Ad

loading...
Showing posts with label Concrete Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Concrete Technology. Show all posts

Surveying Short Question

Question 1.What Is Surveying?
Answer :
The profession or work of examining and recording the area and features of a piece of land so as to construct a map, plan, or detailed description of it.
Question 2. What Is A Surveyor?
Answer :
Surveyors update boundary lines and prepare sites for construction so that legal disputes are prevented. Surveyors make precise measurements to determine property boundaries. They provide data relevant to the shape and contour of the Earth's surface for engineering, map making, and construction projects.

Question 3. What Is A Property Surveyor?
Answer :
It is important, therefore, that you employ a surveyor yourself to undertake a thorough inspection of the property you wish to buy. The types of surveys available. There are two main types of structural survey available for those buying a property: a Home buyer's Report or a Full Building Survey.
Question 4. What Is A Marine Surveyor?
Answer :
A Marine surveyor (including "Yacht & Small Craft Surveyor", "Hull & Machinery Surveyor" and/or "Cargo Surveyor") is a person who conducts inspections, surveys or examinations of marine vessels to assess, monitor and report on their condition and the products on them, as well as inspects damage caused to both vessels .

What Is A Chartered Quantity Surveyor?

What Is A Chartered Quantity Surveyor?


Members and Fellows of the RICS entitled to use the designation (and a number of variations such as "Chartered Building Surveyor" or "Chartered Quantity Surveyor" or "Chartered Civil Engineering Surveyor" depending on their field .

What Is An Automatic Level?

What Is An Automatic Level?



A dumpy level, builder's auto level, leveling instrument, or automatic level is an optical instrument used to establish or verify points in the same horizontal plane. It is used in surveying and building with a vertical staff to measure height differences and to transfer, measure and set heights.

In bridge widening projects, the method of stitching is normally employed for connecting existing deck to the new deck. What are the problems associated with this method in terms of shrinkage of concrete?

In bridge widening projects, the method of stitching is normally employed for connecting existing deck to the new deck. What are the problems associated with this method in terms of shrinkage of concrete?

In the method of stitching, it is a normal practice to construct the widening part of the bridge at first and let it stay undisturbed for several months. After that, concreting will then be carried out for the stitch between the existing deck and the new deck. In this way, the dead load of the widened part of bridge is supported by itself and loads arising from the newly constructed deck will not be transferred to the existing deck which is not designed to take up these extra loads.

One of the main concerns is the effect of stress induced by shrinkage of newly widened part of the bridge on the existing bridge. To address this problem, the widened part of the bridge is constructed a period of time (say 6-9 months) prior to stitching to the existing bridge so that shrinkage of the new bridge will take place within this period and the effect of shrinkage stress exerted on the new bridge is minimized.

Traffic vibration on the existing bridge causes adverse effect to the freshly placed stitches. To solve this problem, rapid hardening cement is used for the stitching concrete so as to shorten the time of setting of concrete. Moreover, the stitching work is designed to be carried out at nights of least traffic (Saturday night) and the existing bridge may even be closed for several hours (e.g. 6 hours) to let the stitching works to left undisturbed.

Sometimes, longitudinal joints are used in connecting new bridge segments to existing bridges. The main problem associated with this design is the safety concern of vehicles. The change of frictional coefficients of bridge deck and longitudinal joints when vehicles change traffic lanes is very dangerous to the vehicles. Moreover, maintenance of longitudinal joints in bridges is quite difficult.   

In incremental launching method of bridge construction, what are the measures adopted to enhance sufficient resistance of the superstructure during the launching process?

In incremental launching method of bridge construction, what are the measures adopted to enhance sufficient resistance of the superstructure during the launching process?

  • During the launching process the leading edge of the superstructure is subject to a large hogging moment. In this connection, steel launching nose typically about 0.6-0.65 times span length is provided at the leading edge to reduce the cantilever moment. Sometimes, instead of using launching nose a tower and stay system are designed which serves the same purpose. 

  • The superstructure continually experiences alternative sagging and hogging moments during incremental launching. Normally, a central prestress is provided in which the compressive stress at all points of bridge cross section is equal. In this way, it caters for the possible occurrence of tensile stresses in upper and lower part of the cross section when subject to hogging and sagging moment respectively. Later when the whole superstructure is completely launched, continuity prestressing is performed in which the location and design of continuity tendons are based on the bending moments in final completed bridge condition and its provision is supplementary to the central prestress. 

  • For very long span bridge, temporary piers are provided to limit the cantilever moment.  

What is “preset” during installation of bridge bearings?

What is “preset” during installation of bridge bearings?

 “Preset” is a method to reduce the size of upper plates of sliding bearings in order to save the material cost. The normal length of a upper bearing plate should be composed of the following components: length of bearing + 2 x irreversible movement + 2 x reversible movement. Initially the bearing is placed at the mid-point of the upper bearing plate without considering the directional effect of irreversible movement. However, as irreversible movement normally takes place at one direction only, the bearing is displaced/presetted a distance of (irreversible movement/2) from the mid-point of bearing in which the length of upper plate length is equal to the length of bearing + irreversible movement + 2 x reversible movement. In this arrangement, the size of upper plate is minimized in which irreversible movement takes place in one direction only and there is no need to include the component of two irreversible movements in the upper plate. Note: “Preset” refers to the displacement of a certain distance of sliding bearings with respect to upper bearing plates during installation of bearings.

Why should curing not be done by pounding and polythene sheets?

Why should curing not be done by pounding and polythene sheets?

The primary purpose of curing is to reduce the heat loss of concrete that is freshly placed to the atmosphere and in order to reduce the temperature gradient across the cross-section of the concrete. Pounding is not preferred for curing as this method of thermal curing is greatly affected by cold winds. In addition to that in pounding large amounts of water is used and has to be disposed off from the construction sites. Polythene sheets are used on the basis that it creates an airtight environment around the concrete surface henceforth reducing the chances of evaporation over fresh concrete surfaces. But the usage of polythene can be a drawback as it can be easily blown away by winds and also the water lost by self-desiccation cannot be replenished.

Why should pumping be not used in case of concreting works?

Why should pumping be not used in case of concreting works?

During the pumping operation the pump exerted pressure must overcome any friction between the pumping pipes and the concrete, also the weight of the concrete and the pressure head when the concrete is placed above the pumps. Since only water is pump able, all the pressure generated is by the water that is present in the concrete. The major problem due to pumping are segregation effects and bleeding. In order to rectify and reduce these effects, generally the proportion of the cement is increased in order to increase the cohesion , which leads to the reduction of segregation and bleeding. Also if a proper selection of the aggregate grading can vastly improve the concrete pump ability.

What reinforcements are used in the process of prestressing?

What reinforcements are used in the process of prestressing?

The major types of reinforcements used in prestressing are:
> Spalling Reinforcement: The spalling stresses leads to stress behind the loaded area of the anchor blocks. This results in the breaking off of the surface concrete. The most likely causes of such types of stresses are Poisson`s effects strain interoperability or by the stress trajectory shapes.
> Equilibrium reinforcements: This type of reinforcements are required where several anchorages exist where the prestressing loads are applied in a sequential manner.
> Bursting Reinforcements: These kinds of stresses occur in cases where the stress trajectories are concave towards the line of action of load. In order to reduce such stresses reinforcements in the form of bursting is required.

Why are steel plates inserted inside bearings in elastomeric bearings?

Why are steel plates inserted inside bearings in elastomeric bearings?

In order to make a elastomeric bearing act/ function as a soft spring it should be made to allow it to bulge laterally and also the stiffness compression can be increased by simply increasing the limiting amount of the lateral bulging. In many cases in order to increase the compression stiffness of the bearing the usage of metal plates is made. Once steel plates are included in the bearings the freedom of the bulge is restricted dramatically, also the deflection of the bearing is reduced as compared to a bearing without the presence of steel plates. The tensile stresses of the bearings are induced into the steel plates. But the presence of the metal plates does not affect the shear stiffness of the bearings.

What do you understand by “preset” during the installation process of bridge bearings?

What do you understand by “preset” during the installation process of bridge bearings?

During the installation of bridge bearings the size of the upper plates is reduced to save the material costs. This process is known as preset. Generally the upper bearing plate comprises of the following components:
> Length of bearing
> 2 x irreversible movement.
> 2 x reversible movement.
The bearing initially is placed right in the middle point of the upper bearing plate. No directional effects of irreversible movement is considered. But since the irreversible movement usually takes place in one direction only the displaced direction is placed away from the midpoint. In such cases the length of the upper plate is equal to the length of the length of the bearing + irreversible movement + 2 x reversible movement.

Describe briefly the various methods of concrete curing.

Describe briefly the various methods of concrete curing.

Curing is the process of maintaining the moisture and temperature conditions for freshly deployed concrete. This is done for small duration of time to allow the hardening of concrete. The methods that are involved in saving the shrinkage of the concrete includes:
(a) Spraying of water: on walls, and columns can be cured by sprinkling water.
(b) Wet covering of surface: can be cured by using the surface with wet gunny bags or straw
(c) Ponding: the horizontal surfaces including the slab and floors can be cured by stagnating the water.
(d) Steam curing: of pre-fabricated concrete units steam can be cured by passing it over the units that are under closed chambers. It allows faster curing process and results in faster recovery.
(e) Application of curing compounds: compounds having calcium chloride can be applied on curing surface. This keeps the surface wet for a very long time.

What are the steps involved in the concreting process, explain?

What are the steps involved in the concreting process, explain?

The major steps involved in the process of concreting are as follows:
1. Batching
2. Mixing
3. Transporting and placing of concrete
4. Compacting.

> Batching: The process of measurement of the different materials for the making of concrete is known as batching. batching is usually done in two ways: volume batching and weight batching. In case of volume batching the measurement is done in the form of volume whereas in the case of weight batching it is done by the weight.
> Mixing: In order to create good concrete the mixing of the materials should be first done in dry condition and after it wet condition. The two general methods of mixing are: hand mixing and machine mixing.
> Transportation and placing of concrete: Once the concrete mixture is created it must be transported to its final location. The concrete is placed on form works and should always be dropped on its final location as closely as possible.
> Compaction of concrete: When concrete is placed it can have air bubbles entrapped in it which can lead to the reduction of the strength by 30%. In order to reduce the air bubbles the process of compaction is performed. Compaction is generally performed in two ways: by hand or by the use of vibrators.

Types of Formwork (Shuttering) for Concrete Construction:

Types of Formwork (Shuttering) for Concrete Construction:

Timber Formwork:

Timber for formwork should satisfy the following requirement:
It should be
  1. well seasoned
  2. light in weight
  3. easily workable with nails without splitting
  4. free from loose knots
Timber used for shuttering for exposed concrete work should have smooth and even surface on all faces which come in contact with concrete.

A good formwork should satisfy the following requirements:

A good form work should satisfy the following requirements:

  1. It should be strong enough to withstand all types of dead and live loads.
  2. It should be rigidly constructed and efficiently propped and braced both horizontally and vertically, so as to retain its shape.
  3. The joints in the form work should be tight against leakage of cement grout.
  4. Construction of form work should permit removal of various parts in desired sequences without damage to the concrete.
  5. The material of the formwork should be cheap, easily available and should be suitable for reuse.
  6. The formwork should be set accurately to the desired line and levels should have plane surface.
  7. It should be as light as possible.
  8. The material of the formwork should not warp or get distorted when exposed to the elements.
  9. It should rest on firm base.

Quantity of Cement and Sand Calculation in Mortar

Quantity of Cement and Sand Calculation in Mortar

Quantity of cement mortar is required for rate analysis of brickwork and plaster or estimation of masonry work for a building or structure. Cement mortar is used in various proportions, i.e. 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8 etc.

Calculation of quantity of cement mortar in brickwork and plaster:

For the calculation of cement mortar, let us assume that we use 1m3 of cement mortar. Procedure for calculation is:
1. Calculate the dry volume of materials required for 1m3 cement mortar. Considering voids in sands, we assume that materials consists of 60% voids. That is, for 1m3 of wet cement mortar, 1.6m3 of materials are required.
2. Now we calculate the volume of materials used in cement mortar based on its proportions.
Let’s say, the proportion of cement and sand in mortar is 1:X, where X is the volume of sand required.
Then, the volume of sand required for 1:X proportion of 1m3 cement mortar will be
3. Volume of cement will be calculated as:
Since the volume of 1 bag of cement is 0.0347 m3, so the number of bag of cement will be calculated as:
Example:
For cement mortar of 1:6, the quantity calculated will be as below:
Sand quantity:
Quantity of cement (in bags):
Volume of cement = 

Procedure: Compressive Strength Test of Concrete Cubes

Procedure: Compressive Strength Test of Concrete Cubes

For cube test two types of specimens either cubes of 15cm X 15cm X 15cm or 10cm X 10cm x 10cm depending upon the size of aggregate are used. For most of the works cubical moulds of size 15cm x 15cm x 15cm are commonly used.
concrete cube mould
This concrete is poured in the mould and tempered properly so as not to have any voids. After 24 hours these moulds are removed and test specimens are put in water for curing. The top surface of these specimen should be made even and smooth. This is done by putting cement paste and spreading smoothly on whole area of specimen.
These specimens are tested by compression testing machine after 7 days curing or 28 days curing. Load should be applied gradually at the rate of 140 kg/cm2 per minute till the Specimens fails. Load at the failure divided by area of specimen gives the compressive strength of concrete.
Compressive Strength Test on Concrete Cube

Following are the procedure for testing Compressive strength  of Concrete Cubes

Apparatus for Concrete Cube Test

Preparation of Concrete Cube Specimen

The proportion and material for making these test specimens are from the same concrete used in the field.
Specimen
6 cubes of 15 cm size Mix. M15 or above

Mixing of Concrete for Cube Test

Mix the concrete either by hand or in a laboratory batch mixer
Hand Mixing
  1. Mix the cement and fine aggregate on a water tight none-absorbent platform until the mixture is thoroughly blended and is of uniform color
  2. Add the coarse aggregate and mix with cement and fine aggregate until the coarse aggregate is uniformly distributed throughout the batch
  3. Add water and mix it until the concrete appears to be homogeneous and of the desired consistency

Sampling of Cubes for Test

  1. Clean the mounds and apply oil
  2. Fill the concrete in the molds in layers approximately 5 cm thick
  3. Compact each layer with not less than 35 strokes per layer using a tamping rod (steel bar 16mm diameter and 60cm long, bullet pointed at lower end)
  4. Level the top surface and smoothen it with a trowel

Compressive Strength Formula

Compressive Strength Formula

Compressive strength formula for any material is the load applied at the point of failure to the cross-section area of the face on which load was applied.
Compressive Strength = Load / Cross-sectional Area

Compressive Strength Definition

Compressive Strength Definition

Compressive strength is the ability of material or structure to carry the loads on its surface without any crack or deflection. A material under compression tends to reduce the size, while in tension, size elongates.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Prestressed Concrete

Advantages of Prestressed Concrete

The major advantages of Prestressed Concrete are:
  1. The prestressing of concrete by using high tensile steel improve the efficiency of the materials
  2. The prestressing system works for a span greater than 35m.
  3. Prestressing enhance shear strength and fatigue resistance of concrete
  4. Dense concrete is provided by prestressing systems thus improving the durability
  5. Best choice for the construction of sleek and slender structures.
  6. Prestressing helps to reduce the dead load of the concrete structure
  7. Prestressed concrete remains uncracked even at service load conditions which proves the structural efficiency
  8. Composite construction by using the prestressed concrete unit and cast-in-unit derives the economical structure

Disadvantages of Prestressed Concrete

  1. Higher material costs
  2. Prestressing is an added cost
  3. Formwork is more complex than for RC (flanged sections, thin webs) – thus, precast not as ductile as RC
loading...