene sheaths (covers) of 125 micron thick shall be sheathed to dowel bar for 2/3rd length to segregate the dowel from directly contact with concrete.

EXPANSION JOINTS
Notes: If the construction of concrete carriageway is carried out in summer, can expansion joints be omitted? If the construction of concrete carriageway is carried out in summer, expansion joints may not be necessary. Expansion of concrete carriageway is mainly due to seasonal changes with an increase in temperature from that during construction to the ambient temperature (i.e. the temperature in summer). However, if the construction of concrete carriageway takes place in summer, the concrete carriageway will undergo contraction in the following winter, thus the space available in contraction joints can accommodate the future expansion in the next summer. Contraction Joints: These purposely made joints relieves tensile stresses in the concrete and prevents formation of irregular cracks due to restraint in free contraction of concrete caused by the cement hydration process, traffic loadings and the environment. It provide a suitable plane of weakness through concrete slab along which the concrete may crack when contraction or shrinkage takes place. Procedure:: Contraction Joints are spaced at 4.50m c/c for slabs 100mm to 250mm thick (IRC-15). These joints are to be sawn 4 hours after compacting concrete and should be completed within 12 hours of concrete placement, before it attains the compressive strength of 7 MPa (IRC-SP-83-2008). They shall be constructed by forming in the surface of the slab, a slot not less than 3mm wide and having a depth equal 1/3rd to1/4th the depth of the pavement by a concrete joint cutting machine OR by pushing into the concrete a flat metal bar or plastic strip or the web of a "T" bar held on its edges by guides, removing the bar subsequently, and keeping the slot open. The metal bar shall be withdrawn as soon as the concrete has set sufficiently so as not to flow back into the groove. This groove is subsequently widened to 10 to 12mm thick , 25mm deep by wooden planks before final setting of cement to seal with sealant later on. Shallow depth sawing will lead to random cracking and too late sawing leads to un controlled/random full depth cracking. Good design and maintenance of contraction joints have virtually eliminate the need for expansion joints, except at fixed objects such as structures. Sealing :: After the curing period is over and before the pavement is opened to traffic, the intruded materials in all joints shall be removed completely and the contact faces of joints shall be primed with a thin bituminous paint which shall be allowed to dry before the sealing compound is applied. Bituminous emulsions shall not be used as primers (IS-6509-1995). Sealing of top grooved surface of 10mm wide x 25mm deep shall be done by a hot applied rubberised bituminous sealant of approve type poured from a kettle having a spout.

RECOMMENDED SPACING OF EXPANSION & CONTRACTION JOINTS ( IS-6509-1995) Thickness of Slab Expansion Joints Contraction Joints vii) Admixtures: 100mm 27m 4.50m 150mm 27m 4.50m 200mm & above 36m 4.50m

Admixtures conforming to 18:6925 and IS:9103 may be used. Now days, admixtures are considered as the 5th ingredient of concrete. The admixtures can change the properties of concrete. Commonly used admixtures are as follows: i. Plasticisers & super plasticisers, ii. Retarders, iii. Accelerators, iv. Air entraining agents, v. Shrinkage compensating admixtures, vi. Water proofing admixtures, vii. Recron fibre. In CC Roads, generally, the following products are recommended by MORD. i. Plasticisers & super plasticisers Plasticizers are also called water reducing admixtures. Ordinary water reducing plasticizers enables upto 15% of water reduction. High range water reducing superplasticizers enables upto 30% of water reduction. Plasticisers helps in increasing the workability of concrete i.e., to get lower water/cement ratio without reducing the workability at the same cement content. Use of plasticisers is economical as the cost incurred on them is less than the cost of cement saved. Compatibility of plasticizers with cement should be ascertained

before use in concrete. MORD data recommends usage of superplasticisers @ 0.50% by wt. of cement ii. Recron3S fibre: Called Secondary Reinforcement, the dosages of 0.25% (125gm per 50 Kg) cement bag or 0.9Kg per cubic meter of CC may be used. The Reliance industry claimed the following advantages. 1. Thermal shrinkage cracks ::Significant reduction. 2. Water penetration ::Significant reduction 3. Abrasion Resistance ::Over 40% Improvement over normal concrete 4. Impact strength ::Improves significantly 5. Flexural & Compressive strength ::10-30% increase over normal concrete. iii. Curing Compound : Not necessary. viii) Compaction: Compaction is the process which expels entrapped air from freshly placed concrete and packs the aggregate particles together so as to achieve max.strength, increase the density, abrasion resistance and durability of concrete, also decreases the permeability and reduction of honeycombing and blowholes on the surface of concrete, helps to minimise its shrinkageand-creep characteristics. Surface vibrators (Double beam Screed Vibrators), Immersion Vibrators (Pin,Needle), Plate Vibrators shall be used for compaction of concrete. It has to be checked that no extra water or bleeding shall occur on the top surface of concrete. Excessive water at the top will make the top surface very weak and there will be more abrasion (IRC:SP:20-2002). Use of vibrator near side forms is essential to eliminate honey combing. To effect adequate compaction, the concrete shall be placed with appropriate surcharge over the final slab thickness. In general, the required surcharge is about 20% of the required slab thickness. Air entrapped in the concrete leaving the mixer typically may vary from 5% to 20% by volume. The presence of 5% voids in the concrete will reduce the strength compared to the fully compacted concrete by about 30% and the presence of 10% voids will reduce the strength by 60% (IRC-15-2002). Compaction of concrete slabs upto 125mm thickness may be done by means of vibrating screed alone, while for thicknesses greater than 125mm both internal vibrators, like, needle and vibrating screeds shall be used. The amplitude of vibration of the screed shall not be less than 1.5 mm and the speed of travel not more than 0.6 m per minute. The needle vibrator develops about 7000 vibrations per minute. Compaction by screeding shall be carried on till the mortar in the mix just works up to the surface. At any point tested, the concrete shall not show a departure greater than 3 mm from the true surface (IRC-15). ix) Vaccum Dewatering Technique :: Precursor:: This method was extensively used in Nizamabad district for Pmgsy Works. The NQMs are also greatly appreciated and recommended to NRRDA for wider adoption. Procedure::Vacuum dewatering process removes surplus water present in the concrete. This is done using the Vacuum Equipment comprising of Suction Mat Top Cover, Filter pads and Vacuum Pump. The process starts immediately after surface compaction. Filter pads are placed on the fresh concrete leaving about 4 inches of fresh concrete exposed on all sides. The Top Cover is then placed on the filter pads and connected to the vacuum pump through a suction hose and the pump is started. Vacuum is created between the filter pads and the top cover. Atmospheric pressure compresses the concrete and the surplus water is squeezed out. The dewatering operation takes approx.1-2 minutes per cm pavement. The dewatered concrete is compacted and dried to such an extent that it is possible to walk on it without leaving any foot prints. The finishing operations - Floating & Trowelling take place right after dewatering. Floating operation is done with Floating disc. This ensures further compaction

and closing the pores on the surface & generates skid-free finish. Trowelling is done with Trowelling blades in order to further improve the wear resistance, minimize dusting and obtain smoother finish. Advantages:: It is stated in literature that this technique will ... i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) Reduction in W/C ratio by 15-25% leads to early setting. Increase in compressive strength of concrete by 40-70%. Surface hardness of the slab increases by 30%. Water absorption is reduced significantly. Minimized crack formation, shrinkage reduced by 50%. Lower curling defect in floors.

TYPICAL PICTURE OF CC PAVEMENT WITH VACCUM DEWATERING SYSTEM

x) Surface texture

After the final finishing of the slab and before the application of the curing membrane, the surface of concrete slab shall be brush-textured in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the carriageway. Texture depths shall be in the range of 1.0mm to 1.25mm depth (IRC_15-2000). xi) Removing Forms (Shuttering)::

Forms shall not be removed from freshly placed concrete until it has set, or at least 12 hours, which ever is later. After the forms have been removed, the slab edges shall be, cleaned and any honey-combed areas shall be pointed with 1:2 cement sand mortar, after which the sides of the Slab shall be covered with wet jute mat for curing. Slabs with excessive honey-combing as a result of inadequate compaction shall be removed between the joints & re-laid (IRC:15).

xii)

Curing

Purpose:: The purpose of curing is to reduce the rate of heat loss & loss of water from freshly placed concrete to the atmosphere and to minimize the temperature gradient across concrete cross section. Concrete develops strength ONLY in the presence of moisture , therefore it is absolutely important that it is kept moist after casting. Immediately after finishing, the concrete surface shall be covered against rapid drying by curing. The potable drinking water may be used for mixing as well curing of concrete. Methods:: Curing can be done by one of the following two methods: (i) By application of curing compound twice, in areas where water is extremely scarce. (ii) By manual methods using wet jute mats which is kept moist during curing period or ponding water. Procedure:: Curing shall commence soon after the finished pavement surface can take the weight of the wet jute mats normally employed for initial curing, without leaving any marks thereon (IRC:SP:11). The mats shall extend beyond the pavement edges at least by 0.5 m and be constantly wetted. Initial curing shall be for 24 hours or till the concrete is hard enough to permit labour operations without damages. Final curing, after removal of the mats after 24 hours, shall be carried out by ponding of water. Where water is scarce or pavement is on a steep gradient, impervious membrane curing shall be adopted as per specified standard of MoRT&H. Pavement can be opened to traffic after 28 days of curing of concrete slabs. xiii) Quality Control

The finished surface should be checked for line, level, camber, grade and surface finish and irregularities should be corrected. (b) Sampling and testing of beam, cube & core specimens: Cubes:: Cement concrete cubes 15x15x15 cm and beams 15x15x70 cm (6 No. each) shall be cast daily to check 7 and 28 days strength as per IRC:SP:11. They shall be tested in lab for end results and shall not be less than the minimum specified compressive strength. Adequate quality control should be exercised at all stages of construction by suitable trained staff as per guidelines given in IRC:15. The flexural strength of concrete obtained in the field shall not be less than 40 kg/cm. Cores: Where the quality of the concrete or its compaction is suspect, the actual strength of the concrete in the slab shall be ascertained by carrying out tests on cores cut from the hardened concrete at such locations. The cores shall be cut at the rate of 2 cores for every 150 cum of concrete. The results of crushing strength of tests on these cores shall not be Jess than 0.8 times the corresponding crushing strength of cubes, where the H/D ratio of the core is two. A core specimen for the determination of pavement thickness shall have a diameter of at least 10 cm. The H/D ratio when capped, nearly twice its diameter (IS-1199,Cl.4.30). If, however, the tests on cores also confirm that the concrete is not satisfying the strength requirements, then the concrete corresponding to the area from which the cores were cut should be replaced, i.e., at least over an area extending between two construction joints where the defects could be isolated. Hence it is advised to the field engineers that to record the measurement on each days work length on day to day basis or joint to joint spacing or 30m interval so as to avoid rejection of entire length of concrete. (b)Pavement thickness In the stretch where deficiency of average thickness is more than 25mm, the panel shall be rejected and re-laid.

PAYMENT ADJUSTMENT FOR DEFICIENCY IN THICKNESS (IRC-15) Deficiency in average thickness Upto 5mm 5-10 mm 10-15 mm 15 to 20 mm 20 to 25 mm Per cent contract unit price payable 100 87 81 75 70

Surface levels: The measurements of the surface levels shall be taken on a grid of points placed at 6.25 m longitudinally and 3.5 m transversely should not exceed the tolerance as below. Surface Tolerance in CC Pavement is +5mm to -6mm. (d) Surface regularity The maximum permitted number of surface irregularities shall be as per Table 13 of IRC-15. i) permitted number of 4mm thick surface irregularities in 300m length 40 Nos ii) permitted number of 4mm thick surface irregularities in 75m length 18 Nos iii) permitted number of 7mm thick surface irregularities in 300m length 4 Nos iv) permitted number of 7mm thick surface irregularities in 75m length 2 Nos (e) Horizontal alignment The horizontal alignment shall be checked with respect to the centre line of the carriageway. The edges ofthe carriageway as constructed shall be corrected within a tolerance of 10 mm there from. (f) Acceptance criteria for Cracks (As per IRC-SP-62-2004) Concrete slabs may develop cracks of minor to serious nature unless appropriate precautions are taken to prevent their occurrence either during the construction phase or post-construction period. Cracks can appear generally due to the following reasons: (a) Plastic shrinkage of concrete surface due to rapid loss of moisture. (b) Drying shrinkage. (c) High wind velocity associated with low humidity. (d) High ambient temperature. (e) Delayed sawing of Joints. (f) Rough and uneven surface of the base on which concrete slabs are constructed. The slabs with full depth cracks are totally un acceptable as it amounts to structural failure. Besides, other cracks which are deep and are likely to progress in depth with time are also to be considered as serious in nature. The cracks in concrete slabs can be accepted in the following situations: (a) Plastic shrinkage cracks- The discrete crack which is less than 500mm length and its depth of penetration less than half the thickness of the slab and which does not intersect with a longitudinal edge or formed Joint. The cumulative length of such cracks in each slab shall not be more than 1.0 m length. Fine hairline crazy cracks.

(b)

The concrete slabs are to be rejected when: (i) Slabs with cracks running transversely or longitudinally penetrating to full depth and length of the slab. (ii) Slabs with cracks which are penetrating to more than half the depth. (iii) Discrete crack which is more than 500 mm length although its depth of penetration is less than half of the depth.

(iv)

When the total length of all discrete cracks is > 1.0 m whose depth of penetration is less than half the depth. (Refer IRC-SP-83-2008 for Common Defects, Distresses, Causes in Concrete Pavements). The above guidelines are prepared after a strenuous study of various literatures for days together and compiled to guide & aware the field engineers executing the CC roads in rural areas. The Field engineers are requested to go through the above exhaustive circular in depth and come up with corrections, suggestions, improvements, doubts and clarifications. It is also requested to contact this office for IRC/IS codes, other technical books, technical Internet content, drawings etc., The Executive Engineers are requested to kindly communicate this circular to all the Deputy Executive Engineer/ Asst.Executive Engineers under their control and ensure the strict adherence to standards of codal provisions in respect of construction of all type of CC Roads in ODR/VR roads irrespective of whether they are sanctioned under PMGSY,Nabard,MGNREGS or other grants.

Dy. Executive Engineer (PR) Vig& QC Sub-Division, Nalgonda.

Encl:1) Sample Concrete Mix Design for M20 Grade Concrete. 2) Sample Rigid Pavement Design. 3) Typical drawings of Expansion/Contraction Joints. To, The Executive Engineer (PR) PIU Division Nalgonda, PRI Division Nalgonda & Miryalaguda. Copy to all DyEEs /AEEs through EEs concerned. C/S to the Executive Engineer (PR) Vig& QC Divn.Hyderabad for favour of information.