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What makes good concrete?...(part 2).
In the recent post, we looked at long-term requirements of concrete. We will now examine the short-term.
Short-term requirements mostly deal with freshly mixed concrete. These include;

1. Good Concrete has quality raw materials or ingredients used which include aggregates, cement and water. These should also be properly mixed as stated in the mix design.

2. Fresh concrete should be easily mixed, transported and placed. The measure of how easily this can be done is known as Workability. It can easily be determined through a test known as a slump test which is done on site.

3. It should be uniform throughout a given batch or between batches. It should be of a consistency so that it can fill completely the forms for which it was designed.

4. It should be compacted fully without loss of energy. Compaction has an effect on strength of concrete. It is done to eliminate voids or air bubbles with in the concrete. These have an effect on the strength of concrete if the fresh concrete dries while they are still trapped. Generally, a 1% increase in the concrete air content reduces the compressive strength of concrete by 3-5%.
Air bubbles/entrapped air can also affect the appearance in form of surface voids (tiny holes) if trapped between the formwork/moulds.
Compaction should be done well because under compaction doesn’t get rid of most of the air in concrete while over compaction leads to segregation. Poor compaction also leads to concrete defects such as honey combs.

5. Good concrete should not segregate during placing and consolidation. Segregation is defined as the separation of the cement paste and concrete from each other during placing and handling.
6. Finishing characteristics; Good concrete should have a uniform texture, color, without discoloration and can easily be finished as required.

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Did you know water fit for human consumption(potable) is what is generally considered acceptable for use in construction processes like mixing?

Non-potable sources can also be used if there is no negative impact on the properties of the finished product
Water is normally used in manufacturing, washing, mixing and curing. Water should be clean and free from injurious amounts of oil, acids, alkalis, sugar, salts and organic matter. These elements have an effect on properties of materials like brick, stone, concrete and steel.

Besides physical inspections, other tests which can be carried out to ascertain water quality include pH value test and Limits of acidity and alkalinity.

What Kind of water are you using in your construction project? You may have to pay attention to it because it also affects the quality of your finished product.

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