Presentation by

January 18, 20
 IRC: 58-2015, Guidelines for the design of Plain
Jointed Rigid Pavements for Highways
 IRC: 15-2002, Code of practice for Construction of
Cement Concrete Roads
 IRC: 44-2008, Guidelines for cement concrete mix
design for pavements Federal Highway
Administration: HIF – 07-004: Integrated materials
and construction practices for concrete pavement: A
state of the practice manual
Materials for CC Roads
 Cement content 
 Minimum cement: 350 Kg/m3 
 Maximum cement: 425 Kg/m3 
 Coarse aggregates: 
 AIV: shall be < 30% for wearing surfaces
 LA abrasion value < 35% 
 Flakiness Index < 40% 
 Maximum nominal size: 25 mm 
 Water Absorption: 2% maximum 
 Fine Aggregates: as per IS; 383 
 Concrete Requirements: 
 Minimum flexural strength: 45 Kg/cm2
 Recommended Mix for PQC: M40 
 Water cement ratio: 0.5 maximum
Cements that can be used as per IRC:
44-2008
 Any of the following types of cements capable of achieving the
design strength and durability may be used with the prior
approval of the Engineer.
 1. Ordinary Portland Cement, 33 grade, IS: 2692.
 2.Ordinary Portland Cement, 43 grade, IS: 8112.
 3.Ordinary Portland Cement, 53 grade, IS: 12269.
 4.Portland Pozzalona Cement (fly ash based, IS: 1489, part1
 5. Portland Slag Cement, IS: 455
Physical characteristic
requirement of cement
Requirements of coarse (graded) Aggregate as per
Table 1000-1 of MORST&H or table 2 of IS: 383
Requirements of fine Aggregate as
per Table 1000-2 of MORST&H or
table 4 of IS: 383
Water for mixing and curing Potable water
is generally considered satisfactoryfor both
mixing and curing.
Mineral Admixtures as per
IRC:44-2008
 IS:6925 and IS:9103
 Fly Ash as per IS:3812 (Part-I)-2003. Maximum
dosage 20 percent by mass of cementitious
materials.
  Granulated blast furnace slag as per IS:12089. (up
to 65% as per IS 455 ). Good in coastal region. 
 Silica Fume as per IS:15355 and IS:456,IRC :SP:70
  Metakaoline is very fine non-crystalline silicon
dioxide. Itis usually used in proportion of 5 to 10
percent of thecementitious material content of the
mix. Use of silicafume is generally advantageous for
higher grades ofconcrete i.e. M50 and above.
Advantages in adding
mineral admixtures:
 a) Increases CSH volume
 b) Denser CSH formed by secondary reaction
 c) Better Pore structure and composition
 d) Low heat of hydration
 e) Resistance to adverse exposure conditions
Reaction when MA is added:
CS + H  CSH + CaOH
CaOH + Mineral Admixture CSH (cementing gel)
Causes of deterioration of
concrete
 1) Porosity and permeability
 2) Thermal, plastic and drying shrinkage cracking
 3) Entry of chemicals (chlorides, sulfates, water,
Carbon Dioxide)
 4) Corrosion of reinforcement
 5) Harmful effects of chloride
 6) Lime leaching and Carbonation: Ca(OH)2+ CO2 =
CaCO3 + H2O( reduction of alkalinity - ph below 7)
 7) Sulphate attack (coastal area)
 8) Alkali aggregate reaction
 Concrete shrinkage occurs due to a number of mechanisms
startingsoon after mixing and continuing for a long time.
Shrinkage primarilyincreases with increasing water (paste)
content in the concrete. Soon afterconcrete is placed, it shrinks
due to chemical changes and loss of moisture.Autogenously
shrinkage is the Chemical shrinkage that occurs because
thevolume of the hydration products of cement occupies less
space than theoriginal materials and it is insignificant when W/C
ratio is more than 0.40.
 Concrete shrinks as moisture is lost from the system, largely due
to evaporation. Plastic shrinkage occurs before the concrete sets
and is primarily due to loss of moisture from the surface of fresh
concrete. It can result in plastic cracking in the surface. Drying
shrinkage occurs after the concrete has set. If the shrinkage is
restrained, drying shrinkage cracking will occur. In addition,
concrete shrinks somewhat as it settles and cools from high
hydration temperatures
 Durability of Concrete
Durability of concrete is its ability to resistweathering action,
chemical attack, abrasion, and allother deterioration processes.
Production of durable concrete involves selection ofsuitable
cement, aggregates, water and admixtures, batchmixing as per
design mix, transporting, placing andcompacting prior to initial
setting, finishing, texturing andcuring.

Requirements for durable concrete roads:

Low porosity and permeability, high resistance tochemical
action, low heat of hydration, low water binderratio, good
workability, low bleeding and plasticshrinkage, dimensional volume
stability, low thermalshrinkage and creep and high elastic modulus.
 Joints and their requirements Joints are provided in
cement concrete roads for expansion, contraction
and warping of slabs due to the variation in the
temperature of slab. Requirement of good joints
Joints must move freely Joints must not allow
infiltration of rain water and ingress of stone grits
Joints must not protrude out the general level of
the slab FORMATION OF
 Introduction

 IMPORTANT COMPONENTS FOR PRODUCING GOOD CONCRETE :

• Coarse Aggregate
• Fine Aggregate
• Cement
• Water (Water - Cement Ratio)
• Admixtures (optional)
• Proper mixing
• Compaction (Vibration)
• Curing (first 3 - 7 days is very important)
Main ingredients of concrete
 DESIGN MIX OF CONCRETE

IMPORTANCE

Probability of achieving the

desired strength will be
increased
 The purpose of concrete mix design is to ensure the most
optimum proportions of the concrete ingredients to fulfil the
requirement of the structure being built.
Any mix design should ensure following objectives:

• To achieve the designed/desired workability in the plastic stage.

• To achieve the desired minimum strength in the hardened stage.
• To achieve the desired durability in the given environment
conditions.
• To provide concrete as economical as possible.
Slump Cone Apparatus

Measurement of Slump
 Concrete slump test
The concrete slump test measures the consistency of fresh concrete before it
sets. It is performed to check the workability of freshly made concrete, and
therefore the ease with which concrete flows. It can also be used as an
indicator of an improperly mixed batch. The test is popular due to the
simplicity of apparatus used and simple procedure. The slump test is used to
ensure uniformity for different loads of concrete under field conditions.
 Types of Slump

The slumped concrete takes various shapes and according to the

profile of slumped concrete, the slump is termed as true slump,
shear slump or collapse slump. If a shear or collapse slump is
achieved, a fresh sample should be taken and the test repeated.
Procedure to measure actual slump for different types of slumps
 Water- Cement Ratio

• The water–cement ratio is the ratio of the weight of water to

the weight of cement used in a concrete mix. A

lower ratio leads to higher strength and durability, but may

make the mix difficult to work with and form.

• To overcome this problem and to increase the workability,

plasticizers or super-plasticizers may be used.

• The water to cement ratio largely determines the strength and

durability of the concrete when it is cured properly.

 Abrams' law

Duff Abrams' law (also called Abrams' water-cement ratio law) is

a concept in civil engineering. The law states that “the strength

of a concrete mix is inversely related to the mass ratio of

water to cement.” As the water content increases, the strength

of concrete decreases.

S= A / B ̽
where
S is the strength of concrete at 28 days
A and B are constants (A=14000 lbs/Sq.in & B=7)
and X is the water–cement ratio by volume
 How excess water affects Concrete Strength
Increased space between cement grains: Higher water-cement
ratios result in greater spacing between the aggregates in cement,
which affects compaction. Similarly, increased moisture levels
reduce the concrete’s compressive strength and durability. As
concrete’s surface area increases, particularly with the addition of
fine aggregates, so does the demand for water.

When excess water creates greater spaces between aggregate

materials, the voids will be filled with air after the moisture
evaporates. The resulting inadequate compaction reduces the
concrete’s strength. Concrete with trapped air levels as little as 10
percent experience reductions in strength of up to 40 percent.
Figure shows that validity range of water to cement ratio is very limited.
Compressive strength is at peak, when water to cement ratio is low.
Beginning of the curve depends on the available means of compaction
(that is either done with vibrators or manually hand compaction).
Importance of
Curing
Initial curing is very important as the concrete gains early strength
during the hydration process as shown above (in first 3 days)
Rate of heat evolution during hydration process
Compressive Strength gained by concrete w.r.t the grade of concrete

Age Strength percent

1 day 16%
3 days 40%
7 days 65%
14 days 90%
28 days 99%
 Pre - Construction Tests During Construction Post Construction
1.Gradation of aggregates 1.Workability of concrete by 1.Strength through cores
2.Strength of cement slump test 2.Thickness of pavement and
3.LA / AIV of aggregates 2.Filling of cubes/beams for homogeneity by coring
4.Water absorption of subsequent compressive and 3.Surface level
aggregates strength tests. 4.Surface regularity by 3m
5.Innocuousness of 3.Testing trueness of string straight edge or moving
aggregates/Alkali Aggregate line of the paver straight edge
reactivity 4.Vibrations per minute of 5.PQC surface smoothness
6.Quality of water to be used vibrators of paver testing based on the IRC
for construction /curing 5.Adjustment of auto-float SP:16-2004. (not >2200
7.Adhesion of sealant 6.Trueness of forms where mm/km). 1800 mm/km in case
8.Test on efficacy of plasticizer fixed form technique is used of expressway equivalent
9.Percentage of silt content 7. Dowel bar alignment testing International Roughness
in natural sand and at transverse joints (random Index (IRI) calculated.
manufacture sand testing) by DT or NDT tests. 6.Texture depth by sand patch
method in case of brush
texturing and digital venire
calipers in case of tines
7.Cracking, Slabs with the
cracks deeper than half the
slab thickness are to be
replaced.

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 Dos and Don’ts for PQC
(Paving Quality Concrete)

• Mix Design:
• Do select only two brands of cement
• Do select the adequate dose of plasticizer
• Do stick to brand of cement & plasticizer
• Production:
• Do check the aggregate gradation daily
• Do maintain the same source of aggregates
• Do check silt content in aggregates
• Do check the moisture content in heaps of course aggregate & fine
aggregates and make due adjustment in JMF.
• Do take care that aggregates in adjacent stacks are not allowed to
intermix while loading in the mixture

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• Transportation:
• Do water wash the drum/pan of mixer after day’s work
• Do cover the tippers with tarpaulin
• Do wash each tipper with water jet before loading
• Dowels:
• Do not allow loose sheathing on the dowel bars
• Do remove the burrs from dowel bar ends
• Do ensure that the first dowel bar is placed at about half the distance
from the designed bar-to-bar spacing
• Placing:
• Do not allow segregation of concrete
• Do ensure adequate bitumen painting of tie bars in mid 150mm when
used
• Do check slump regularly and adjust the dose of plasticizer
• Do cover the PQC with mobile tents for three hours when ambient
temperature is high, wind speed is more or relative humidity is low
• Do not pave when ambient temperature is lower than 5oC or more
than 35oC and concrete temperature is more than 30oC
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• Curing:
• Do sprinkle curing compound in two layers
• Do not allow texture depth more than 1.5 mm nor less than 0.75mm
• Do initial groove cutting when concrete is neither too soft nor too
hard
• Do paint the groove with curing compound when used
• Do water curing for not less than 14 days
• Joints:
• Do widen the initial groove to not less than 20mm depth and 10mm
width
• Do sand paper/sand blast the side walls of the groove
• Do air-clean the side walls
• Do apply primer and allow curing ½ hrs. to 1/ ½ hrs.
• Do top-in the joint sealing compound
• Do allow proper curing of sealant
• Do not provide expansion joints except where PQC abuts the
structures (CD Works)

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