Concrete Technology

Mass

Concrete
RMC
Plum
Concrete

Created By:
Jay S. Singhania
En
No:146490306107
Civil-B
Sem-5 th
Sir BPTI, BVN

Mass Concrete

Mass Concrete is a concrete

having considerable dimensions
that may get affected by thermal
behaviour
of concrete. E.g..
Concrete Dam.

strength of concrete in initial

stage is less important.
The primary considerations are
given to the aspect of how to
reduce the heat of hydration, or if
certain
amount
of
heat
is
generated, how to absorb such
inside heat from the concrete
mass to reduce the adverse effect
in the form of cracks.
The pouring of concrete in such
large sections like dams need the
primary understanding of the

Fitz

Gibbon discovered from his

research work that temperature
difference of 200C or more
between the inner and outer
surfaces of the concrete causes
cracks, assuming the coefficient of
thermal expansion of concrete as
10 * 10-6 per 0C.
At 200C temp. difference, the
differential strain would come to be
200 *10-6 which is considered as
the realistic tensile strain at
cracking.

controlling the heat of hydration in

concrete and also not allowing the
concrete surface to cool down
rapidly.
If the surface is insulated, the
difference in temperature between
the interior and the exterior is
reduced, improving the cracking
behavior of concrete.
The retention of formwork and its
retention properties may be made
use of to reduce the temperature
difference between the interior and

Fitz

Gibbon estimated that the

temperature rise under adiabatic
condition is 120C per 100gm of
cement per cubic metre of
concrete, regardless of the type of
cement used, for cement contents
between 300-600kg/m3.

Thermal Expansion and

The Shrinkage
thermal changes
due to heat of
of Concrete

hydration will only be important for first

few days in normal structures but may
last for longer time in large mass
concrete.
In India, in certain states or cities, the
change of ambient temperature in day
and night could be as high as 300C and
the actual temperature change in
concrete surfaces is much more than
300C.
The seasonal variations could be as
large as 400C, which is still of higher

The

change in diurnal or seasonal

temperatures mentioned above makes
the concrete to expand and contract.
Since the structures are not free to
expand and contract on account of
restraint at support in case of roof slabs
and sub-grade reaction in case of
pavements, a considerable tensile stress
more than the tensile strength is
generated resulting in cracks in concrete.

The tensile stress will be much higher in

case of stronger concrete with higher

modulus of elasticity and higher degree
of variation of temperature.
No doubt concrete of higher compressive
strength will have higher tensile strength
to withstand the higher tensile stress.
But due to lower value of creep of such
concrete, a small extent of stress
relaxation takes place and as such, the
stronger concrete will crack more than
the
weaker
concrete,
from
this
consideration.

Temperature

rise

varies

by

many

parameters:
i. Cement composition, fineness, and
content
ii. Aggregate content and CTE
(Coefficient of Thermal
Expansion)
iii. Section geometry
iv.
Placement
&
ambient
temperatures
Most temp rise occurs in first 1-3 days
after placement.

Steps to control/minimize heat

Use of chilled water and ice
of
Hydration
in
Mass
Concrete
flakes can be done in place of
normal water which will help
decrease the heat of hydration
to some extent.
Concrete should be poured in
layers of equal depths so that
each layer may get some time to
release the initial heat of
hydration.
Use of chilled aggregates can be
made to control/minimize the
heat of hydration in mass

 Post-Cooling utilizes cold

water flowing through pipes
embedded into the concrete.
This helps to transfer heat
from the core, and reduce the
temperature difference.

READY MIXED
CONCRETE
(RMC)

It
is
a
concrete
whose
ingredients/
constituents are weight-batched at the
batching plant, mixed at the plant itself or
during the transit in transit/truck mixers,
and transported to the construction site and
delivered in a ready to use condition, thus
known as Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC).

RMC is not considered only as a product but

service-based product, as combination of
40% of product and 60% of service.

Delivery of such concrete is a science in

itself.

conditions when the site is at congested

areas, and also saves consumer botheration
of procurement, storage and handling of
concrete materials.

This technique is becoming more popular

because of its low cost, durability and its
ability to be customized for different
applications.

Concrete quality in terms of its properties

or composition and quantity or volume
required for the particular applications is
specified by the customers.

This technique can also be used for small

works and also when concrete is to be
placed at intervals.

Usual cost of the RMC is higher than the

site-mixed concrete, but this may be offset

Three principal categories of RMC are:

i.

The plant mixed concrete (Central mixed concrete)

ii. The transit mixed concrete

iii. The shrink mixed concrete
. In plant mixed type, mixing is done at central
batching plant, and mixed concrete is transported in
agitator trucks/ transit mixers, which keep on
revolving at 2-3 revolutions per minute to prevent
segregation and stiffening of the mix.
. In transit mixed type or truck mixed type, materials
are batched at the central batching plant and mixed
in the truck during the transit or immediately before
discharging the concrete on the site. This technique
permits longer haul and less vulnerable in case of
delay.
. In shrink mixed type, materials are partially mixed
at the batching plant to increase the capacity of the
agitator trucks and the final mixing is completed
end route.

 Maintaining

the
workability
of
the
concrete mix and avoid the hardening/
stiffening of the mix is the main problem
in the transportation of concrete.
Concrete stiffens with time and handling
of RMC often takes longer time.
Safe haul time shall be limited to 90
minutes or 300 revolutions (whichever is
less).
Agitating up to 6 hours may not adversely
affect the strength of the concrete,
provided that the mix should remain
sufficiently workable for full compaction.

 Present

high-tech RMC plants give facilities

for testing and give accurate results.
In RMC production, quality control begins
right from the beginning of the process i.e.
from receiving the raw materials and other
ingredients before using for the work, and
materials are used on work-site only after
the approval from the quality control
department.
Basic properties of concrete such as slump,
compacting factor, strength, air content,
unit weight, etc. are tested from batchbatch to ensure best quality control and
thus required modifications are made.

Today RMC plants are expanding at a fast

rate i.e. 25-30% and there are over 100
RMC plants operating in the different
parts of the country.
In our country, only 6-7% of total concrete
production goes to RMC plants, as against
80-85% in USA.
Today, many tries are made by cement
manufacturers, leading Indian
constructional companies, constructional
equipment rental companies and raw
material suppliers to establish newer RMC
plants in India.
Also many foreign RMC groups are trying
for Indian partners to set up RMC plants in
India as a joint venture.

Ahlcon Ready Mixed Concrete is the

largest producer and supplier of RMC in
India with more than 20 plants
operating all over the country, all
equipped with state-of-the art
equipment and machinery and strong R
and D backup support.
It produces a huge range of products
such as concrete of all grades from M7.5
onwards, high performance concrete of
grade M50 onwards, concrete with 40
mm size down aggregates, fiberreinforced concrete, colored concrete
and concrete of any mix design as per
client specification and necessity, and
covers various constructional

 Ahlcon RMC has worked by

setting up special project-based

plants for its clients such as
DRMC, IRCON, Senbo, DDA etc,
and has pumped for 2000-3000
m3 continuously successfully.

Plum Concrete

Idea of use of aggregates as a

filler inert material can be
extended to the inclusion of the
large stones up to 300 mm size in
normal concrete, increasing the
yield of concrete for given volume
of cement. This type of concrete
is known as PLUM CONCRETE or
CYCLOPEAN CONCRETE.

Here,

the plums used can be as

large as 300 mm size and this type
of concrete can be used in large
concrete mass.
rd
1
The size of plum used should be
3
limited to
of the least dimension
to be concreted.
Plums volume should not exceed
20-30% of the total volume of the
finished concrete, with being
properly dispersed throughout the
concrete mass.

Plum concreting is achieved by

placing a layer of normal concrete
first, then placing plums, followed
by another layer of concrete and so
on.
Care must be taken to prevent air
traps below the stone surfaces.
Plums have no adhering coating
and thus preventing possibilities of
cracking of concrete and
discontinuities between plums, also
giving consistency in permeability.

THANK
YOU
GUIDED BY:
Mr. P.H.
Meghani
Mr.R.M.Vala