SPECIAL

CONCRETES
[PART 01]
Fahim Al-Neshawy & Esko Sistonen
06.11.2015

Lecture outcomes
´ Fast drying concretes
o Understanding the basics of fast drying
concrete and the factors influence the drying
process
o Be able to estimate the drying time for
concrete slabs (floors) before covering them
´ Fibre-reinforced and Ferro concretes
o Be familiar with basics and history of FRC and
Ferroconcrete
o Listing the type of fibers used in the FRC and
recognizing the properties of FRC and Ferro
concrete
 FAST DRYING
CONCRETES

Drying of concrete
• In normal concrete, the amount of water is
180 – 200 dm³/m³
− Major part for the workability of the
concrete
− Chemically reacted water is 25% of the
cement amount when the hydration degree
is 100%
− The rest of the water amount is physically
bonded into the concrete pores
− If concrete moisture content is higher than
the ambient moisture content, concrete
drys and vice versa
Drying of concrete
Wstruc = w0 – α.0.25.C – We
− Wstruc is the moisture of the concrete structure [kg/m³]
− W0 is water content of the concrete mix [kg/m³]
− C is the amount of cement [kg/m³]
− α is the degree of hydration
− We is the physically bonded water in the
equilibrium state [kg/m³]

Equilibrium moisture content

Bonded amount of water during

Bonded amount of water during

absorption W/C, (kg water / kg

desorption W/C, (kg water / kg

Cement)

Cement)

Equilibrium moisture content of concrete having different water-cement

ratios and hydration degrees.
α = 0,50 when w/c = 0,30,
α = 0,60 when w/c = 0,40, and
α =0,80 when w/c = 0,50...0,80.
(Nilsson 1977, Fagerlund 1980).
 Construction process

Traditional
process
1. Foundation
2. Framework
(skeleton)
3. External work
(façade etc.)
4. Internal work
(screeding and
coating etc.)
Speeding
up the
process

Factors influencing concrete drying

1. Concrete quality requirements

2. The structural solution
3. The drying environmental condition
− temperature of air
− moisture content of air
− velocity and direction of air flow
 Concrete quality requirements

Factors which affect the time needed for concrete

to dry to required moisture levels include:
− Type and amount of cement
− Max. aggregate size
− Water cement ration
− Air content

Concrete quality requirements

− Type and amount of cement

o Cement types I, I/II and III
o Cement content: 178 to 400 kg/m³
o Class F fly ash
o Silica fume (5 – 10% of cement decreases
drying time by 2 and 4 weeks respectively)
− Max. aggregate size
o Using of larger aggregate size decrease
the drying time
 Concrete quality requirements

− Water/cement ratio
o For W/C ratio of 0.50 to 0.70:
à the drying time to reach 90% RH is anywhere
from 3 to 9 months, under suitable drying
conditions.
o For W/C ratio of 0.38 – 0.5
à typically take 2 to 3 months to reach 90% RH
under suitable drying conditions.

− Air content of concrete

o Air entrainment (4 – 6 %)
o Substantial air entrainment (8 – 10%)

Structural solution
• When the height of the structure is 100 mm and
it can dry to both direction about half of the
structural humidity exits during 3 to 12 months,
depending on the density of the structure
 Structural solution

• The time to dry quadruples when the thickness

of the structure doubled!
• The time to dry quadruples when the structure
can dry to only one direction

dry to only one direction

The drying environmental condition

The drying environmental condition

The drying environmental condition

Concrete coating

Estimation of drying time

The Swedish Concrete Association

Estimation of drying time

The Swedish Concrete Association

Estimation of drying time

• Example:
− it was estimated that the time between curing a concrete slab and
the installation of a floor covering would be 3 months
− concrete slab - 100mm
− the HVAC turned on, effectively allowing for a 2 month drying
period
− maximum relative humidity of 85% at the equivalent depth, and
drying would be one-sided.
− The water/cement ratio was to be 0.4
− The construction was going to take place during the rainy season.
− the drying climate will be 18°C

• From Table 1, the standard time is 50 days

• From Table 2, the correction factor for thickness is 0.4
• From Table 3, the correction factor for one-sided drying is 2.0
• From Table 4, the correction factor for temperature and humidity is 0.9
• From Table 5, the correction factor for a rainy season is 1.4 (not shown
in table)
• The total time is determined by the following calculation: 50 x 0.4 x 2 x
0.9 x 1.4 = 50 days, which is acceptable compared to the 2 months
available.
The Swedish Concrete Association
 FIBRE-
REINFORCED
CONCRETE

Fiber reinforced concretes

Fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) = composite
material in which:
− fibers can be distributed randomly or in
organized manner
− fiber length is commonly 10…50 mm
− cement-based matrix
− Fibers can be in form of steel fiber, glass
fiber, natural fiber , synthetic fiber.

Ferroconcrete (ferrocement) = a thin concrete

structure reinforced by a mesh of thin bars (thinly
spaced steel bars having small diameters)
FRC - Historical Perspective
• Egyptians used straw to reinforce mud bricks, but there
is evidence that asbestos fiber was used to reinforce
clay posts about 5000 years ago.

• In the 1950s, the concept of composite materials came

into picture.

• In the 1970s, Steel , Glass and synthetic fibers have

been used to improve the properties of concrete

• In the 1990s - micromechanics, hybrid systems, wood

based fiber systems manufacturing

• 2000+ Structural applications, Code integration, and

New products.

Areas of application of FRC materials

• Thin sheets
• Shingles
• Roof tiles
• Pipes
• Prefabricated shapes
• Panels
• Shotcrete
• Curtain walls
• Slabs on grade
• Precast elements
• Composite decks
• Impact resisting structures
 Types of fibers
• Fibers include steel fibers, glass fibers, synthetic
fibers and natural fibers – each of which lend varying
properties to the concrete.
• In addition, the character of fiber-reinforced concrete
changes with varying concretes, fiber materials,
geometries, distribution, orientation, and densities.
• Aspect ratio (L/d) is calculated by dividing fiber length
(L) by its diameter (d).
• Fibers with a non-circular cross section use an
equivalent diameter for the calculation of aspect ratio.

Types of Fibers: Steel Fibers

´ Aspect ratios of [L/d] 30 to 250.

´ Diameters vary from 0.25 mm to 0.75 mm.

Steel fibers
´ High structural strength.
´ Reduced crack widths and control the
crack widths tightly, thus improving
durability.
´ Improve impact and abrasion resistance.
´ Used in precast and structural
applications, highway and airport
pavements, refractory and canal linings,
industrial flooring, bridge decks, etc.
Types of fibers: Glass Fibers

´ High tensile strength, 1020 to 4080 N/mm2

´ Generally, fibers of length 25mm are used.

Glass fibers

´ Improvement in impact strength.

´ Increased flexural strength, ductility and

resistance to thermal shock.

´ Used in formwork, swimming pools, ducts

and roofs, sewer lining etc.
Synthetic Fibers
Polypropylene
• Man- made fibers from petrochemical Fibers
and textile industries.
• Cheap, abundantly available.
• High chemical resistance.
• High melting point.
• Low modulus of elasticity.
• It’s types are acrylic, aramid, carbon, Nylon Fibers
nylon, polyester, polyethylene,
polypropylene, etc.
• Applications in cladding panels and
shotcrete.

Natural Fibers
Coir
(kookoskuitu)
• Obtained at low cost and low level
of energy using local manpower
and technology.
• Jute, coir and bamboo are
examples.
Hay
• They may undergo organic decay.
• Low modulus of elasticity, high
impact strength.
Benefits of FRC
• Main role of fibers is to bridge the cracks that
develop in concrete and increase the ductility
of concrete elements.

• Improvement on Post-Cracking behavior of

concrete

• Imparts more resistance to Impact load

• controls plastic shrinkage cracking and drying

shrinkage cracking

• Lowers the permeability of concrete matrix

and thus reduce the bleeding of water
Toughening mechanism
• Toughness is ability of a material to absorb energy
and plastically deform without fracturing.

• It can also be defined as resistance to fracture of a

material when stressed.
Factors affecting the Properties of FRC

• Volume of fibers

• Aspect ratio of fiber

• Orientation of fiber

• Relative fiber matrix stiffness

Volume of fiber
• Low volume fraction (less than 1%)
− Used in slab and pavement that have large
exposed surface leading to high shrinkage
cracking
• Moderate volume fraction(between 1 and 2 %)
− Used in Construction method such as
Shortcrete & in Structures which requires
improved capacity against delamination,
spalling & fatigue
• High volume fraction(greater than 2%)
− Used in making high performance fiber
reinforced composites (HPFRC)
 Source: P.K. Mehta and P.J.M. Monteiro, Concrete: Microstructure, Properties,
and Materials, Third Edition, Fourth Reprint 2011

Aspect Ratio of fiber

• It is defined as ratio of length of fiber to it’s diameter
(L/d).
• Increase in the aspect ratio up to 75,there is increase
in relative strength and toughness.
• Beyond 75 of aspect ratio there is decrease in aspect
ratio and toughness.
Orientation of fibers
• Aligned in the direction of load
• Aligned in the direction perpendicular to load
• Randomly distribution of fibers

It is observed that fibers aligned parallel to applied load

offered more tensile strength and toughness than randomly
distributed or perpendicular fibers.

Relative fiber matrix

• Modulus of elasticity of matrix must be less
than of fibers for efficient stress transfer.
• Low modulus of fibers imparts more energy
absorption while high modulus fibers imparts
strength and stiffness.
• Low modulus fibers e.g. Nylons and
Polypropylene fibers
• High modulus fibers e.g. Steel, Glass, and
Carbon fibers
 Mix composition of FRC
• Steel fiber concretes
− Water : cement : aggregates
− 0.4…0.6 : 1 : 1.5…2
− cement content 350…600 kg/m3

• Glass fiber concretes

− Water : cement : aggregates
− 0.3…0.4 : 1 : 0.4…0.5
− cement content 1100…1350 kg/m3

Comparison of Mix Proportion between

Plain Concrete and Fiber Reinforced
Concrete
Material Plain concrete Fiber reinforced
concrete
Cement 446 519
Water (W/C=0.45) 201 234
Fine aggregate 854 761
Coarse aggregate 682 608
Fibers (2% by volume) -- 157

The 14-days flexural strength, 8 Mpa, of the fiber reinforced

was about 20% higher than that of plain concrete.
 Effect of fibre aspect ratio on the workability
of concrete

Workability versus fibre content for matrices with

different maximum aggregate sizes
 Fiber Reinforced Concrete Normal Reinforced
concrete
• High Durability • Lower Durability
• Protect steel from • Steel potential to
corrosion corrosion
• Lighter materials • Heavier material
• More expensive • Economical
• With the same volume, • With the same volume,
the strength is greater the strength is less

• Less workability • High workability as

compared to FRC.
Disadvantages of FRC
• Greater reduction of workability.

• High cost of materials.

• Generally fibers do not increase the flexural

strength of concrete, and so cannot replace
moment resisting or structural steel
reinforcement.

FERROCONCRETE
Ferroconcrete (ferrocement)
• Reinforcement mesh having small cross-sections
• large Asteel/Aconcrete-ratio
• Reinforcement mesh in several layers
• Used also in complex shell structures

Ferroconcrete (ferrocement)

Typical cross section of ferrocement

Materials used in Ferro cement

• Cement mortar mix

− OPC and fine aggregate matrix is used
− sand occupies 60 to 75% of the volume of the mortar
− Plasticizers and air entraining admixtures are used
− Sand: cement ratio (by mass) 1.5 to 2.5
− Water: cement ratio (by mass) 0.35 to 0.60
• Ferroconcrete
− Water : cement : aggregates
− 0.4 : 1 : 2…3
− cement content 500…700 kg/m3

Materials used in Ferro cement

• Skeleton steel
− Forms the skeleton of the structure
− 3 to 8 mm steel rods are used
− Used in the form of tied reinforcement or welded
wire fabric
− Used to impart structural strength in case of
boats, barges etc
− Reinforcement should be free from dust, rust and
other impurities
Materials used in Ferro cement

• Steel mesh reinforcement or Fibre-

reinforced polymeric meshes
− Consists of galvanized steel wires of diameter 0.5
to 1.5 mm, spaced at 6 to 20mm centre to centre
− Available as woven/interlocking mesh and welded
mesh
− Welded wire mesh has hexagonal or rectangular
openings
− Expanded-metal lath is also used
− Made from carbon, glass etc.

Materials used in Ferro cement

Commonly used reinforcing mesh

 Properties of ferroconcrete
• Very durable, cheap and versatile material.

• Low w/c ratio produces an impermeable

structures

• Less shrinkage, and low weight.

• High tensile strength and stiffness

• Better impact and punching shear resistance

• Undergo large deformations before cracking or

high deflections

Behavior of ferroconcrete in tension

RC in tension Ferroconcrete in tension

 Applications of ferroconcretes
• boats, ships
• floating docks, buoys, barges
• grain silos, containers, roof structures
• large span hangars
• façade units, pipes, gutters
• roof tiles

References
1. PAIKALLAVALUTEKNIIKKA OSA 8. 1995, ” Nopeasti kuivuvat betonit”
RTT Rakennustuoteteollisuus ry, Lahden kirjapaino ja Sanomalehti Oy

2. ACI 544.1R-96: State-of-the-Art Report on Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Reported by ACI Committee 544

3. Ferrocement Structures:
https://law.resource.org/pub/bd/bnbc.2012/gov.bd.bnbc.2012.06.12.pdf