ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

School of Engineering and Technology

CE72.41 Advance Concrete Technology

Special Concrete
Phal Chanpisith
St119488
 Overview
Concrete is the mixture of hydraulic cement, aggregates, and
water, with or without admixtures, fibers, or other cementitious
materials.

Special types of concrete are those with out-of-the ordinary

properties or those produced by unusual techniques

Due to the human need and advancement of technology, special

types of concrete have been researched and produced for special
requirement.
 Type of special concrete
1. Structural Lightweight
concrete
2. High-Strength Concrete
3. Self-Consolidated Concrete
4. High-Performance Concrete
5. Shrinkage-Compensating
Concrete
6. Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
7. Concrete Contain Polymers
8. Shotcrete
9. Heavyweight Concrete for
Radiation Shield
10. Pervious Concrete
11. Mass Concrete
12. Roller-Compacted Concrete
13. Soil-Cement
14. Colored Concrete
15. Ferrocement
 1. Structural Lightweight Concrete
Is structural concrete made with lightweight aggregate and having an air-dry density
of not more than 1850 kg/m3. Unit weight is around 2/3 of normal weight concrete
Purpose: to produce light weight of concrete for specific use.
Composition:
Cement
Water
Aggregate (fine and coarse light weight Max D=19mm )
Aluminum power, pumice stone powder,
Compressive strength at 28 day > 17MPa, density: 1120-1920kg/m3
Slump 50-75mm
Usage:
Decks of long span bridges, Fire and corrosion protection, Covering for architectural
purposes, Heat insulation on roofs.
Insulation of water pipes, Filling for floor and roof slabs.
Construction of partition walls and panel walls in framed structures.
Production precast building blocks and low cost housing.
 2. High-Strength Concrete

Is concrete that has a specified compressive strength for design of 8000 psi (55
MPa) or greater.
Purpose:
achieve a high compressive strength at a given age.
Composition:
Cement: Ordinary Portland Cement (400-600kg/m3)
Water-cement ratio <0.3
Fine cement and small aggregate with high modulus are the important things
Aggregate D=20-25mm can produce HSC up to 70MPa
D=14-20mm can produce HSC up to 100MPa
D=10-14mm can produce HSC over 125MPa
Admixture: silica fume, water-reducing agent (super plasticizer)
Usage:
Reduce the column and area of rebar,
Increase long span bridge..etc, High rise building
 3. Self-Consolidated Concrete

Is fresh concrete that can ow around reinforcement, and consolidate within

formwork under its own weight without vibration.
Purpose: (3 Highs: workability, fluidity, cohesiveness)
Type of SCC:
High Powder Contents: (cement>400kg/m3+fly ash, pulverized slag or
limestone)
Viscosity-Modifying Admixture: (Velum gum, hydrolyzed starch, silica fume)
Composition:
Cement
Aggregate (sand, 19-25mm coarse aggregate)
Water
Chemical Admixture: Super plasticizer, Viscosity-modifying agent
Slum >200m, Slum Flow D>600mm
Usage: Underwater Concrete, Precast Concrete Plant
 4. High-Performance Concrete

Concrete meeting special combinations of performance and uniformity

requirements that cannot always be achieved routinely using conventional
constituents and normal mixing, placing, and curing practices.
Purpose: produce last-long concrete (3 Highs: workability, strength, durability)
Composition:
Concrete + blended cements or as mineral admixture.
Fly Ash must be above 50% of mass of total other cementations materials to meet
Malhotra& Methas definition of High Volume Fly Ashe s (HVFA ) Concrete.
Good HVFA Concrete require good quality of Fly ashes (low Carbon, high fineness)
Usage:
Off-shore, Oil Drilling Platform,
Long span Bridge
Bridge Deck, Pavement, Parking Structure
 5. Shrinkage-Compensating Concrete

Is concrete containing expansive components usually based on formation of

calcium sulfoaluminate (ettringite) in a mixture of calcium aluminate and gypsum .
Purpose: to minimize dried shrinkage crack by itself
Need modified Portland cement type K which contain C4A3S
Slum 100-150mm
Need care of moist curing 7 days after concrete placement
Composition:
Expansive cement
Aggregate: both lightweight or normal weight
Water: Same as used in Portland cement
Admixture: air-entrainning, water-reducing, retarding, accelerating.
Usage:
Floor slab, Pavement, Roof , Water storage tank, Sewage digesters
Use in repair work to minimize drying shrinkage cracks
 6. Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC)

Is concrete containing dispersed, randomly oriented fibers.

Purpose: reduce micro cracks in concrete and improve the strength.
Composition:
hydraulic cement, water, aggregate, and fibers of various shapes and sizes
produced from steel, plastic, glass, and natural materials.
Higher amount of cement and low water-cement ratio.
Factor Affecting FRC:
1.Orientation of Fibers, 2. Volume of Fiber, 3. Aspect Ratio
Orientation of fibers
Align to the direction load (improve more tensile strength and toughness)
Align opposite to the direction of load
Randomly situated in the concrete
 6. Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC)

Volume of fibers
Low volume fraction (<1 %): reduce shrinkage cracking in large exposed
surface, slab, pavement,
Moderate volume fraction (between 1 & 2 %): increases the modulus of
rupture, fracture toughness, and impact resistance
High volume fraction (>2 %): lead to strain-hardening of the composites.
This behavior lead to the ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete.
Aspect Ratio
The ratio of length of fibers and its diameter.
Ratio up to 0.75 lead to increase in strength and toughness.
Ratio >0.75 lead to decrease of strength and toughness.
 7. Concrete Contain Polymers

Concrete in which an organic polymer serves as the binder.

Purpose: high early strength in hour or minute, good boning, high durability.
Types of CCP:
Polymer Concrete (PC) :polymerizing a mixture of a monomer (molecule that
can bound in long chain) and aggregate (no bounding materials).
Latex-modified concrete (LMC), or Polymer Portland cement concrete
(PPCC), is a conventional Portland cement concrete which is usually made by
replacing a part of the mixing water with latex (polymer emulsion)
Polymer-impregnated concrete (PIC), which is produced by impregnating or
infiltrating a hardened Portland cement concrete with a monomer and
subsequent polymerizing the monomer in situ.
Polymer: is substance that has a molecular structure consisting chiefly or
entirely of a large number of similar units bonded together.
Ex: methyl methacrylate (MMA), styrene, Acrylonitrile, etc.
 7. Concrete Contain Polymers

Composition:
Cement (except PC )
Water
Aggregate
Polymer
Usages:
Rehabilitation of structure
Structure again corrosion and chemical attack
Sealing micro crack
Heavy or high loading area: car park etc.
 8. Shotcrete

Concrete placed by a high velocity pneumatic projection from a

nozzle.
Purpose: easy technology in casting curse structure
Type of shotcrete:
Dry mixed Shotcrete: (Dry concrete components and water will be
added at the nozzle)
Wet mixed Shotcrete (Wet mixec concrete in advance before pumping
to the nozzle)
Composition of Shotcrete
Cement, Water, Aggregate, Admixture, Non-alkaline accelerator
They can introduce silica fume, and other cementitious material to
shotcrete to improve the compressive strength.
Usage:
For construction curve surface structure: dome, tunnel, retaining
wall,
 9. Heavyweight Concrete for Radiation
Shield
Is kind of concrete used for biological shielding in nuclear power plant, atomic
research, and testing facilities. Density=6400kg/m3
Purpose: Protect again radiation
Composition:
Cement: as boding material
Water: large amount of iron content,
High Density Aggregate:
Natural mineral: goethite, limonite, barite, hematite, ilmenite,, magnetite, steel
punching, and steel shots. (density 2080-4650kg/m3)
Synthesis: ferrophosphorus
Admixture: water reducing
Usage:
shielding material, heavyweight concrete protects against the harmful effects of
X-rays, gamma rays, and neutron radiation
 10. Pervious Concrete

concrete containing little, if any, fine aggregate that results in sufficient voids to
allow air and water to pass easily from the surface to underlying layers.
Purpose: to let the water flow through the concrete for specific structural function
Composition:
Cement (Typical Type I cement)
Water
Aggregate (little or no coarse aggregate)
Cementitious materials (25% fly ashes, or 50% slang)
Admixture: (air entrained admixture)
Design range:
Void content: 15%-30%
Water-cement ratio: 0.28-0.30
Binder Aggregate ratio: <0.25
 11. Mass Concrete

Is any volume of concrete in which a combination of dimensions of the member

being cast, the boundary conditions can lead to undesirable thermal stresses,
cracking, deleterious chemical reactions, or reduction in the long-term strength as
a result of elevated concrete temperature due to heat from hydration.
Example:
Dam, Big Mat foundation, Bridge Pier, long retaining wall
Purpose:
Reduce heat of hydration in concrete cause thermal cracks.
The composition:
Cement (low C3A & C3S)
Aggregate (large size which possible for dense mix)
Water (low water content)
Pozzolan (partially replace cement)
 11. Mass Concrete

Fly ashes: can reduce water 5%-8%

Air entrained: 4%-8%
Water reducing admixture:
 12. Roller-Compacted Concrete

(1) concrete compacted by roller compaction; (2) concrete that, in its unhardened
state, will support a roller while being compacted.
Purpose: mostly use for pavement
Composition:
Cement (low heated cement) (60kg-360kg)/m3
Mineral Admixture: Fly ashes, slag, pozzolan, air-entrained, water-reducing..
Aggregate: >76mm-150mm
Zero slump, Compressive Strength=30MPa-40MPa
Usage:
RC pavement
Airport apron and Taxiway
Highway
Large Dam (overtopping protection of upper section)
 13. Soil Cement

Soil-cement is a mixture of pulverized soil or granular material, cement, and

water.
Purpose: Improve the soil strength
Composition:
Cement: 80kg-255kg per m3
Soil: sand, silt, clay, and gravel or crushed stone
Depend on soil used, min Compressive strength is 2 to 5 MPa
Usage:
Pavement base course for road, street, airport, parking area.
Often have bituminous wearing surface for protect soil-cement
 14. Colored Concrete

Is type of concrete that have colors expose visually to the environment.

Purpose: Architectural function
Composition:
Cement:
Aggregate: colored or non-colored
Color pigment: <10% of cements mass
Usage:
Wall,
Floor slabs (consistent colors)
 15. Ferrocement

is a special type of reinforced concrete composed of closely spaced layers of

continuous relatively thin metallic or nonmetallic mesh or wire embedded in
mortar.
Purpose: Architectural function
Composition:
Sand-cement ratio: 1.5-2.5
Water-cement ratio: 0.35-0.5
Reinforcement: 5%-6% of ferrocement volume
Fiber, admixture: used to modify mortar properties.
Usage:
Construct thin shell roofs, swimming pools, tuneel linings, silos, tanks,
prefabricated houses, thin panels or section <25mm
 References

Mehta, P. K., & Monteiro, P. J. (2014). Concrete: microstructure,

properties, and materials. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
American Concrete Institute, (2013). ACI Concrete Terminology,
Farmington Hills, MI 48331 U.S.A.