Lauricio, Charlene Claire V.

BSCE4
CE 411A RCD – Assignment No.1

A. Factors Affecting the Strength of Concrete

Concrete strength is affected by many factors, such as the quality of raw materials, the
water/cement ratio, the course/fine aggregate ratio, the age of the concrete, its compaction,
temperature, relative humidity, and curing.

1. Quality of Raw Materials

Cement: Provided the cement conforms with the appropriate standard and it has
been stored correctly (i.e. in dry conditions), it should be suitable for use in
concrete. Aggregates: Quality of aggregates, its size, shape, texture, strength etc
determines the strength of concrete. The presence of salts (chlorides and sulphates),
silt and clay also reduces the strength of concrete.

Water: frequently the quality of the water is covered by a clause stating “..the water
should be fit for drinking..”. This criterion though is not absolute and reference
should be made to respective codes for testing of water construction purpose.

2. Water/Cement Ratio

The relation between water cement ratio and strength of concrete is shown in the
plot as shown below:

The higher the water/cement ratio, the greater the

initial spacing between the cement grains and the
greater the volume of residual voids not filled by
hydration products. There is one thing missing on the
graph. For a given cement content, the workability of
the concrete is reduced if the water/cement ratio is
reduced. A lower water-cement ratio means less water,
or more cement and lower workability. However, if the
workability becomes too low the concrete becomes
difficult to compact and the strength reduces. For a
given set of materials and environmental conditions,
the strength at any age depends only on the water-
cement ratio, providing full compaction can be
achieved.

3. Coarse/Fine Aggregate Ratio

Following points should be noted for coarse/fine aggregate ratio:

- If the proportion of fines is increased in relation to the coarse aggregate, the

overall aggregate surface area will increase.
- If the surface area of the aggregate has increased, the water demand will also
increase.
- Assuming the water demand has increased, the water cement ratio will increase.
- Since the water cement ratio has increased, the compressive strength will
decrease.
 4. Aggregate/Cement Ratio

Following points must be noted for aggregate cement ratio:

- If the volume remains the same and the proportion of cement in relation to that
of sand is increased the surface area of the solid will increase.
- If the surface area of the solids has increased, the water demand will stay the
same for the constant workability.
- Assuming an increase in cement content for no increase in water demand, the
water cement ratio will decrease.
- If the water cement ratio reduces, the strength of the concrete will increase.

The influence of cement content on workability and strength is an important one to

remember and can be summarized as follows:

i. For a given workability an increase in the proportion of cement in a mix has little
effect on the water demand and results in a reduction in the water/cement ratio.
ii. The reduction in water/cement ratio leads to an increase in strength of concrete.
iii. Therefore, for a given workability an increase in the cement content results in an
increase in strength of concrete.

5. Age of Concrete

The degree of hydration is synonymous with the age of concrete provided the
concrete has not been allowed to dry out or the temperature is too low. In theory,
provided the concrete is not allowed to dry out, then it wil always be increasing albeit
at an ever reducing rate. For convenience and for most practical applications, it is
generally accepted that the majority of the strength has been achieved by 28 days.

6. Compaction of Concrete

Any entrapped air resulting from inadequate compaction of the plastic concrete will
lead to a reduction in strength. If there was 10% trapped air in the concrete, the
strength will fall down in the range of 30 to 40%.
7. Temperature

The rate of hydration reaction is temperature dependent. If the temperature

increases the reaction also increases. This means that the concrete kept at higher
temperature will gain strength more quickly than a similar concrete kept at a lower
temperature. However, the final strength of the concrete kept at the higher
temperature will be lower. This is because the physical form of the hardened cement
paste is less well structured and more porous when hydration proceeds at faster rate.
This is an important point to remember because temperature has a similar but more
pronounced detrimental effect on permeability of the concrete.

8. Relative Humidity

If the concrete is allowed to dry out, the hydration reaction will stop. The hydration
reaction cannot proceed without moisture. The three curves show the strength
development of similar concretes exposed to different conditions.

9. Curing

It should be clear from what has been said above that the detrimental effects of
storage of concrete in a dry environment can be reduced if the concrete is adequately
cured to prevent excessive moisture loss.
 B. Comparison between Reinforced Concrete and Steel as Structural Materials

Steel
No. Difference RC Structures
Structures

The basic material

used is reinforced Steel is the material
1 Material
cement concrete to used to take the load
take up the load

In RC structures, the The structural

Cross-section of Structural cross-section of the elements of steel
2
Element structural elements is structures have small
large cross-sections.

The durability of The steel structures

concrete is high. High- are prone to rust when
quality RC structure is exposed to
3 Durability less affected by environmental
common weather and conditions. Hence
environmental steel structures have
conditions. less durability.

RC structures are
Steel structures
highly brittle in nature.
are ductile in
These types of
Resistance to nature thus
4 structure have less
Earthquake/Dynamic Loads increasing their
resistance to dynamic
resistance to
loads like earthquakes
dynamic loads.
and wind.

RC structures have
low load-carrying The steel structures
5 Load Carrying Capacity capacity compared have an appreciable
with steel load-carrying capacity.
structures.

Construction of
structures with
concrete consumes
The steel, in general,
large amounts of
has 60 percent less
6 Self-Weight raw materials.
weight compared to
Hence the self-
concrete.
weight of reinforced
concrete structures
is high.

Reinforced
Steel structures do not
concrete structure
7 Foundation demand heavy
possesses huge
foundations.
dead weight which
 hence demands a
strong foundation
to support.

In RC structures, the Steel structural

tensile strength of the elements have high
8 Tensile Strength concrete elements is tensile strength
less compared to steel compared to RC
structural elements. structures.

The construction of
steel structures
The construction of
requires less labor.
reinforced concrete
9 Labour Requirement Most components are
structures is labor-
fabricated in the
intensive.
workshop and
assembled at the site.

Construction of RC Construction of steel

10 Construction
structure is simple. structure is tough.

11 Cost of construction Economical Costly

Reinforced concrete
structures require time Steel structures are
12 Construction Speed for concreting, curing constructed with high
etc. which is a slow speed.
process.

It is tough to maintain Better quality control

13 Quality control quality through can be obtained in
concrete construction. steel structures.

The fire resistance of

The fire resistance of
14 Fire Resistance the concrete structure
steel structure is less.
is high.

Concrete does not have The steel scraps have

15 Scrap Value
any scrap value. a good scrap value.

A properly designed
The steel frame
and constructed
structure has chances
16 Corrosion reinforced concrete
to deteriorate due to
structure is not prone
corrosion.
to corrosion.

The repair and cost of Steel structures can

maintenance of the be repaired very easily
17 Repair and Maintenance
concrete structure are and hence their cost of
tough and time taking. maintenance is less.

When to Use Each:

 Reinforced Concrete: Often used for foundations, floors, walls, and structures where
 compressive strength is more important, and fire resistance is a priority.
 Steel: Ideal for skyscrapers, bridges, and structures requiring flexibility, strength, and
quick construction.

Ultimately, the choice depends on factors such as the type of structure, load requirements,
environmental considerations, and budget. Many large-scale buildings combine both
materials to take advantage of each other's strengths.