CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY – (6015)

(QUESTIONS FROM : APR 2020, OCT 2019, APR 2019, OCT 2018)

MODULE 2
2 MARKS
Q Differentiate between creep and shrinkage. _(APR 2020)
 Creep : The time dependent increase in strain of concrete under sustained stress.
 Shrinkage : It is the volumetric deformation that the concrete undergoes when not subjected to
loading due to loss of water.

Q What is known as batching of concrete? What are the different methods of batching? _(APR 2020)
 The measurement of different materials for making concrete is called batching. There are two
methods of batching namely ‘Volume batching & Weigh batching’.

Q Define durability of concrete. _(OCT 2019)

 It is the property required for full filling all the service requirements of a structure during its
intended life with the expected maintenance.

Q State important properties of hardened concrete. _(OCT 2019)

 Compressive strength, Flexural strength, Tensile strength, Modulus of elasticity, Shrinkage, Creep.

Q Define workability. _(APR 2019)

 It is the ease or difficulty with which concrete is handled, transported and placed between the
formwork with minimum loss of homogeneity.

Q Differentiate between batching and mixing of concrete. _(APR 2019)

 The measurement of different materials for making concrete is called batching.
 The mixing operation consists of rotation or stirring, the objective being to coat the surface of all
aggregate particles with cement paste, and to blend all the ingredients of the concrete into a
uniform mass.

Q State the necessity of curing. _(OCT 2018)

 In order to wet the surface of newly concreted area for non-evaporation of water from the hydrated
cement.

Q Define creep in concrete. _(OCT 2018)

 The time dependent increase in strain of concrete under sustained stress.
PART B - 6 MARKS
Q State the properties of fresh concrete. _(APR 2020)
 Workability
 Segregation
 Bleeding
 Shrinkage
 Setting
 Water cement ratio
 Temperature

Q List various methods adopted for compaction of concrete. _(APR 2020)

 Hand compaction
o Rodding
o Ramming
o Tamping
 Mechanical vibration
o Internal vibrator (needle vibrator)
o Formwork vibrator (External vibrator)
o Table vibrator
o Platform vibrator
o Surface vibrator
o Vibratory roller
 Compaction by Pressure and Jolting
 Compaction by Spinning

Q Define workability of concrete and what are the factors affecting workability. _(OCT 2019)
 It is the ease or difficulty with which concrete is handled, transported and placed between the
formwork with minimum loss of homogeneity.
 Factors affecting workability are :
o Water content
o Mix proportions
o Size of aggregates
o Shape of aggregates
o Surface texture of aggregates
o Grading of aggregates
o Use of Admixtures
o Water absorption by Aggregates
o Environmental conditions

Q What are the factors affecting durability of concrete? _(OCT 2019)

 Durability is the property required for full filling all the service requirements of a structure during its
intended life with the expected maintenance.
 Factors affecting durability of concrete are :
 Internal factors
 o Water cement ratio
o Binder type (cement)
 External factors
o Curing
o Temperature effects
o Permeability
 Environmental factors
o Abrasion
o Erosion
o Cavitation
o Chloride attack
o Sulphate attack
o Alkali-aggregate reaction

Q What are the causes and effects of segregation and bleeding? _(APR 2019)
 Segregation is the separation of constituent materials in concrete. The primary cause of Segregation
in concrete is the differences in specific gravities of the constituents.
o Transporting concrete mixes for long distances.
o Poorly proportioned mix, where sufficient matrix is not there to bind the aggregates.
o Dropping concrete from more than 1m.
o Vibrating concrete for a long time
 Segregation reduces the strength and durability of concrete.
 Bleeding is a form of segregation in which water present in the concrete mix is pushed upwards due
to the settlement of cement and aggregate. The Prime factor for bleeding in concrete is the high
dosage of Water cement ratio. Higher water-cement ratio weakens concrete and leads to excessive
bleeding.
o Forming of water at the top surface of concrete results in delaying the surface finishing.
o Concrete becomes permeable and loses its homogeneity.
o Excessive bleeding breaks the bond between the reinforcement and concrete.

Q State the principal properties of hardened concrete. _(OCT 2018)

 Compressive strength
 Flexural strength
 Tensile strength
 Modulus of elasticity
 Shrinkage
 Creep
 Poisson’s ratio
 Ductility
PART C -15 MARKS
Q Write short notes on
(i)Water cement ratio (ii) Workability (iii) Segregation and bleeding of concrete. (8)
 (repeated question) _(APR 2020)

Q List the various methods of mix design. (7) _(APR 2020)

 1. American Method of Mix Design
 2. Graphic Method of Mix Design
 3. Mix Design by Indian Standard Method
 4. American Concrete Institute Method of Mix Design
 5. Rapid Method of Mix Design.
Q What are the factors affecting Workability of concrete? (8) _(APR 2020)
 (repeated question)
Q What are the methods of curing of concrete and describe the importance of curing. (7) _(APR 2020)
 Curing can be described as keeping the concrete moist and warm enough so that the hydration
of cement can continue. It is the process of maintaining a satisfactory moisture content and a
favourable temperature in concrete during the period immediately following placement. The
quick surface drying of concrete results in the movement of moisture from the interior to the
surface. This steep moisture gradient cause high internal stresses which are responsible for
internal micro crack in the semi plastic concrete.
 Methods of curing
 Water curing : immersion, ponding, spraying, wet covering
 Membrane curing
 Application of heat : Steam, Infra-red radiation, Electrical
 Miscellaneous: calcium chloride, sealing the joints of formwork

Q Explain the importance of curing and what are the methods adopted for curing? (7) _(OCT 2019)
 (repeated question)
Q List the test for workability and explain slump test. (8) _(OCT 2019)
 1. Slump test
 2. Compacting factor test
 3. Flow test
 4. Kelly Ball test
 5. Vee Bee Consistometer test

 Slump test :
The apparatus for conducting the slump test essentially consist of a metallic mould in the form
of a frustum of a cone having Bottom diameter 20 cm, top diameter 10 cm, height 30cm.
Procedure : The base is placed on a smooth surface and the mould is filled with concrete in
three layers, whose workability is to be tested. Each layer is tamped 25 times with a standard 16
mm diameter steel rod, rounded at the end. When the mould is completely filled with concrete,
the top surface is struck off rolling motion of the tamping rod. Immediately after filling is
completed and the concrete is leveled, the cone is slowly and carefully lifted vertically, an
 unsupported concrete will now slump. The decrease in the height of the center of the slumped
concrete is called slump.

Q Explain various methods of compacting of concrete. (7) _(OCT 2019)

 (repeated question)

Q Define creep. What are the causes and effects of creep? (8) _(OCT 2019)
 Creep can be defined as the time dependent increase in strain of concrete under sustained
stress.
 Factors causing creep are Influence of aggregates, Influence of mix proportion, Influence of age,
Cement properties, Temperature
Effects of creep:
 In reinforced concrete beams, creep will increase deflection over time and it may be an essential
consideration in the design.
 In the eccentrically filled columns, creep increases the deflection and may buckle.
 In massive concrete structures like dams, creeps are dangerous and should cause cracks within
the interior of the dams.
 Loss of prestressing is due to the creep of concrete in the prestressed concrete structure.
 The creeps property of concrete can be useful in all concrete constructions to reduce internal
stresses on account of non-uniform load or restrained shrinkage.

Q Explain how Vee - Bee test is carried out. (8) _(APR 2019)
 Vee-bee consistometer test is specially used for determining very low workability of concrete
mix.
 Vee bee test machine (apparatus) consists of a vibrating table which is mounted on an elastic
support. The vibrator is operated electrically. On the surface of the vibrating table, a cylindrical
container is attached using wing nuts. A slump cone is also used. A standard iron graduated rod
is fixed to the swivel arm through the guide sleeve.
 Insert the Slump cone in the attached cylindrical container. Fill the concrete sample in the cone
in four layers; each layer should be one-quarter of the height of slump cone and tamped with
tamping rod for 25 strokes each. After tamping the top layer, struck off the concrete with a
trowel making the cone correctly filled.
 And then remove the cone slowly in the vertical direction and wait until the concrete settles in
the new position. Again move the swivel arm and place it on the lowered concrete for the final
reading. This gives the slump value.
 Now, switch on the vibrator and start the stopwatch. The vibrations are continued until the
concrete is wholly remoulded i.e, the surfaces become horizontal and the whole concrete
surface adheres uniformly to the transparent disc. The time required for complete remoulding in
seconds is recorded.
 The time required for the shape of concrete to change from slump cone shape to cylindrical
shape in seconds is recorded. This time is expressed as Vee Bee Degree or Vee Bee Seconds. It
gives us the measure of workability of the fresh concrete.
Q Explain briefly the factors influencing the strength of concrete. (7) _(APR 2019)
Extrinsic factors
 Direction of loading relative to direction of casting
 Shape of specimen
 Size of specimen
 Moisture content
 Rate of loading
 Temperature at the time of testing
Intrinsic factors
 Type of cement & age of cement
 Type & size of aggregates
 Water cement ratio
 Degree of compaction
 Aggregate cement ratio
 Air voids
 Curing methods

Q Differentiate between Creep and Shrinkage of concrete. Identify their causes and effects. (8) _(APR 2019)
 (repeated question)

Q Explain the test to determine the Compressive strength of hardened concrete. (7) _(APR 2019)
 Test is carried out on specimens cubical or cylindrical in shape.
 Standard cube specimen is of the size 15x15x15 cm. Standard cylindrical test specimens have a
length equal to twice the diameter. They are 15 cm in diameter and 30 cm long.
 Samples are taken from the concrete batches used in site or prepared with the same mixture as
used in the field.
Pouring Concrete into moulds:

 1- Clean the moulds properly and finish it with oil so that concrete will not stick into the mould
and make latter cleaning difficult.
 2- Put concrete in the moulds layer by by layer. Each layer is around 5 cm thick. Each layer is
compacted with a tamping rod [35 stroke]
 3- Level the top surface with a trowel
 Curing:

 Test specimens are kept in the moulds and stored in moist air for 24 hours and then, the
specimens are removed from the moulds and submerged in fresh water for the specified curing
period.

Test procedure
 1- Get the specimen out of water after curing time and wipe out excessive water from the
surface.
 2- Measure the dimensions of the specimen that will be subjected to load.
 3- Place the specimen in the appropriate location in the test machine. Note the load will be
applied to the face perpendicular to the direction of casting.
 4- Align the specimen centrally on the base plate of the machine.
 5- Make the movable portion of machine touches the specimen top surface.
 6- Apply the load gradually at the rate of 140 kg/cm2/minute until the specimen fails
 7- Record the maximum load.

 The load at which cube fails be ‘P’ and area of cube mould be ‘A’.
 Compressive strength, f = N/mm2

Q What are the factors affecting durability of concrete? (7) _(OCT 2018)
 (repeated question)

Q What are the factors affecting workability of concrete? (8) _(OCT 2018)
 (repeated question)

Q List the advantages of cement concrete. (7) _(OCT 2018)

 Concrete is economical
 Concrete hardens at ambient temperature
 Concrete can be manufactured to the desired strength
 It can be cast to any desired shape
 Energy efficiency in production
 Excellent water resistance characteristics
 High-temperature resistance
 Ability to consume and recycle waste
 Application in reinforced concrete
 Low or zero maintenance required