Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Organizing for Quality
Quality Control
Record Keeping
Contract Documents
Quality and Profit
The Construction Team
Recommended Reading
Chapter 2: The Concrete Mix
- Control Tests
Sampling (ASTM 172)
Slump (ASTM C 143)
Air Content (ASTM C 231 and C 173)
Compressive Strength Tests
(ASTM C 31 and C 39)
Density (Unit Weight) and Yield
(ASTM C 138)
-Cement
Project Specifications for Cement
Portland Cement Manufacture
Basic Types of Portland Cement
-Other Cementitious Materials
Fly Ash
Microsilica (Silica Fume)
Granulated Slag
-Mixing Water
-Water-Cementitious Material Ratio
-Aggregates
-Admixtures
Water Reducers
High-Range Water Reducers
Retarders
Accelerators
Water-Reducing Retarders
Water-Reducing Accelerators
Air-Entraining Agents
Other Admixtures
-Concrete Mix Design
The Right Mix for the Job
Free Moisture in the Aggregates (Table 2.5)
Water Reducer (Table 2.4, Mix #2)
Fly Ash (Table 2.4, Mix #3)
Adjusting for Air Entrainment
-Water Addition at the Jobsite
-Set Time
Chapter 3: The Concrete Specification
-Sources for Concrete Specifications
-Specification Categories
Prescriptive, Performance, Hybrid
-Items to Confirm in the Specification
Strength
Early Strength Requirements
Flexural Strength
Water-Cementitious Material Ratio
Minimum Cement Content
Slump
Air Entrainment
Chemical Admixtures
Delivery Time for Ready-Mixed Concrete
Temperature of Concrete—Hot and
Cold Weather Concreting
Determining the Most Rigid Criteria
of the Concrete Specification
Chapter 4: Foundations
-The Ground Below
-Bearing Capacity
-Geotechnical Investigations
-Compaction
-Basic Foundation Types
Wall Footings
Independent Isolated Column Footings
Combined Footings
Cantilever or Strap Footings
Pile or Pier Foundations
Mat, Raft, or Floating Foundation
-Groundwater Control
-Footing Forms
-Moisture Control
-Backfilling
Chapter 5: Formwork
-Safety Precautions
-Formwork Affects Concrete Quality
-Types of Forms
Job-Built Forms
Prefabricated Forms
Manufactured Forms
Special Form Systems
-Form Material and Hardware
Form Liners
-Design of Forms
-Placing Concrete in the Forms
Maintenance of Forms
Form Release Agents
Tolerances
-Cost of Formwork
-Form Removal
Measuring Concrete Strength
for Form Removal
Time as a Measure of Strength
for Form Removal
-Shoring and Reshoring
-Formwork for Slabs on Ground
-Want to Know More?
Chapter 6: Reinforcement in Structures
-Why Use Steel Reinforcement?
-Engineering and Placing Drawings
-Types of Reinforcement
Bar Identification
Welded Wire Reinforcement
Other Types of Reinforced Concrete
-Reinforcing Bar Fabrication
Fabrication Tolerances
Bundling and Tagging
-Storing and Handling Reinforcing
-Bars on the Job
-Concrete Cover
-Tolerances in Placing Steel Reinforcement
-Placing of Reinforcement
-Bar Supports and Spacers
-Splicing Reinforcing Steel
-Coordination
-Want to Know More?
Chapter 7: Joints and Embedments in Structures
-Types of Joints
-Construction Joints for Supported
-Beams and Slabs
-Contraction Joints for Walls
-Isolation Joints for Walls
-Construction Joints in Walls
Horizontal Construction Joints
Vertical Construction Joints
-Waterstops
-Embedments—Conduits, Pipes, and Sleeves
-Embedments—Anchor Bolts, Sleeves,
-Metal Plates, and Channels
-Anchors
-Points to Remember
Chapter 8: Joints and Reinforcement for Slabs-on-Ground
-Volume Changes
-Contraction (Control) Joints
Contraction Joint Spacing
Special Contraction Joint Placement
-Construction Joints
-Isolation Joints (Expansion Joints)
-Warping Joints
-Reinforcement in a Concrete Slab
Welded Wire Reinforcement
Dowels
Tie Bars
Fiber Reinforcement
Chapter 9: Preparing for Concreting
-Contractor/Ready-Mixed Concrete
-Producer Cooperation
The Concrete Mix
Ordering Responsibility
Testing Program
Water Addition at the Jobsite
-Preconstruction Conference
Some Preconstruction Conference
Agenda Items
-Jobsite Preparation
-A Checklist for Major Projects
Chapter 10: Concrete Placement and Finishing
-Depositing Concrete from the Ready-Mix Truck
-Buggying Concrete
-Belt Conveyors
-Bucket Placement
-Pumping Concrete
-Pumping Lightweight Concrete
-Consolidation during Placement
Vibration
Vibratory Screeds
-Finishing a Slab-on-Ground
Surface Finishes
-Controlling Placement
-Hot-Weather Placement
-Cold-Weather Placement
-Floor Surface Finish Tolerances
-Curing to maintain proper moisture content
-Recommended Reading
Chapter 11: Common Field Problems —
-Cause and Prevention
Fresh Concrete
Excessive Bleeding
Segregation and Poor Consolidation
Hard-to-Finish Mixes
Setting Time and Early Strength Gain
Plastic Shrinkage Cracks
-Hardened Concrete
Shrinkage Cracks
Isolation Joints
Crazing (Hairline Cracking,
Surface Checking)
Dusting Floors
Blistering
Slab Curling
Surface Scaling
Honeycombing
Sand Streaking
Surface Voids (Bugholes)
Reported Low Cylinder Strengths
Evaluating Cylinder Test Results
-References
-Checklist of Common Field Problems;
-Causes and Prevention
Conversion Factors—
U.S. Customary to SI (Metric)