CONCRETE WORKS

1. Introduction

Cast in place concrete is concrete premixed at a batching plant and transported to the work site or
concrete whose ingredients are transported to the site and mixed just before casting in place.

The proportion of concrete ingredients will be obtained by tests and they will be used for concrete
mixing. The proportion of ingredients will be such as to produce a mixture, which will work readily
into the corners and angles of the forms and around reinforcement without segregation of the
Concrete.

The Concrete will be batched and mixed at our batching plant fixed at Akaki Stadium. After the
right mix proportions has been selected by the tests and approved by the Engineer our qualified
personnel will carry out the batch mixing of concrete according to the required standard.

Concrete will be handled from the place of mixing to the place of final deposit as rapidly as
practicable by methods, which will prevent segregation or loss of ingredients. It will be deposited
as near as practicable in its final position to avoid re-handling or floating. The concrete will be
transported to the site by our fleet of truck mixers. The concrete will be delivered on time without
losing its workability. The construction site is very close to the batching plant thus reducing time
for delivery. Concrete works a can be summarized as follows.

Cement Aggregate Water

OPC Sand and Gravel (Quantity)
(Composition quality) (Size, shape and grading)

Mixing

Performance of fresh
concrete

 Transporting
 Placing
 Compacting

Curing

Performance of fresh
concrete
2. Concrete ingredients
2.1. Cement

Type of cement used for concrete works are Ordinary Portland and manufactured in Mugher
Cement Factory, Messebo Cement Factory and/or others. Cement will be used in the order
delivered. It will be visually checked and tested before being used. Set or partially set cement bags
will be immediately removed from the site. If required, manufacturers test certificate for each
consignment of cement, will be issued with the consignment. Further tests for fineness and
compressive strength for consignment already delivered will be made when required by the
Engineer. The cement content of a concrete mix will correspond to the mix proportion.

Cement will be stored in bags or containers in an enclosed, ventilated space that would protect it
from deterioration. Cement will always be stored off the ground. Different types and consignments
of cement will be stored distinctly separated and with markings showing the type and date of
consignment.

2.2. Aggregate (coarse and fine aggregates)

Fine aggregates will be natural or crushed gravel or stone, clean sharp coarse grit, pit or river sand
to conform with the requirements. Coarse aggregate Will be hard clean gravel or broken stones,
durable, non-porous and free from harmful matter.

Samples of concrete aggregate materials will be submitted for testing at least two weeks before
bulk deliveries of aggregates are made. No deliveries in bulk will be commenced until samples are
approved. Aggregates will be obtained from an approved source. Samples of aggregates will be
supplied for approval, and when approved, further deliveries will conform to the approved
samples. Aggregate will be washed as often as required to make it conform to this Specification.

Stockpiles of aggregate will be allowed to drain to ensure relatively uniform moisture content
thorough out the stockpile. Suitable means will be provided in hot weather to shield the aggregate
stockpiles from the direct rays of the sun.

2.3. Water

Water will be free from oil, acid, alkali, or any vegetable or organic matter harmful to any material
with which it is used. Drinking water piped supply will be used.
 2.4. Admixtures

Admixtures to be used for concrete approved by the Engineer will conform to the standard
requirements. Admixtures used in the work will be of the same composition as used is establishing
concrete proportions for the required class of concrete. The admixtures that will be used are
retardants as the concrete batching and mixing is done off site and transported to the construction
site, the concrete needs to stay workable for longer period.

3. Equipment

The concrete will be produced by a 35 m3/hr. capacity batching plant and transported to the site by
10 m3 truck mixers. After it has been transported to the construction site the placement will be
done by a concrete pump. Where a concrete pump is out of reach the placement will be done by a
bucket and the tower crane that will be fixed on the construction site.

Electrical and diesel vibrators will be used in the required amount to compact the concrete until
cement paste is seen without segregation.

4. Casting

The readymade concrete will be transported from batching plant, approved by the Engineer, to
construction site in less than 90 minutes.

Formwork will be completed reinforcement, expansion joint material, anchors, block outs and
other embedded items will be placed in position before concrete is cast. No concrete will be placed
until the reinforcement and formwork have been checked and approved by the Engineer. The
method and equipment used for casting concrete will be submitted for approval prior to casting to
the Engineer.

On delivery, mix will be directly unloaded in the concrete pumps. Care will be taken to make sure
that concrete mix is not dropping from more than a height of 2 meter. Concrete must be placed
before setting has commenced. Samples of the concrete will be taken for slump and compressive
test.

Concrete will be thoroughly worked around reinforcement and embedded around fixtures and into
corners of the formwork. Vibrators of approved types will be used. The consistency of the concrete
will be maintained for mechanical vibration and the vibration will not be carried out too long to
cause separation of materials and bring cement laitance to the surface. Care will be taken in the
vibration process to counteract over vibration and spreading of concrete. While casting the
concrete extra care will be given to not displacing any reinforcement. After being placed in
position, the concrete will be left absolutely undisturbed by any movements or thrusts while
setting.

Concrete will be cast continuously and when in layers, the fresh concrete will be cast before the
under layer has hardened. Construction joints as approved or directed by the Engineer or provided
in the drawings shall be placed if concrete cannot be cast continuously.

In hot dry weather suitable means will be provided to avoid premature stiffening of concrete placed
in contact with hot dry surfaces. Where necessary the surfaces including reinforcement, against
which concrete is to be placed will be shielded from the direct rays of the sun and sprayed with
water to prevent excessive absorption by the surfaces of water from the fresh concrete.

Concrete surfaces where formwork is in contact with the face of concrete will be finished as
required in the finishing specification. Where no formwork is in contact with the concrete surface,
the surface will be finished in either as indicated in the drawings or directed by the Engineer.

Trowel finish will be applied to slab surfaces exposed to view and surfaces to be covered with
resilient flooring, carpeting, paint or another thin floor coating. The final trowel shall be handmade
and left free from trowel marks. The surface plane tolerance will not exceed 3mm in 3 meters
height. Surface defects which would telegraph thorough applied flooring will be grounded off.

Footings, slabs and beams will be casted by concrete pump by skilled and unskilled labors. The
columns and structural walls will be casted by a bucket and tower crane to avoid the high pressure
of the pump and segregation as a result of the concrete being dropped from a high position. All
structural member casting will conform with the above methodology and technique.

5. Curing

Concrete will be protected from premature drying and excessively hot temperatures for at least 28
days from the date of casting. The concrete surface will be kept continuously wet by application
of water for at least 7 days to maintain constant temperature. The watering of concrete will
continue until the concrete has achieved its designed strength. When the temperature is excessively
high the surface of concrete will be covered with absorptive mat, fabric or sand continuously kept
wet or the application of other moisture retaining covering as approved by the Engineer. Where
the surface of concrete is covered with formwork, the surface of the form will be wetted until
removed.

6. Locations of Equipment

The location of the various equipment necessary for concrete casting are shown below. In choosing
the positions we kept in mind the need for minimizing the space they took, proximity to the
construction site, the equipment capacity to cover an area, disruption to the construction work
flow, safety and the blocks to be considered. Concrete mixing will be done off site at our batching
plant. Mobile cranes will be used as necessary in positions where they are needed.

Location of
concrete pumps

Location of
Tower Crane
 FORMWORK

1. Construction and removal of formwork

Formwork is a temporary support construction for in-situ concrete, designed and constructed in
timber or metal and capable of withstanding the live and dead loads imposed on it and fully
preventing leakage of concrete.

Formwork will be designed and erected to safely support, vertical and lateral loads that might be
applied until such load can be supported by the concrete structure. Vertical and lateral loads shall
be carried to the ground by formwork and in place construction that has attained adequate strength
for the purpose. Formwork and false work will be designed to include assumed value of live loads,
dead load, weight of moving equipment operated on formwork, concrete mix, height of dropping
concrete, vibrator frequency, ambient temperature, and other factors pertinent to safety of structure
during construction.

Formwork material will be delivered to the site immediately after taking over the site. Formwork
will be open stacked in an off the ground position. Timber formwork will be stored under shed.
Timber and panel formwork for reuse will be cleaned, oiled & stacked.

Formwork material will be sawn board reasonably straight grained, plywood or metal panel the
use of which will be determined in compliance with the type of surface finish required.

Forms will be used, wherever necessary to confine the concrete and mould it to the required
dimensions and shapes. Forms will be sufficiently tight to sustain loss of liquid from the concrete.
Backup material at joints to prevent leakage and fins will be provided as required. Formwork
material will be of sufficient thickness to withstand pressure of newly placed concrete, all dead,
live, self and superimposed load. Form coating compounds will be those that do not stain bond or
adversely affect the concrete or curing.

Rubbish, chipping, shaving and sawdust, will be removed from the interior of the forms before
concrete is placed. Washout holes will be provided to facilitate cleaning. Formwork surfaces in
contact with concrete will be cleaned and thoroughly wetted and treated with approved non-
staining mould oil or other composition. Approved mould oil or composition will be kept out of
contact with the reinforcement and will be used as separately as possible.
Forms will be constructed to the exact sizes, shapes lines and dimensions shown and as required
to obtain accurate alignment, location grade, level and plumb work in finished structures. Provision
will be made for openings, offset, sinking, keyways, recesses, moldings, reglets, chamfers,
blockings, screeds bullheads, anchorages, inserts and other features as required.

Forms for openings, and construction which accommodate installation by other trades whose
materials and products must be fabricated before the opportunity exists to verify the measurements
of adjacent construction which affects such installations, will be accurately sized and located as
dimensioned on the drawings.

Forms shall be fabricated for easy removal without hammering or praying against concrete
surfaces. crush or wrecking plates will be provided where stripping may damage cast concrete
surfaces.

No undue deflection or damage whatsoever will be caused to a structure by the removal of

formwork. In no circumstances, shall formwork be struck until the concrete attains a cube strength
of at least twice the stress to which it may be subjected at the time of striking. No formwork will
be removed until the concrete has hardened sufficiently. Concrete which is damaged by premature
removal or collapse of the formwork will be redone accordingly. Formwork will be removed
without such shock or vibration. Before the soffit formwork and struts are removed, the concrete
surface will be exposed where necessary, in order to ascertain that the concrete has hardened
sufficiently.

PERIOD OF REMOVAL:

Vertical formwork to columns, walls & beams 16 hours

Soffit formwork to slab 21 days

Props to slabs 14 days

Soffit formwork to beams 21 days

Props to beams 14 days

2. Formwork classification
2.1. Slabs

Slab formwork will be constructed by steel props, plywood and timber for. The proposed method
of construction using a combination of timber or steel bearers and adjustable shoring. The spacing
and type of support system required is determined by the load imposed during the construction
process. Manufacturers provide tables to assist in the selection and spacing of adjustable shoring
systems. Decking will be plywood sheet. The erection sequence for constructing a suspended floor
slab includes:

 Determining the bearer spacing;

 Erecting bearers and joists;
 Fixing the sheeting;
 Preparation for concrete.

Props and other falsework must be perfectly plumb at the time of pouring the concrete. All props
and falsework will be tied together and braced. Proprietary bearers in timber or steel are often used
as their bearing capacity is easily determined. A figure showing a standard formwork for slab is
shown below.
It is important that sole plates are firmly bedded on either compacted ground or level concrete.
Bearer supports will be adequately braced. Extra bearers may be required to support joists and
sheeting either side of major penetrations. The position of joists will be determined by the sheet
length and the center‐to‐center spacing of the intermediate joists. Sheeting edges will fall on the
center of a joist. The required number of joists will be cut to length. The joists will be positioned
centrally over the set‐out lines. The first row of sheeting straight will be positioned straight and
square, this will make fitting the remainder simpler. The intermediate sheeting will be fixed. The

Sheets will be nailed off and sealed and any beveled trim required to external and internal corners
will be installed. Finally, Sheet fixing is done.

Checks are carried out to ensure the safety and the performance of the formwork. The following
checks are carried out

 Bearers are positioned and set in line and adjusted to the correct level.
 Sole plates are bedded firmly and positioned central to the bearer.
 All bearer supports are plumb.
 Bearer joins are supported.
 Bearers are seated centrally in “u” heads.
 Supports spaced as specified and are firmly fixed at the head and bearing plate.
 All supports are horizontally and diagonally braced
 Joints are sealed, level and tight.
  Joints are watertight.
 All joints of sheets are fully supported.
2.2. Beams

Beam soffit will be thickened timber or strengthened plywood. Beam sides will be 18mm plywood
or 25mm boards, with studs (cleats) at 500 to 600mm centers. Deep beams (over 600mm) will
have walers and ties. Props or falsework will be placed under the head tree, or under the bearers,
and spaced to suit the weight of concrete. Angle fillets will be used in the beam side to soffit joint
where possible. Allowance will be made for height adjustment of the props or falsework.

Erection sequence for constructing beam formwork includes:

 Position of sole plates

 Marking out and setting heights for falseworks;
 Assemble and position props, adjustable head jacks, falseworks, bearers and Spreaders;
 Construct and erect side walls and beam soffit.

The procedure for beam formwork erection is as follows.

 Marking out the position of props and other false work supports on the top of the sole plates.
 Measuring the height from the sole plate to the top of the column and mark the height onto a
storey rod.
 Deducting the thickness of beam soffit depth of joist and the depth of bearer from the overall
height. This provides the height to set steel props and other false work support systems.
 Adjusting the false work systems to lengths determined from the story rod.
 Assembling and positioning props, adjustable head jacks, falseworks , bearers and spreaders
 Laying out lengths of bearers on each side of the columns. Joints will be staggered.
 Positioning the scaffold at each end of the bearer.
 Positioning the bearers into the center of prop or falsework ‘U’ head.
 Plumbing the supports both way and nailing the spreaders at each end hard against the column
face to prevent movement.
 Securing props and false work at “U” head and sole plate.
 Placing spreaders in position at required spacing.
 Positioning, plumb and fixing intermediate props.
 Marking out a pattern joist from set‐out drawing.
 Marking out the required number of joists from the pattern. Beam joists should then be fixed
in position across the bearers.
 Fixing the soffit.
 Positioning the panels using a string line to accurately form the soffit between columns.
Support the edge of the soffit panels by placing an extra joist under the end edge of panels.
 Obtaining stud heights for walls from full size set‐out.
 Constructing the timber frame wall panels in sections.
 Erecting the wall frames to each edge of the soffit lining and adjust each panel for plumb and
line using braces.
 Fixing walers, kickers cleats and bracing plate.
 Fixing tie bolts as specified.
2.3. Columns

Columns will be constructed by steel props, and timber. Before erecting column formwork, a
release agent will be applied to all internal surfaces. If specified and required edging, metal corners,
arris pieces or casted inserts will be fixed.

Prior to the erection of formwork for structural members, the exact location of grids relating to the
structural member being formed will be checked. The location, size of column, height, and
specified finish should be clarified from site documentation. Prior to erection site documentation
for the exact position of the structural member will be checked.

Erection sequence for a column formwork construction is as follows

 Checking the steel for the column has been inspected and cleared for casting.
 Positioning the formwork for the column from predetermined grids.
 Plumb formwork both ways and securely support using adjustable steel props.
 The propping angle will be 45° to the floor.
 Ensuring the steel props are safely secured to the column formwork and the floor, and that
adjustment for pushing and pulling is operational.
 Setting out the positions of column clamps from a storey rod.
 Transferring the column clamp positions from the storey rod onto column formwork.
 Nailing to the support the arms of column clamps
 Positioning and wedging the bottom, middle and top clamps sets.
 Checking the formwork at the top for square.
 Positioning and wedging the remainder of the column clamps.
 Using a plumb bob suspended from a gauge block plumb the column.
 When all the column formwork is securely propped a final check will be made for plumb and
column alignment before and immediately after the concrete has been poured and vibrated.

Some standard column formwork sketches are shown below.

 2.4. Walls

Wall formworks will be constructed using yellow panel formwork or metal formwork and steel
props. The appropriate sheathing must be selected to obtain the specified finish required.

The wall formwork frame is constructed using either:

 Vertical studs and horizontal walers.

 Horizontal walers and vertical soldiers with the sheathing (sheeting) fixed at right angles

The spacing and size of studs and walers is determined by the loads imposed on the formwork.
The height of the wall, thickness of the wall, and the thickness of the sheathing used must be able
to withstand the loads placed on the formwork.

The function of formwork tying systems is to connect the two faces of the double-faced forms
together and effect the balance of the forces between them. The spacing of the ties and the forces
they have to resist, is determined by the wall to be built and the framing system adopted. When
considering ties for wall forms, selection is made on the basis of:

 Tie capacity,
 Grout loss at the tie holes,
 Ease of installation,
 Final appearance

Some standard forms of wall formworks are shown below.