What are the steps involved in the concreting Process?

We perform the required procedures to get the space ready for concrete after we inspect the site and provide you an obligation-free price. This may occasionally necessitate a little flattening, excavation, or pier hole digging. Depending on the project, a combination of formwork (wood that shapes the area to be concreted), waterproofing membrane, reo bar or mesh, and styrofoam blocks—which aid in the formation of a stable, structural lattice—will typically be needed.

The 5 stages of the concreting process

Once the preparations are done for pouring, we proceed with the following

1.Batching: The measurement of materials for making concrete is known as batching. There are two methods of batching: (i)Volume batching  and (ii)Weight batching  

• Volume Batching:- Due to the challenge it presents in quantifying granular material in terms of volume, volume batching is not a good approach for distributing the material. Compared to the same volume of dry compacted sand, the weight of moist sand in a loose state is significantly lower. 

There is an infinite amount of solid granular material in a cubic metre. Because of this, only weight can be used to determine the quality of concrete material. Concrete can, however, be batched by volume for little jobs or for inconsequential concrete.

• Weight Batching:- The correct way to measure the ingredients is technically through weigh batching. There is no question that a weighing system should be used for critical concrete. Accuracy, adaptability, and simplicity are facilitated by the use of a weight system in batching. There are several weigh batchers available. The specific kind that should be utilised depends on the task at hand.                                                                                                                                                             

Automatic weighing equipment is present in large weight batching operations. This automatic equipment is used for batching, which is a sophisticated process that calls for qualified and experienced engineers. Adjusting the water content to account for the moisture content in the aggregate will present further challenges.

 

 

2. Mixing:-To produce consistent concrete, the ingredients must be well mixed. The mass should become homogeneous, uniform in colour, and consistency as a result of the mixing. The mixing of concrete is done using one of two processes. Using a machine versus a hand mixer

 

• Hand Mixing: For minor concrete projects, small-scale hand mixing is used. It is preferable to add 10% more cement to make up for the inferiority of the concrete produced by this approach as the mixing cannot be thorough and efficient.
  
  
  

An impervious brick or concrete floor big enough to hold one bag of cement should be used for hand mixing. The determined amount of coarse aggregate should be dispersed. alternate layers of coarse and fine aggregate.

A small amount of water should be added toward the conclusion of the mixing procedure to produce the desired outcome. consistency, Even a small amount of water makes a difference at that point.

• Machine Mixing: For reinforced concrete work as well as medium or large-scale mass concrete projects, concrete mixing is nearly always done by machine. When producing a lot of concrete, machine mixing is not only effective but also cost-effective. 
  
  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

 Concrete can be mixed with a variety of mixers. Both batch-mixers and continuous mixers can be used to describe them. While continuous mixers make concrete constantly without interruption while the facility is operating, batch mixers produce it batch after batch over a set period of time.

3.Transportation:-Concrete may be carried using a range of techniques and machinery. The safeguard

While transporting concrete, the homogeneity that was acquired during mixing must be preserved.

should be kept in good condition while being transported to the final deposition location. Concrete is transported using the following techniques:

(a) Mortar and Pestle,

(b) Hand Cart, Wheelbarrow

Crane, Bucket, and Rope Path,

(d) Dumpers and Truck Mixers,

(e) Belt Conveyors,

(f) A chute,

(g) Hoist and Skip,

(h)Pump and Pipe Line 

(i) Helicopter

 

 

4.Compaction:-The method used to release the trapped air from the concrete is called compaction. Air is likely to become trapped in the concrete throughout the mixing, transporting, and placement processes. The amount of air trapped increases as workability decreases.

In other words, stiff concrete mixes contain a lot of trapped air and would require more compacting work than more workable ones.

 

The following methods are adopted for compacting the concrete:

Hand Compaction (a)

Rodding (i) Ramming (ii) Tamping

(b) Vibrational Compaction

(i) Needle vibrator (internal vibrator)

(ii) Vibratory formwork (External vibrator)

(iii) Vibrating table

(iv) Vibrating platform

(v) A surface vibrator (also known as a screed vibrator).

Vibratory Roller (vi)

(c) Pressure and Jolting Compaction

(d) Spinning Compaction

 

5.Curing:-The topic of cement hydration was covered in Chapter I. The cement particles' hydration gives concrete its strength. Cement hydrates gradually over time. a long-lasting process rather than immediate action. Naturally, the rate of hydration is high at first. but does so at a declining rate over an extremely lengthy period of time. How much of the product there is the degree of hydration and, as a result, the amount of gel generated relies on hydration. 

As was previously established, cement requires a water/cement ratio of 0.15 to fill the gaps in the gel pores and an approximate 0.23 ratio for hydration. In other words, to hydrate all of the cement particles and fill the space in the gel pores, a water to cement ratio of roughly 0.38 would be necessary. Theoretically, a water cement ratio of 0.38 would meet the requirement of 278 for concrete built and kept in a sealed container! There wouldn't be any capillary cavities either. In order to maintain the desired relative humidity level, it is evident that virtually a water/cement ratio of 0.5 will be needed for complete hydration in a sealed container.

 

Curing methods may be divided broadly into four categories:

a) Water cure,

Curing of the membrane,

(c) the use of heat,

(d) Miscellaneous

 

6.Finishing:-The final step in the production of concrete is the finishing procedure. Finishing in the truest sense Not all concrete operations fall under its purview. It's possible that finishing is not necessary for a concrete beam. Used for concrete home flooring, airfield flooring, and road pavement

In construction, meticulous finishing is crucial.

 Concrete is frequently referred to as a dull material that cannot provide a pleasing architectural look or finish. This concrete flaw is being fixed, and now days concrete is produced to have a nice surface. finishes. Particularly, numerous varieties of prefabricated concrete panels are utilised as wall or floor pieces.