ARCH 2003 - Building Structures

FALL 2024
Sep 4th, 2024

Dr. Bashir Elmabrouk

AES 300
E-mail: belmabro@[Link]
303/229-4121
Detailed Outline of Course Content (Major Topics and Subtopics)
 Cement and Concrete

• Cement is a key ingredient of the concrete that is so essential to every

part of the buildings.
• Cement is a very important building material which works as a
binding material. The composition of cement is a matter of great
interest to civil and construction engineers.
• For understanding cement composition, you must know the
functionality of cement ingredients.
• By altering the amount of an ingredient during cement
production, can achieve the desired cement quality.
Composition of Cement

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Main Cement Ingredients & Their Functions

[Link]: is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide chemical formula Ca(OH)₂

• The presence of lime in a sufficient quantity is required to form silicates and
aluminates of calcium.
• Deficiency in lime reduces the strength of the property to the cement.
• Deficiency in lime causes the cement to set quickly.
• Excess lime makes cement unsound.
• The excessive presence of lime causes the cement to expand and
disintegrate.
Main Cement Ingredients & Their Functions

2. Silica: Silicon dioxide is known as silica, chemical formula SiO2.

1. A sufficient quantity of silica should be present in cement to dicalcium and
tricalcium silicate.
2. Silica imparts strength to cement.
3. Silica usually presents to the extent of about 30 percent cement.

3. Alumina: Alumina is Aluminium oxide. The chemical formula is Al2O3.

1. Alumina imparts quick setting property to the cement.
2. Clinkering temperature is lowered by the presence of the requisite
quantity of alumina.
3. Excess alumina weakens the cement
Main Cement Ingredients & Their Functions
4. Magnesia: Magnesium Oxide. The chemical formula is MgO.
• Magnesia should not be present more than 2% in cement.
• Excess magnesia will reduce the strength of the cement.

5. Iron oxide: Chemical formula is Fe2O3.

• Iron oxide imparts color to cement.
• It acts as a flux.
• At a very high temperature, it imparts into the chemical reaction with calcium and
aluminum to form tricalcium alumino-ferrite.
• Tricalcium alumino-ferrite imparts hardness and strength to cement.

6. Calcium Sulfate: Chemical formula is CaSO4

• This is present in cement in the form of gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O)
• It slows down or retards the setting action of cement.
Main Cement Ingredients & Their Functions

7. Sulfur Trioxide: Chemical formula is SO3

1. It should not be present for more than 2%.
2. Excess Sulfur Trioxide causes the cement to unsound.

[Link]: Chemical formula is "X"(OH) 2

• It should not be present more than 1%.

• Excess Alkaline matter causes efflorescence.
Types of Cement
Depending on the composition and
Cement is mainly classified into two
categories depending on the characteristics there are 13 types of
hardening and setting mechanism. cement:
These are:
[Link] Portland Cement (OPC)
[Link] Pozzolana Cement (PPC)
[Link] Cement [Link] Hardening Cement
[Link] Setting Cement
[Link]-hydraulic Cement [Link] Heat Cement
[Link] Resisting Cement
[Link] Furnace Cement
[Link] Alumina Cement
[Link] Cement
[Link] Cement
[Link] Entraining Cement
[Link] Cement
[Link] Cement
Rapid Hardening Cement

When finely grounded Tri-calcium silicate (C3S) is present in OPC with higher content, it gains
strength more quickly than OPC. This type of OPC is called Rapid Hardening Cement. It’s initial
Setting Time 30 minutes and Final Setting Time 600 minutes.
• Uses of Rapid Hardening Cement
• Mostly used where rapid construction is needed like the construction of
pavement.
• It also gives high strength.
High Alumina Cement
• High Alumina cement is obtained by mixing calcining bauxite (it’s an aluminum ore) and ordinary lime
with clinker during the manufacture of OPC. In which the total amount of alumina content should not
be lesser than 32% and it should maintain the ratio by weight of alumina to the lime between 0.85 to
1.30.
Uses of High Alumina Cement
• It is used where concrete structures are subjected to high temperatures like workshops, refractory,
foundries, etc.
• It also used where the concrete is subjected to frost and acidic action.
White Cement
• Similar to OPC except for color. Amounts of iron oxide and manganese oxide are low in White
Cement. It is expensive then OPC so not economical for ordinary work.
Uses of White Cement
• It is usually used in decorative work.
• It can also use for traffic barriers, tile grouts, swimming pools, roof tiles patching materials, and
terrazzo surfaces.
 Expansive Cement
In the hydration process, the expansive cement
expands its volume. It can be possible to overcome
shrinkage loss by using expansive cement.
• There are three types of expansive cement:
1.K Type expansive cement
2.M Type expansive cement
3.S Type expansive cement

Uses of Expansive cement

• It is used in the construction of the pre-stressed concrete
component.
• It is also used for sealing joints and grouting anchor bolt.
• In the construction of different hydraulic structures
Hydrophobic Cement

To resist the hydration process in the transportation or storage stage, clinkers are ground with
water repellent film substance such as Oleic Acid or Stearic Acid. These chemicals form a layer
on the cement particle and do not allow water to mix and start the hydration process. When
cement and aggregate are thoroughly mixed in the mixer, protective layers break and start
normal hydration with some air-entrainment which increases workability.
Uses of Hydrophobic Cement
• In the construction of water structures such as dams, spillways, or
other submerged structures.
• In the construction of underground structures like tunnel.
Concrete
• Concrete is one of the major construction material worldwide and
plays a vital role in all branches of civil engineering.
• Concrete is a chemically combined mass where the inert material
acts as a filler and the binding materials act as a binder.
• The most important binding materials are cement and lime.
• Inert materials used in concrete are termed aggregates. The most
common aggregates are sand, brick chips, stone chips, gravel,
shells, etc.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Concrete
• Advantages of Concrete
1. Ingredients of concrete are readily available in most places.
2. Unlike natural stones, concrete is free from defects and flaws.
3. Concrete can be manufactured to the desired strength with an economy.
4. The durability of concrete is very high.
5. It can be cast to any desired shape.
6. The casting of concrete can be done on the working site which makes it economical.
7. The maintenance cost of concrete is almost negligible.
8. The deterioration of concrete is not appreciable with age.
9. Concrete makes a building fire-safe due to its non-combustible nature.
10. Concrete can withstand high temperatures.
11. Concrete is resistant to wind and water. Therefore, it is very useful in storm shelters.
12. As a soundproofing material cinder concrete could be used.
Disadvantages of Concrete
1. Compared to other binding materials, the tensile strength of
concrete is relatively low.
2. Concrete is less ductile.
3. The weight of concrete is high compared to its strength.
4. Concrete may contain soluble salts. Soluble salts cause
efflorescence.
Concrete Slump Test
• The concrete slump test is an on-the-spot test to determine the consistency
as well as workability of fresh concrete. This test plays a vital role in ensuring
immediate concrete quality in a construction project. It is used almost in every
construction sites.
• The slump test is very simple and easy to handle. It also demands
comparatively less equipment and can be done in a short period of time.
• In the slump test, workability of concrete is not measured directly. Instead,
consistency of concrete is measured which gives a general idea about the
workability condition of concrete mix.
• Various international codes have specific testing standards for concrete slump
test. These standards specify methods, equipment for determining the
consistency of fresh concrete by the slump test.
• Though there are different types of workability classification, the main rule is
that low slump value indicates less workability and high slump value
indicates high workability.
Advantages of Concrete Slump Test
[Link] test is very easy and simple. A non-technical person can perform it without any
problem. It can be done in the construction area.
[Link] is very useful to check batch to batch or hour to hour variation in the materials which will be
fed into the mixer. Increase in slump means moisture content of aggregate has increased
unexpectedly or deficiency of fine aggregate has changed. Too high or too low slump is an
indicator of undesirable workability of concrete and mixer operator gets a warning to find a
solution to remedy the problem.
[Link] test does not require any special costly equipment. The sample is not required to be sent
to a laboratory.
[Link] test does not demand a long-time period to get the result. If we compare with
compressive strength test, it requires almost a month to get the result but we can obtain slump
value within some minutes.
What is Workability of Concrete? Types, Mechanism
• Workability is a property of raw or fresh concrete mixture. In simple
words, workability means the ease of placement and workable
concrete means the concrete which can be placed and can be
compacted easily without any segregation.
• Workability is a vital property of concrete and related with
compaction as well as strength.
• More workability is required for a thin inaccessible section or
heavily reinforced section rather than a mass concrete body.
Hence, we can’t set a standard workability for all casting works.
Types of Workability of Concrete

[Link] Concrete: An unworkable concrete also known as harsh concrete, is a concrete

with a very little amount of water. The hand mixing of such concrete is difficult. Such type of
concrete has high segregation of aggregates. and it is very difficult to maintain the
homogeneity of concrete mix.
[Link] Workable concrete: Medium workable concrete is used in most of the construction
works. This concrete is relatively easy to mix, transport, place, and compact without much
segregation and loss of homogeneity.
[Link] Workable Concrete: This type of concrete is very easy to mix, transport, place and
compact. It is used where effective compaction of concrete is not possible. The problem is that
there are high chances of segregation and loss of homogeneity in highly workable concrete.
Methods of Improving Workability of Concrete

1. Increasing water/cement ratio

2. Using larger aggregate
3. Using well-rounded and smooth aggregate instead of irregular
shape
4. Increasing the mixing time and mixing temperature
5. Using non-porous and saturated aggregate
6. With addition of air-entraining mixtures
7. Adding appropriate admixtures
Factors Affecting the Workability of Concrete
1. Water Content
2. Mix Proportions
3. Size of Aggregates
4. Shape of Aggregate
5. Grading of Aggregates
6. Surface Texture of Aggregates
7. Use of Admixtures
8. Use of Supplementary Cementitious Materials
9. Time
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