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Critical Stress and Concrete Properties

The document discusses the significance of critical stress in concrete structures, including its impact on mortar cracking, spiral reinforcement, and strength under sustained load. It also explores the curing process of concrete with Type I cement and factors affecting shrinkage and creep, such as relative humidity, water/cement ratio, and the ratio of sustained stress to concrete strength. The analysis highlights the complex interactions that influence the performance and durability of concrete in various conditions.

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Ginelle Marvida
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67 views2 pages

Critical Stress and Concrete Properties

The document discusses the significance of critical stress in concrete structures, including its impact on mortar cracking, spiral reinforcement, and strength under sustained load. It also explores the curing process of concrete with Type I cement and factors affecting shrinkage and creep, such as relative humidity, water/cement ratio, and the ratio of sustained stress to concrete strength. The analysis highlights the complex interactions that influence the performance and durability of concrete in various conditions.

Uploaded by

Ginelle Marvida
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Michael R.

Hidalgo
BSCE 4A
Assignment #1

(30 pts)
1.    What is the significance of the critical stress 
a)    with respect to the structure of the concrete?
- A continuous pattern of mortar cracks begins to form. As a result, there are few
undamaged portions to carry load and the stress-strain curve is highly nonlinear.
b)    with respect to to spiral reinforcement?
- At the critical stress the lateral strain begins to increase rapidly. This causes the concrete
core within the spiral to expand, stretching the spiral. The tension in the spiral is equilibrated by
a radial compression in the core. This in turn, biaxially compresses the core, and thus strengthens
it.
c)   with respect to strength under sustained load?
  -  When concrete is subjected to sustained loads greater than the critical stress, it will
eventually fail.
(20 pts)
2.   The concrete containing Type I cement in a structure is cured for 3 days at 21 deg Celsius,
followed by 6 days at 4.4 deg Celsius.  Use the maturity concept to estimate its strength as a
fraction of a 28-day strength under standard curing. 
 
(20 pts)
3.   What factor/s affect the shrinkage and creep of concrete?
factors affect the shrinkage of concrete
- (a) Relative humidity. Shrinkage increases as the relative humidity decreases, reaching a
maximum at RH ≤ 40%.
- (b) The fraction of the total volume made up of paste. As this fraction increases,
shrinkage increases.
- (c) The modulus of elasticity of the aggregate. As these increases, shrinkage decreases.
- (d) The water/cement ratio. As the water content increases, the aggregate fraction
decreases, causing an increase in shrinkage.
- (e) The fineness of the cement. Shrinkage increases for finely ground cement that has
more surface area to attract and absorb water.
-(f) The effective thickness or volume to surface ratio. As this ratio increases, the
shrinkage occurs more slowly and the total shrinkage is likely reduced.
- (g) Exposure to carbon dioxide tends to increase shrinkage.

factors affect the creep of concrete


- (a) The ratio of sustained stress to the strength of the concrete. The creep coefficient,
, is roughly constant up to a stress of 0.5 fc', but increases above that value.
- (b) The humidity of the environment. The amount of creep decreases as the RH
increases above 40%.
- (c) As the effective thickness or volume to surface ratio increases, the rate at which
creep develops decreases.
- (d) Concretes with a high paste content creep more that concretes with a large
aggregate fraction because only the paste creeps.

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