FROM IDEAS TO THEIR REALIZATION

DISPERSE-REINFORCED CONCRETE IN HYDROTECHNICAL

CONSTRUCTION
Yu. E. Khechinov UDC 691.328:621.311.21.002.2
Orientation of the development of Soviet hydropower engineering toward the further
development of mountain and piedmont regions of the country with their richest hydropower
resources will make it possible, to a considerable extent, to avoid a serious technogenic
impact on the environment.
Underground layouts of mountain hydrostations in comparison with others have obvious
ecological advantages.
This is confirmed by world practice of constructing mountain hydrostations in France,
Italy, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, and other countries.
The solution of technical and economic problems is directly related to reducing the
amount of materials for underground structures by involving them in the combined work with
the rock mass and by the wide introduction of new progressive materials and technological
schemes.
A prospective way to reduce the cost of underground structures is the use of disperse-
reinforced concrete transported to the placement site by concrete pumps, concrete spreaders,
and devices for spraying concrete [i]. For these purposes, the Central Construction Lab-
oratory of the Inguri Hydroelectric Station Construction Administration originally conducted
a cycle of tests of disperse-reinforced concretes and mortars, in which as fiber was used
steel wire 25 mm long and 0.3 mm in diameter, which corresponded to the recommended ratio
s = 80 based on the condition of the combined work of the fiber with concrete [2]. The
technology of introducing the fiber into the concrete mix was perfected and the effect of
the vibrating process on the uniformity of the distribution of fiber in the concrete mass
or sand--cement mortar and character of the change in the strength and deformation char-
acteristics of the material in relation to disperse reinforcement were studied.
During loading of the proportioned steel wire into the concrete mix and during its
mixing the main shortcoming of such fiber--lumpiness was found, owing to which a non-
uniform volume distribution of the steel segments of the wire in the mortar component
and hence a scatter of the values both of the strength and deformation indices of the
concrete occur.
Furthermore, it was established that during vibration, an ordering of the orientation
of the fiber depending on the type of vibrator occurs. Thus, for example, a study of
sections of disperse-reinforced concrete specimens showed that in all cases the distri-
bution of the wire fiber in the volume of a standard cube is nonuniform, and during vibra-
tion on a vibrating table or by internal vibrators a tendency toward an arrangement of the
fiber parallel to the plane of vibration was noted.
These circumstances, in our opinion, could substantially affect the strength char-
acteristics of concrete specimens with fraction size 5-20 mm subjected to the tests. A com-
parison of the results of testing disperse-reinforced concrete specimens with the indices
of a standard unreinforced specimen (Table i) did not reveal noticeable correlations bet-
ween an increase of the percent of reinforcement and bending-tensile strength, especially
at an early age.
The tests were conducted by the standard method corresponding to State Standard GOST
10180-78 and the specimens of small concrete beams measuring i00 i00 400 mm intended
for bending-tensile tests and cubes measuring i00 i00 I00 mm intended for compressive
tests were stored in a room of the concrete laboratory at a relative humidity within 80-95%.
Translated from Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitel'stvo, No. 9, pp. 41-44, September, 1991.
0018-8220/91/2509-0575512.50 9 1992 Plenum Publishing Corporanion 575
T A B L E 1
Bending tensile
Fiber s t r e n g t h , MPa, at age,
c~
%
o f
I 7 28 180
vohm~e i
0
0, 5
1,0
2,1
1,7
1,9
2,2
2. 8
2.7
3,3
2,9
3,9
Compressive strength,
MPa, at a g e , days
7 28 t 180
1 27 12,6 26
12,6 22,8 26,3
T A B L E 2
Parts of
prisms
divided
vertically
Quantity of I compressive IDeviation of
steel shav-
I
ings in part strength of content of
of i n v e s t i - specimens, l steel shavings
gated v o l - M P a , at age of I from average,
ume, g ! 3 days 1 %
I
II
Ill
IV
230
275
255
250
12,5
14,5
14,7
15,5
--9, I
9
0.8
- - 1, 0
T A B L E 3
u~ ~ ~] Strength, MPa
~ I . . . . . I splitting ten- 1
- ~ i D e n a i n g t e n s i l e . _
~'~ oi _ _ I s i at age,
i
, > a n age, da s
~ Y I days
compressive
at a g e , days
0 : 2. 1
0.5 2,2
1 1,3
1 , 5 1,7
2
3 3,1
2,2 2,7
2.5 3,1
2,2 3,2
2,3 3.5
3.2 4,1
4,2 4,4
1 1,2
1,2 1,4
0,8 0,9
0,8 1,1
1,6 1.9
2,7 2.7
, 7 1 , 7 . 5 1 2 5 . 8
1.8 [ m, 5 [ 2 4 , 2
1,7 [14 L18, 5
1,8 114,1119,2
2.4 123 129
2 8
28,5
28
28,5
28.6
37
44
T A B L E 4
Material of
specimens
Weight of
specimen, g
before :after
test test
i~ C o e f f . of
~ ~ relative
~ ~u~ water
9 ~ ~ I' - ~ wear re-
-~ > o sistance
Granite
Concrete
Disperse-rein-
forced con-
crete
2485
11 729
11 545
2470
l! 89!
11 525
i s
38
20 8,2
1
0,35
0,68
I t w a s n o t e d t h a t o n a l l t e s t e d s p e c i m e n s , n o t a b r e a k b u t r a t h e r a d r a w i n g - o u t o f t h e
e n d s o f t h e w i r e f r o m t h e h a r d e n e d m o r t a r c a u s e d b y i t s i n s i g n i f i c a n t c o h e s i o n w i t h t h e
s m o o t h s u r f a c e o f t h e r e i n f o r c e m e n t o c c u r r e d .
A r t i f i c i a l l y c a l i b r a t e d b a r s a r e u s e d a b r o a d t o i n c r e a s e c o h e s i o n o f t h e w i r e w i t h t h e
m o r t a r c o m p o n e n t s o f c o n c r e t e , o r t h e g e o m e t r y o f t h e w i r e i s c h a n g e d ( w i t h b e n t e n d s , Z -
s h a p e d , w i t h f l a t t e n e d e n d s , e t c . ) , w h i c h r e q u i r e s s p e c i a l t e c h n o l o g y o f m a n u f a c t u r i n g t h e
f i b e r o r i t s t r e a t m e n t a n d , i n t u r n , l e a d s t o a s h a r p i n c r e a s e o f i t s c o s t , b u t d o e s n o t
e l i m i n a t e t h e p r o p e r t i e s o f l u m p i n e s s [i, 2].
S h a v i n g s , b e i n g t h e w a s t e o f m e t a l - m a c h i n i n g e n t e r p r i s e s , w e r e t e s t e d i n t h e s e a r c h
f o r m o r e e c o n o m i c a l s o l u t i o n s . S h a v i n g s o b t a i n e d d u r i n g m i l l i n g o f m e t a l , u n l i k e s t e e l
w i r e f i b e r , h a v e f l o w a b i l i t y a n d d o n o t h a v e a n y s i g n s o f l u m p i n e s s o r s t i c k i n g t o g e t h e r .
5 7 6
M P a
#5
40. . ! I
35
30;
2o
10
E
I
~ / " / 7 days
I
o!
0 Or5 f,O r f ~ O 2,f h
~ ' i " / ' t 7 t i _ j
0 $Y 76' a 15"6" i~Yf kg
MPa
5 ~ 0
qTO / ~ / /
45 ~ / _
2~5 ~ i 7 days
2 ~ 0 J days
1,5
0,5
o 0,5 1,o 1,5 z ,o z , 5 %
I I i I I I I
3~ 78 117 156 79f k g
b
Fig, i. D e p e n d e n c e of t h e c o m p r e s s i v e (a) a n d b e n d i n g
t e n s i l e (b) s t r e n g t h at v a r i o u s ages o n the c o n t e n ~ of
s t e e l shavings.
T h e p a r a m e t e r s ( a r b i t r a r y d i a m e t e r ) of s h a v i n g s d e p e n d on the t y p e of m i l l i n g m a c h i n e
a n d c h a r a c t e r of m a c h i n i n g the p a r t s and can be s e l e c t e d a c c o r d i n g to s i z e s to fit the
c o n d i t i o n s of t r a n s p o r t i n g the m a t e r i a l by p i p e l i n e f r o m the r a t i o
D / d = 2.5-3,
w h e r e D is the d i a m e t e r of the c o n c r e t e - c o n v e y i n g pipe; d is the a r b i t r a r y d i a m e t e r of the
s h a v i n g s .
In a d d i t i o n to e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e a b s e n c e of l u m p i n e s s , w h i c h to a c o n s i d e r a b l e e x t e n t
p r o v i d e d a u n i f o r m d i s t r i b u t i o n of s h a v i n g s in t h e c o n c r e t e mix, e x p e r i m e n t s w e r e c o n d u c t e d
to d e t e r m i n e t h e e f f e c t of v i b r a t i o n on s e g r e g a t i o n ( s i n k i n g ) of s h a v i n g s in t h e f r e s h l y
p l a c e d c o n c r e t e mix.
T h e m e t h o d of i n v e s t i g a t i o n c o n s i s t e d in t h e f o l l o w i n g : the p r e p a r e d a n d t h o r o u g h l y
m i x e d d i s p e r s e - r e i n f o r c e d c e m e n t - - s a n d m o r t a r w i t h a c o n e s l u m p of 4 cm w a s p l a c e d in a
s t a n d a r d m o l d f o r i00 x i00 x 4 0 0 - m m p r i s m s p e c i m e n s . T h e n t h e m o l d w a s c l o s e d o n t o p
b y a m e t a l c o v e r a n d p l a c e d in a v e r t i c a l p o s i t i o n on a v i b r a t i n g table. A f t e r v i b r a t i n g
t h e s p e c i m e n s for 120 sec, c o r r e s p o n d i n g in t i m e to n o r m a l w o r k i n g of c o n c r e t e , in o n e of
t h e b a t c h e s ( t h r e e p r i s m s ) t h e m i x f r e s h l y p l a c e d in t h e m o l d w a s d i v i d e d into f o u r e q u a l
parts, i.e., s i z e of t h e s t a n d a r d i00 I00 1 0 0 - m m cube, e a c h of w h i c h w a s s u b j e c t e d to
w e t s c r e e n i n g w i t h s e p a r a t i o n of t h e s h a v i n g s to d e t e r m i n e its w e i g h t c o n t e n t a f t e r t h o r o u g h
w a s h i n g .
T h e a v e r a g e r e s u l t s o b t a i n e d ( T a b l e 2) c o n f i r m e d t h e v i r t u a l a b s e n c e of s e g r e g a t i o n
of t h e m e t a l s h a v i n g s in t h e m o r t a r m a s s d u r i n g v i b r a t i o n o n t h e table.
577
M P a . ~ 0 ~
4
I
0 b
3 ? I f f0
i
days
Fig. 2. Graph of the dependence of the modulus
of elasticity of unreinforced (i) and disperse-
reinforced (2) concretes at various ages of the
specimens.
c m
3O
f O
r
!
I
I / /
- I
I
I
K
0 f ~ 6 8 fO f2 #/ 18
Width of working, m
Fig. 3. Calculated data of the thickness of the coating of
the unreinforced (dashed line) and disperse-reinforced
(solid line) gunites for a different w i d t h of the working
and degree of fracturing of the rocks K.
The second batch of three prism specimens after 3 days were sawed into standard cubes
and subjected to compression testing, the results of which also insignificantly differ
from the average values.
The absence of segregation of steel shavings during vibration is related to the
characteristic shape of a shaving and to its considerable specific surface, not allowing
it to sink into the mortar mass.
In order to eliminate the effect on the strength indices of the disperse-reinforced
concrete of the aggregate fractions that caused scattering of the values in the preceding
experimental series with wire fiber, further tests were conducted on specimens made from
cement--sand mortars (sand with fineness modulus Mf = 3.5) and reinforced with steel
shavings.
A cement--sand mortar M-300 with a cement content of 685 kg/m ~ and with a cone slump
of 4 cm was taken as the initial one. The results of testing the cement--sand specimens
with various contents of steel shavings are given in Table 3. The bending- and splitting-
tensile tests of specimens with a low content of shavings (within 0.5-1.5%) did not reveal
any excess of the values of these indices in comparison with standard specimens.
However, with an increase of the content of shavings (within 2-3%) the bending-tensile
strength (which is exceptionally important for underground support structures) of the speci-
mens at an early age in comparison with the unreinforced increases by 50-80% and the split-
ting-tensile strength by 125-175%. The values of these indices for specimens at an age of
28 days equalize, but nevertheless the bending- and splitting-tensile strength of the
reinforced specimens are higher than those of the unreinforced by respectively 40 and 70%.
As the test results showed, the content of steel shavings affects also the compressive
strength of the specimens. When the fiber content is more than 1.5%, the compressive
strength of the concrete specimens reinforced with steel shavings increases markedly with
age (Fig. I). The same such picture is observed also in the bending tensile test of the
specimens.
578
TABLE 5
Bending tensile strength, M~a, at age, days
specimens reinforced with mesh
specimens reinforced with
steel shavings
scheme ! scheme 2 scheme 3 scheme I
i
1,75 i 2,9 3,3
3
7 28
2,S 3,5
I
~ ~ 1 7 6 I
3 ] 7 28
1,9 2,2 2,4
3 7 28
4,05
It is necessary to note the scatter of the values of the test results, which, in our
opinion, can be explained mainly by the inhomogeneity of the steel shavings with respect
to its size, shape, and quantity in the test specimens. The results can be considerably
distorted in the case of using oiled shavings, a decrease of which will be observed at
early test times of the specimens.
Corrosion resistance tests of the specimens reinforced with steel shavings were also
conducted. For this purpose, specimens of standard i00 I00 100-mm cubes were placed
for long storage in a moist air environment. After 2-3 years of storage no signs of
corrosion were found on sections of specimens of the disperse-reinforced concrete, with
exception of those shavings which contacted the surface of the faces of the specimens.
A visual inspection and measurements confirmed that the penetration of rust inward
did not exceed 1.5-2 mm, and the embedded part of the shavings on the section, as all the
others, had a pure steel luster.
Tests of the deformation properties of the disperse-reinforced concretes showed that
their specimens have values of the modulus of elasticity reduced (in particular, at an
early age) by as much as 30% in comparison with unreinforced specimens, which has important
significance for yielding of supports constructed from them (Fig. 2).
Shrinkage deformations were determined by the known method of the Leningrad Institute
of Railroad Transportation Engineers; according to the test results the unreinforced speci-
mens had the maximum deformations (0.275 mm/m) and the disperse-reinforced concrete speci-
mens had the minimum (less than 0.200 mm/m). This is explained by the presence in them of
a disperse skeleton resisting deformations due to the uniform spatial distribution of steel
shavings in the mortar mass.
The effect of steel shavings on the occurrence of shrinkage cracks was studied on
tablet specimens. Almost radial cracks visible to the unaided eye appeared in all specimens
not containing shavings at the end of 28 days.
Cracks were not observed in the specimens reinforced with steel shavings even during
3 years.
Furthermore, the water wear resistance of the specimens was investigated to determine
the life of disperse-reinforced concretes in the event they are used in conveying and dis-
charge tunnels, open spillways, and canals.
The water wear resistance of concrete, estimated by the coefficient of relative wear
resistance equal to the ratio of the loss of the volume of a standard granite specimen to
loss of the volume of concrete from the effect of a water jet, was checked on a GAI-I
device according to the method developed at the Georgian Scientific-Research Institute of
Power and Hydraulic Structures. It is seen from the experimental results that the wear
resistance of the disperse-reinforced concrete is almost twice greater than that of the
unreinforced (Table 4).
Bending tensile tests of 200 400 80-mm concrete slabs reinforced with a 2.5-mm-dia-
meter steel mesh with a 50 50-mm mesh size were carried out to substantiate the possibility
of using disperse-reinforced gunite for supporting walls instead of gunite on a steel mesh
(Table 5).
579
The adopted schemes of the arrangement of the steel mesh in the test slabs were dictated
by its actual position relative to the uneven surface of the rock working covered with a
layer of gunite, the thickness of which for temporary support is usually within 6-10 cm.
A comparison of the results of testing specimens of slabs reinforced with a 3% content
of steel shavings revealed their increased load-bearing capacity by 5% (3 days), 13% (7 days),
and 16% (28 days) in comparison with specimens reinforced by a mesh even with its most
favorable arrangement in the extended zone (Table 5, scheme 3).
To study the technological possibilities of the process of applying disperse-reinforced
gunite, experimental works were carried out on the application of gunite reinforced with
steel shavings in the roof part of the No. 2 approach adit to the underground machine hall
of the Khudoni hydrostation and on a stretch of the right-bank slope on the upstream eleva-
tions of the abutment of an arch dam [3].
No technological problems occurred during application of the gunite reinforced with
steel shavings by the BM-68 machine; the dry mix with steel shavings unimpededly moved
through a rubber hose up to 50 m long without creating plugs and noticeable wear of the
hoses.
The thickness of the layer applied on the experimental stretches at one time was
2.5-3 cm, and in places with an uneven surface (in depressions) was increased to 5-6 cm
without any signs of peeling off of the freshly placed layer. A decrease of "rebound"
was noted, which did not exceed 10-15% from the walls and not more than 20% from the
roof, and the proportion of shavings in the "rebound" mass was insignificant.
Optimal compositions of disperse-reinforced concrete and gunite with the use of
steel shavings were developed on the basis of laboratory and field tests at the Central
Construction Laboratory of the Inguri Hydroelectric Station Construction Administration.*
To substantiate the possibility of using the disperse-reinforced material proposed
by the builders in the underground workings of the Khudoni hydrostation for supporting
the walls of the machine hall and room of the guard gates, as well as a permanent lining
in the approach tunnel to the guard gates, the necessary calculations were performed on
a computer by designers of the Tbilisi branch of the All-Union Planning, Surveying, and
Scientific-Research Institute.**
The results of calculating the thickness of the gunite and disperse-reinforced
gunite lining in conformity with the Departmental Building Codes VSN 49-86 of the USSR
Ministry of Power and Electrification "Design of temporary support of hydraulic tunnels"
for conditions of rock corresponding to a strength coefficient fst = i0 for their various
fracturing, from slightly fractured Kl, moderately K2, to severely fractured K3, are
given in Fig. 3.
As follows from the calculated dependences, the range of use of disperse-reinforced
gunite in comparison with unreinforced is considerably wider. For example, on the basis
of the technological conditions of applying a gunite lining with a thickness of 20 cm,
this range applies to slightly and moderately fractured rocks with fst = i0 within limits
of the width of underground workings from 4 to 12-14 m. In severely fractured rocks
this limit for disperse-reinforced gunite is confined to workings with a width up to 7 m.
A computer calculation made according to VSN 49-86 showed a noncorrespondence to the
generally accepted notion about rock pressure and assignment of the length of the rock
bolts, as a result of which, for an underground working with width B = const the load on
the support and hence the thickness of the lining and length of the rock bolt remain con-
stant with increase of the strength coefficient of the rock at an equal degree of its
fracturing, and when fst = 8 and more they even increase. This first of all pertains to
a determination of the depth of the disturbed zone hq at the stage of preliminary calcula-
tions, which, as follows from VSN 49-86, does not depend on the strength and deformation
characteristics of the rocks, which does not conform to reality.
The results of the investigations made it possible to judge also the high economy of
using disperse-reinforced gunite.
*Under the direction of A. I. Daneliya and R. V. Partsvaniya.
**Director A. A. Babalyan.
580
Thus, for example, the e c o n o m y of labor expenditures w h e n o r d i n a r y gunite on a mesh
is replaced by d i s p e r s e - r e i n f o r c e d gunite peril00 m 2 s u p p o r t e d surface is more than 300
man-h.
For a cost of metal shavings equal to the cost of metal scrap (28-35 rubles per ton),
the savings from using d i s p e r s e - r e i n f o r c e d gunite in c o m p a r i s o n w i t h gunite on a mesh
reaches 1400 rubles per I00 m 2 of coating [3].
The results of the investigations and calculations permitted proposing a structure
of d i s p e r s e - r e i n f o r c e d gunite w i t h a thickness of I0 cm in c o m b i n a t i o n with deep rock bolts
for supporting the walls of the u n d e r g r o u n d m a c h i n e hall of the Khudoni hydrostation instead
of r e i n f o r c e d - c o n c r e t e walls w i t h a design thickness of 40 cm, and also as a permanent lining
in the approach tunnel to the guard gate.
These proposals w e r e not realized owing to the decision in 1989 to stop the construc-
tion of the Khudoni hydrostation.
The wide use of disperse reinforcement* in u n d e r g r o u n d structures, water-conveying
and discharge structures, as w e l l as in thin-walled c r a c k - r e s i s t a n t structures and in
grouting joints would m a k e it possible to considerably reduce the cost of concrete
structures and labor intensity of the works, providing at the same time technological
e f f i c i e n c y of construction and high reliability of operating the concrete structures.
The specimens and m a t e r i a l s on d i s p e r s e - r e i n f o r c e d concrete and gunite presented for
competition were awarded the Silver Medal of the USSR E x h i b i t i o n of Economic Achievements
in 1990.
i .
2.
3.
LITERATURE CITED
O. M. Getmanenko, "Use of steel fiber-reinforced concrete in construction," ~ksp.
Inf. VNIIS. Stroitel. Mater. Izd., No. 9 (1982).
G. T. Mikeladze, Yu. E. Khechinov, and R. V. Partsvaniya, "Disperse reinforcement of
small-fraction concretes and mortars," Energ. Stroit., No. 6 (1987).
Yu. E. K h e c h i n o v and R. V. Partsvaniya, " D i s p e r s e - r e i n f o r c e d gunite for underground
structures of the K h u d o n i h y d r o e l e c t r i c station," I n f o r m e n e r g o Sooruzh. Gidroelektro-
stantsii, No. 3 (1987).
*Additional information about the properties of d i s p e r s e - r e i n f o r c e d concretes, optimal com-
positions, and r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s on the technology of their a p p l i c a t i o n and placement can be
obtained at the Central L a b o r a t o r y of the Inguri H y d r o e l e c t r i c Station Construction Admini-
stration (Georgia, 383740, Dzhvari, Central C o n s t r u c t i o n Laboratory).
581