SS = = t J >) Industry Division Offshore Services OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Civit ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS Revision 1 February 1999Lloyd’s Register Offshore Services Industry Division 100 Leadenhall Street London EC3A 3BP ‘Telephone 0171-709 9165 ‘Telex 888379 LR LON G Fax 0171-488 4796 (© LLOYD'S REGISTER OF SHIPPING. 1999 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except as permitted under current legislation ro part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system, published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast, transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means, without prior permission ofthe copyright owner. Enquiries should be directed to the above addres. ‘TERMS AND CONDITIONS In providing services, information or advice, neither Lloyd's Register of Shipping (hereinafter refered ta UR) nor any of ts officers employees or agents warrants the accuracy of any information oF advice Supplied. Exeept asset out herein, neither LR rot any of ts fficers, employees or agents (on behalf of each of whom LR has agreed this clause) shall be liable for any los, damage or expense whatever sustained by any person due toany act omission or ror of whatsoever nature and howsoever caused of LR its ‘officers, employees or agents of due to any inaccuracy of whatsoever nature and howsoever caused in any information or advice given in any way whatsoever by or on techaf of LR, even if held to amount oa breach cof warranty Nevertheless, if any person, who isa panty tothe agreement pursuant to which UR provides any service, uses LRs services oF relies on any information or advice given by oron behalf of LR and suffers los, damage or expense thereby which is proved to have been dle to any neligent act, omission or ror of LR its officers, employees o agents or any negligent inaccuracy in information or advice given by oron behalf of LR then LR will pay compensation to such person for his proved Joss up to but not exceeding the amount of fe (any) charged by LR for that parcular service information or advice. LR its officers, employees or agents (on behalf ‘of each of whom this notice is given) shall be under no liability or responsibility in negligence or otherwise howsoever to any Lay's Reiser Offshore Series apart of Loa’ Register of Shipping 100 Lendenhal Street, London EC3A 38P person who is nota party to the agreement with LR pursuant to which any certificate, statement, data or report is issued in respect ‘of any information or advice expressly ot mpliedly given by LR or in respect of any ‘omission or inaccuracy therein or in respect ‘of any actor omission which has caused or contributed to any certificate, statement, data for report being issued withthe information and advice it contains (if any), ‘The services provided by LR do not include any checks oF tests whatsoever to establish ‘whether any computer hardware and/or software, embedded microchips or data storage or information technology equipment or system is capable of handling changes in date and or time data or information without loss of performance or functionality, unless otherwise stated expressly in writing by LR. For the avoidance of doubt, the classification or certification of any vessel, structure, engine, machine, equipment, installation or device by LR does not warrant or imply that any system embedded therein and/or atached and /or related thereto is ‘capable of handling changes in date and/or time data or information without loss of, performance or functionality unless other- wise stated expressly in writing by LR. ‘Any dispute concerning the provision of LR's services and/or the contract under which such services are provided is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction ofthe English courts and will be governed by English la. =< ~~ =< .& a = eS eee — = =Ba Med ee aL OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 1 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Revision CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 5 11 General 5 1.2 Site Organisation 5 12.1 Typical Contractual Arrangements 5 12.2 Responsible Personne! 3 1.3 Surveyors Role 5 13.1 General 5 132 Acceptance and Release of Work 6 14 Codes and Specifications 7 18 Quality Systems 7 15.1 Introduction 7 152 LR relationship with ClienvContractors Quality System 7 2 MATERIALS 8 21 Introduction 9 22 Cements 9 23° Aggregates 9 24 Mix Water 9 25 Admixtures ° 26 Porzolanas ° 3 PRE-CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES 1" 34 Document review u 32 Materials Approval u 3.2.1 Cement and other Cementitious Products 1 322 Aggregates n 323 Mix Water n 324 Admixtures n 32.5 Reinforcement n 3.26 —_Prestressing n 4 CONCRETE MIXES 12 41 General B 42 Concrete Grade Strength B 43° Water Content 4 44 Mix Specification and Design ry 441 General 442 Design Mines 1 443 Preseribed mixes and standard mixes im 444 Nominal mixes 4 45 Mix acceptance 4 46 Trial Panels 15 5 CONCRETE PRODUCTION 16 51 Material Storage ” Lioyd’s Register Offshore ServicesCIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS, 56 Testing Fresh Conerete » 6 PLACING, COMPACTING AND CURING CONCRETE 20 6.21 Crane & Skip 23 L 63 ‘Vibration & Compaction 2B C 65.1 Location of Joints 35 C 65.4 Water Bars 25 L Ge Comme x Wentr > C 7 REINFORCEMENT 28 C 72 Detailing & Bending Schedules 29 i 4 Fixing Reinforcement 30 i 8 PRESTRESSING 33 Lloyd's Offshore Services Te,‘OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 3 af 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Revision 1 B2. RC. Bases, Ground Beams or Slabs B3. RC. Columns Bd, RC. Walls BS. RC. Suspended Slabs B6. _Post-tensioned concrete c Concrete Testing Cl. Method for making concrete test cubes and cylinders C2. Method for slump test D ‘Special Concreting Methods ~ Slipforming DI D2. bs. Da. Ds. D6. Dr. Introduction Formwork Construction Joints Slipform Startup Reinforcement Concrete D6. Mix Design 6.2 Placing Glossary of Slipforming Terms egister oved's Lloyd's Re Offshore ServicesOED - OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP February 1999 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS (blank page) Page 4 of 38 Revision 1 i's Register Offshore Services me meee ee =~A sae LX wo LS ‘OED ~ OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 5 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 General ‘These procedures are intended primarily to provide sufficient guidance for outport surveyors, to enable them 10 approve the construction of small to medium-sized civil ‘engineering projects in accordance with Lloyd’s Registers, normal requirements for class or certification. In this context, civil engineering projects are intended to cover, industrial buildings, concrete floating docks, jetties, shiplifts,ro-ro terminals, wind turbines and the like It is anticipated that specialist surveyors from the Offshore Services of H.Q would cover very large complex. projects, such as power station construction or offshore conerete platforms, This document will serve as a support document in these situations. ‘These guidelines will address the construction of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Structural steelwork construction has been specifically excluded, since the normal survey procedure manual adequately ‘covers this subject. The guidelines outline the surveyor’s role and general approach (© the work. Information is provided on materials and preconstruction activities. A detailed description is given of construction activities that will be subjected to survey. Appendix B gives a series of flow charts to assist the surveyor in construction survey. 1.2. Site Organisation 1.2.1 Typical Contractual Arrangements Most civil engineering projects consist of a straightforward client/designer/contractor relationship. ‘The client, or eventual owner, having identified his requirements, appoints a firm of consulting engineers or designers who perform the detailed design and produce the necessary drawings and specifications. This forms the basis of a tender for which contractors will bid to construct the final product. Under this arrangement itis usual for the client to retain the consultants to act as representative and/or advisor throughout the design, tender and construction phases of the works. During this latter stage, the consultant would have personnel based on/or visiting the site to ensure that permanent construction is performed in accordance with the design. The contractor is responsible for placing all subcontracts and procuring all equipment and materials necessary to construct the works. He is also responsible for the design of all temporary ‘works required to support the permanent works during, construction, Revision 1 The above system is in common use, particularly in the U.K., but increasingly clients are adopting design and construct projects or complete turnkey projects. Under these systems the project may be awarded directly to the contractor, who is then responsible for the design and construction phases. The design phase will be either sublet to a firm of consulting engineers, or will be performed “in house” by the contractors design group. ‘The designers, Whether in house or external, would still be required to produce the necessary design, drawings and specifications, and to ensure compliance with these during construction, Where construction and design teams are from the same company, it is normal for the two teams to report to different senior managers. This is intended to help to avoid conflict of interest and to obtain some degree of independence. 1.2.2 Responsible Personnel For the construction phase it is normal practice on large projects for all designers, to appoint a Resident Engineer (RE) of Clerk of Works (C.0.W) who will be based on site. The R.B is the designers site representative, who together with his staff is responsible for ensuring the works are constructed in accordance with the drawings and specifications. The R.Es staff, therefore, form the main level of on site checking and inspection. On small projects these duties may be performed on a visiting basis. However, the contractor also has a responsibility for ‘ensuring adherence to the design, The primary inspection should rest with him, although the degree to which this is done may vary considerably from site fo site. On small to medium-sized projects, this inspection may be performed by the individual trades foremen and/or the contractors engineer responsible for the particular section. These people may be more interested in progress of the works than quality and the R.E’s inspectors would be more heavily involved in primary fault finding, than merely final inspection, On much larger projects, however, it may be a contract requirement for the contractor to have his own quality control department on site. Under these conditions a more formalised inspection procedure may be established by the contractor, allowing the R.E, Inspectors to adopt more of a final checking role Either system is acceptable provided the final result meets the required standards, 1.3 Surveyors Role 1.3.1 General ‘The surveyor’ role is primarily a monitoring one. His objective is to ensure that the completed structure is acceptable to LR in the case of classification, and to LR Lloyd’s Register Offshore Services‘OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP, Page 6 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 and the ultimate regulatory body in the case of, certification, With a monitoring role, he must satisfy himself that the quality control on site will accomplish the desired result. This will be achieved by a mixture of checking documents and procedures and most importantly, bby actual inspection of the construction. Prior to construction, the civil group within the Offshore Services (O.S.) in H.Q will approve the drawings and specification detailing the works. They will ensure that these comply with the required rules and standards for classification ete. Acceptability to L-R. on site will be based on the fact that the materials used and the construction is performed in accordance with these approved drawings and documents. Any special requitements, or areas of particular concern to O.S., will be brought to the attention of the surveyor. ‘The Surveyor should ensure that he has an approved, up to date, set of the relevant structural drawings and specification. Although he should not need design codes, he should have access to the material standards referenced in these documents. It is expected that the RE, will have reference copies of these on site. ‘The actual level of manning will depend on a number of factors. Ideally for most sites, this would be full time attendance by at least one surveyor, but commercial reality will prevent this in many cases. For the particular project, LR will have to establish the minimum level of attendance acceptable in relation to our responsibility. This will depend on such matters as the size and location of the project and the level of quality control proposed by others. This should be discussed and agreed by H.Q. civils staff when tendering for the project. Unlike steel structures where components and welds are still accessible after fabrication, it must be remembered that with concrete, most of the reinforcement or founding soil layer for example, is totally obscured after concreting, It is important for the surveyor to carry out more pre- construction (conereting) inspections than may be required on say, ship classification, where a large amount of inspection can be performed after the event 1.3.2 Acceptance and Release of Work The manner in which a particular project is organised and approved by the Surveyor will obviously depend on the set up on that project, however, below is a typical approach that has worked well on previous projects. It may appear less formal than adopted on normal LR construction work with steel, where individual N.D.T. reports are signed off. This is due 10 the nature of civil engineering inspection which is more visual and less ‘mechanically orientated. Revision 1 ‘The preconstruction phase is concerned with acceptance of specifications, construction procedures and material approval. These will generally be approved by HQ although visits to suppliers may be requested. A ‘general description of materials is given in Section 2 and acceptance procedures are in Section 3 However during the construction phase the method in which individual items or sections of the work are approved can vary enormously and the surveyor should give considerable thought to how he wishes to control the ‘work, bearing in mind the objectives of his position, I is anticipated that, on a well organised site with good quality control, @ formalised system for approval of sections of work, prior to concreting, would be established by the RE. This approval would include a document for each section to be concreted itemising position, level, reinforcement, prestressing ducts, holes, built in items etc Each item on the document is initialed by both contractor and R.E's staff as being acceptable and the section is only conereted when all items are approved. (On small construction sites it is possible that no such arrangement exists, however it should be established that concreting. does not commence without approval from the person identified as responsible for checking). It is recommended that the Surveyor does not become involved with signing off such documents before concreting as he may only be operating on a visiting basis, or the site may be working very long hours. ‘The Surveyor should be able to give approval to the works from a combination of his own site monitoring, his assessment of the standards of inspection, and the general site quality, control. Since concreting is virtually a point of no return, this will involve more work face inspection than in the normal LR role, at least in the initial stages while gaining confidence in the quality control system. Hence acceptance of individual pours may be indicated more by lack of objection than signing acceptance sheets Where the client and/or contractor requires more documentary evidence of satisfactory progress, various, options exist, Either the pre concreting form noted above could be initialled AFTER the event, or LR release notes. could be issued for sections of the work comprising several separate concrete pours. For the above system to work satisfactorily, it is necessary for the Surveyor t0 be able to have minor objections attended to quickly at the work face, without Fecourse to senior management or a formal paper work exercise. Where this system is not working, or for more serious or persistent problems then obviously the Surveyor has the option of the LR Non Acceptance Notes. Unlike ship yards, most civil engineering contractors will not be aware of the implication on class or certification of an ‘outstanding N.A.N at the completion of the project. Both client and contractor should be advised of the full Lloyd's Register Offshore Services See esse eee ae = ===‘OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP, Page 7 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Revision 1 implication of the N.A.N and the consequences of non corrective action, Where the coverage of the work is by R.E’s inspectors, they should obviously detect most of the errors and omissions, and again most will be dealt with verbally However, for more serious deviations from the Specification many projects operate a system of Non Conformance Reports. The RE. issues these to the contractor outlining the problem, The contractor then replies to this proposed corrective action which is either approved or not. The Surveyor should request that he receives copies of all N.C.R's together with the proposed solution, which should be approved by both the R.E. and LR This will ensure that the Surveyor is kept informed of all non compliance’s already raised, and avoid possible duplication of paperwork. Additionally he can also see the proposed solution and raise objections where he feels the situation is still unsatisfactory Obviously every project is run in a slightly different ‘manner and the Surveyor will need to tailor his system of approval to suit. The above has worked well on previous projects and it is suggested that something similar is established, 1.4 Codes and Specifications Al civil engineering structures and foundations are t0 be designed to recognised National codes and standards The most commonly used throughout the world are those of Britain and America, with many other national codes being based on these. With more international construction taking place, the use of European country codes are increasingly being used, particularly French, German and Norwegian. LR will accept most national standards, Not only will the design be in accordance with recognised codes, but the specifications developed by the designers will refer to other codes and standards for the quality and testing of materials and equipment, tis anticipated that the design, drawings and specification will be approved prior to construction by the civils group within O.S. As such the acceptability of design codes and material standards should have already been covered by O.S. Any queries relating to codes should be referred to that office 1.5 Quality Systems 1.5.1 _ Introduction On major projects it usual to have a formal quality system established. L.R, will probably be required at the tender stage to recognise the presence of such a system when providing class/certification services. 1.5.2 LR relationship with Client/Contractors Quality System ‘The LR surveyor will still maintain a monitoring role and his principle objectives remains the same, namely to satisfy himself that the structure is acceptable to LR for class/certification, He is now however monitoring the effectiveness of the quality system. In reality this involves the same sort of activities as with construction where no formal quality system exists. He will check that procedures are being followed, inspection is being carried out and that the work itself is of a satisfactory standard, He may accompany the QA team on audits of the construction, but should also perform survey independently of this. If the Quality System is considered to be of a sufficient standard the possibility exists of reduced manning levels Lloyd s Register Offshore Services‘OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 (blank page) Page 8 of 38 Revision 1 Lloyd's Reg st Offshore Services‘hind Nad aad eee ‘OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 9 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Revision 1 2 MATERIALS ‘The two essential requirements of aggregates are 2.1 Introduction Concrete is made from cement, aggregate and water swith the occasional addition of an admixture. There is some variety in the properties of cements, even between, cements of the same type but made from different raw ‘materials, and the variation in properties possible in natural ‘and manufactured aggregates is almost limitless. Concrete is always @ heterogeneous material with variable properties. 22 Cements ‘The most commonly used cement in the world is ordinary Portland cement and it accounts for about 90% of all cement production. It is manufactured by heating. together several raw materials (typically clay and limestone ‘or chalk) to form a clinker rich in calcium silicates which is, then, with the addition of a small proportion of gypsum, ground to a fine powder. Several varieties of Portland, cement have been developed, but they all contain the same. active materials, only the proportions of each is different and cause them t exhibit special characteristics or properties The setting of cement is a chemical reaction betwee the cement and water called hydration. It is not a simple drying process. During hydration heat is evolved, and this must be controlled to prevent cracking. With many cements there is a slow continuous gain in strength and it may take some years (0 reach its ultimate value The following types of cements are the ones most likely to be found: ‘Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) Rapid-hardening Portland Cement (RHPC) Sulphate resisting Portland Cement (SRPC) Low heat Portland Cement (LHPC) Portland blast furnace Cement (BFC) Portland-Pozzolana Cement Portland-Pulverised fuel ash Cement (PEA) 2.3 Aggregates ‘The term “aggregates” is used to describe the gravels, crushed stones and other materials which are mixed with cement and water to make concrete, The selection of stable materials is important. Gravels, sands and crushed stones, such as_granite, basalt and the harder types of limestone and in common use as aggregates. durability and cleanliness. In the first case aggregates should be hard and not contain materials likely to decompose or change in volume when exposed to the weather, or to adversely affect the reinforcement. In the second case they should be clean and free of organic materials as the presence of these results in poor quality concrete. The particles should also be free of dust or clay as these prevent proper bonding of the materials with the cement. Gravels and sands are usually washed by the supplier, but care must be taken not to wash out all the fines. Basically there are two distinct types of aggregate used in a concrete mix, these are ine’ and ‘coarse’. ‘The fine aggregate is natural sand, crushed rock, crushed gravel or other material, most of which passes through a Sim sieve Coarse aggregate is the term used to describe the material such as natural gravel, crushed gravel or crushed rock most of which is retained on this sieve, The size of aggregate used on a contract is usually determined by the type of work being carried out and maybe even the {quantity of reinforcement present. A typical maximum size of 20mm is used, occasionally being reduced to 10mm in areas of reinforcement congestion, 24 Mix Water Mixing water for concrete is usually required to be fit for drinking, or taken from an approved source. This is (0 censure itis free from organic matters, suspended solids or dissolved salts which frequently are present in naturally ‘occurring water and could prove harmful to either the ‘concrete or reinforcement. Sea water, under normal conditions, would not be allowed due to its potential corrosive effect on reinforcement. 2.5 Admixtures Admixtures are materials that are added to concrete during mixing with the intention of improving some property or properties of the concrete. It is important when using any admixture to ensure that it is evenly distributed through the mix and that correct quantities are used. Over or underdosing of admixtures can have an harmful effect ‘on the final concrete mix, and due to the fact that normally very small proportions are used a slight increase can vary the resulting mix greatly. The most common admixtures are used for accelerating the set of the mix, retarding the set ot inereasing the workability, 2.6 Pozzolanas Pozzolanas are materials that, posses cementing properties in alkaline media, including the lime derived from Portland cement, Naturally occurring. pozzolanas ‘occur in many parts of the world as a voleanic material. In Offshore Services‘OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Britain the most significant similar materials are the ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and pulverised fuel ash (PFA) produced from coal burning power stations, The rate of gain of strength of pozzolanic mixes is fairly slow with a corresponding slow rate of heat evolution. Pozzalanas are used as cement savers or substitutes on large structures where it is beneficial to reduce the heat produced during hydration of the cement. Pozzolana cements are usually pre-blended by the supplier before delivery t the concrete manufacturer. When these cements are incorporated in the structure itis essential that the supply of PFA or GGBFS comes from the same power station as different properties may be experienced from power station to power station. Offshore Services - cc SF = SS SS ee Se‘OED ~ OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP, Page 11 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS. February 1999 3 PRE-CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES 3.1 Document review ‘This review will include all relevant specifications, construction procedures and also quality control procedures including proposals for material identification The majority of this will be carried out by Offshore Services, but detail procedures and quality control may be dealt with on a local basis. 3.2 Materials Approval Prior to the start of construction Lloyd's Register will satisfy themselves that the proposed materials will ‘adequately meet the material specifications. This means reviewing test results ete., called for by the appropriate material standards and specifications. This testing is generally carried out by independent laboratories for the concrete materials. For the reinforcement and prestressing tendons, testing is part of the production quality system, LR will normally approve reinforcement on the basis of documentation only, prestress is monitored by the local office and accompanied by an LR release note. If there is any doubt about testing arrangements ete. then an LR specialist visit can be arranged, Reference should be made to the appropriate National Standard but typically the testing will cover the following aspects:= 3.2.1 Cement and other Cementitious Products Review of chemical and physical tests which typically Fineness Chemical Composition Strength Setting times ‘Soundness 3.22 Aggregates Review petrological reports and review physical tests on aggregate which will typically relate to: Grading Flakiness Index Deleterious substances Water absorbtion Particle shape Los Angeles Values Soluble chlorides Reactivity Revision 3.2.3 Mix Water Review tests on water from proposed supply ensure that water is potable, meets chloride limits and also comparative strength tests against distilled water when these are considered necessary. 3.2.4 Admixtures Approval of admixture against limits of chlorides etc. and appreciation of effects of under and overdosing Colour and specific gravity checks where necessary. 3.2.5 Reinforcement Review reports on covering tensile strength, yield and bend tests. Also check suitability of reinforcement for welding if required. In the UK reinforcement is generally provided under the CARES (Certifying Authority for Reinforcing Steels) scheme for firms of approved capability, LR accepts this scheme and has no further involvement in the provision of reinforcement. 3.2.6 Prestressing Review reports on stress relaxation properties and mechanical tests covering tensile strength, yield and elongation, Material requirements for both the prestressing ‘and anchorages will be checked as required. tegister Offshore ServicesOED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 (blank page) Page 12 0f 38 Revision 1 Lloyd's Register Offshore Services -‘OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 13 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 4 CONCRETE MIXES 4.1 General ‘Two essential properties of hardened concrete are durability and strength, Both properties are affected by the Voids or capillaries in the concrete which are caused by incomplete compaction or by excessive water in the mix. ‘Within certain limits, the higher the cement content and the lower the water/cement ratio, the stronger and more durable will be the concrete. Dense, impervious concrete is also necessary if it is to retain or exclude water and assist in providing corrosion protection to reinforcement, ‘The requirement that air voids be kept to a minimum ‘means that the materials must be so proportioned that the mix is workable enough to be fully compacted with the means available, The use of mechanical compaction equipment allows a drier and potentially stronger and more durable mix {0 be used than if compaction is done by ‘manual methods. However, except for very high strengths, mixes can be designed that fulfil strength requirements yet siill allow the concrete to be compacted by hand, though the cement contents will be higher. 4.2. Concrete Grade Strength ‘The strength of concrete is usually defined by the crushing strength of 150 mm (6 in) cubes at an age of 28 days. However, other types and ages of test and other sizes and shapes of specimen are sometimes used: for example, Australia, America and many European countries make use of tests conducted on concrete cylinders. Appendix C provides a description of making cubes and cylinders, rational standards should also be consulted, ‘The strength will probably be specified as a characteristic strength. This is the strength below which hot more than a stated proportion of tests results fall. The variation in results needs to be considered statistically, and ‘a detailed discussion on this subject is outside the scope of the guidelines. However, it will be briefly mentioned to clarify the consideration of concrete strengths. Because of the variability of test results, the concrete must be designed to have an average strength greater than the required characteristic strength, otherwise more than the permitted percentage of results would fall below the characteristic strength. ‘The difference between the average and characteristic strengths is known as the ‘margin. ‘The spread of results from concrete strength tests thas been found to follow what is known, in statistics, as a ‘normal distribution, which enables it to be defined by the standard deviation’ of the results. Where the spread and the standard deviation are large, the margin also must be large, but where site control over materials, mixing and testing procedures is good, the standard deviation will be smaller and the margin may be reduced, leading to ‘economies in materials. Revision 1 There is a mathematical relationship between the ‘margin, the standard deviation and the proportion of results falling below the characteristic strength. If 5 per cent of results fall below, then the margin will be 1,645 times the standard deviation (this isthe figure used in the UK). i. = Characteristic strength = Average Strength -1.645 x Standard Deviation, In order to use this statistical method reliably a large ‘number of test results are needed, yet compliance with the specification is commonly judged by examining a small numbers of results. ‘The effect of this is to introduce a risk for the supplier that some of his concrete may fail to meet the compliance requirements even though its strength agrees with the definition of the characteristic strength Care must, therefore, be taken to choose a suitable margin ‘when designing a concrete mix, During a long contract the materials will vary, and by keeping continuous records of test results it is possible to vary the margin so as to make the best use of the materials while complying with the specification; the cement content must not, however. be reduced below the specified minimum figure. |A limited range of conerete grades designated by a umber equal to the characteristic strength in Némm? is siven in Table 4.2 For information on mix acceptance see Section 4.5. Table 4.2 Recommended grades of concrete Grade | Characteristic cube Lowest grade for strength compliance with appropriate use Ninn 7 70 1000 | plain concrete 10 100 1450 = 15 150) 2200 _| reinforced concrete with lightweight aggregate 20 200 72900] reinforced concrete 25 250 3600 with dense aggregate 30 30.0 4350 | concrete with post tensioned tendons 0 40.0) ‘5800 50 500 | concrete with pre 60 60.0 tensioned tendons “The values in imperial units are approximate and are included for comparison only. They should not be used for Lloyd’s R Offshore ServicesOED - OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROU! Page 14 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 purposes of mix design or for the interpretation of test results, 4.3. Water Content It should be noted that there are two ways of specifying. the water quantity. The common method is to relate the ‘water cement ratio to the ftee water content. This means the water in excess of that absorbed by the aggregate. The definition of the water absorbed by the aggregate is that required to bring it to a saturated and surface dry condition, The other method is of course to specify the total amount of water in the mix, however the absorbtion properties of the aggregate must sill be understood 4.4 Mix Specification and Design 4.4.1 General Concrete specification falls into four categories: Design Mixes. Prescribed Mixes, ‘Standard Mixes. Nominal Mixes. 44.2 Design Mixes For design mixes the main specification criteria is strength. A minimum and maximum cement content and water/eement ratio is given to ensure the required durability. Other specific requirements such as air content, and temperature may be given and a slump (see section 5.6) will be specified to help control workability. It is then up to the concrete supplier to work out the mix proportions by weight that will provide the specified characteristic strength. The methods of calculating the optimum proportions are approximate. It is therefore a necessary part of mix design to perform trial mixes 10 prove the product, Mix design methods are described in several publications and the subject will not be dealt with here. 4.4.3 Prescribed mixes and standard mixes Concrete mixes will be specified to have fixed proportions of the constituents by weight. The ‘grade’ is ‘the minimum characteristic strength which the concrete may be expected 10 have. It should be emphasized, however, that strength is not used as a criterion by which 0 judge acceptance of prescribed mixes, For prescribed ‘mixes the proportions, material types and workability are specified by the purchaser, for standard mixes these are specified with reference to a National Standard, (BS 5328). 4.4.4 Nominal mixes Following the practice first established many years ago, concrete mixes are still sometimes specified in terms of volumetric proportions, This practice is rarely used now for structural concrete, though some Codes of Practice stil allow concrete to be specified in this way. Nominal mixes ‘are sometimes specified to have minimum strengths in addition to the given proportions; in practice this is often interpreted, incorrectly, as a designed mix. The resulting ‘concrete gives the required minimum strength but is often leaner than is specified; and it may then have t00 low a ‘cement content to give the required durability, Volume batching is difficult to control and nominal ‘mix specifications provide no control over water content, so this type of specification should not be used unless site conditions make it necessary and it is certain that the concrete will be adequate for the work in hand, Weigh- batching of materials (see 5.3) is preferable, and it usually best, ifthe specification calls for nominal mixes, to agree weigh-batched alternatives with the engineer, 4.5 Mix acceptance ‘The majority of mixes used today are design mixes, acceptance of these is based on the results of trial mixes supported of course by earlier acceptance of the basic materials. ‘The method of producing and evaluating trial ‘mixes against the specified requirements is covered by National Standards (BS 5328). Where the identical mix hhas been used on previous contracts then production data from that work will be acceptable in lieu of trial mixes. ‘When using trial mixes it is advisable that due to the variability of the constituents and the time lapse between making and testing samples (usually 28 days) that additional test cubes are made with mixes 10% leaner and richer than those specified. If the design mix strength is not achieved by the specified mix, these additional cubes will usually enable the necessary modifications to be made without the delay of further trial mixes. Alternatively previous production data may be presented to show that the design mix will be satisfactory If this approach is adopted the data for use should be test results from separate concrete batches selected over an immediately prior period, not exceeding two years, and using the same materials and plant which are proposed for the work. This second method of mix acceptance will frequently be proposed when dealing with an offsite ready Lloyd's Register Offshore Services sy =OED - OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 15 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS, February 1999 Revision 1 mix contractor who will have a large amount of data available from previous contracts. 4.6 Trial Panels I is common practice on larger contracts to cast one or more trial panels. These panels are used to establish that concrete of good quality and appearance can be produced fon the job site. They should be constructed using formwork, reinforcement, prestress ducts and anchors (if, incorporated in the works), concrete and plant to be used (on the job. ‘The idea is to prove before construction starts that the materials and procedures proposed are acceptable and workable. ‘These trial pancls often include areas containing dense reinforcement and proposed embedments. Occasionally additional panels may be made during the contract to cover areas of specific potential problems, such as slip forming etc. The panels are left standing throughout the contract to be used as a reference. Consequently should any areas show up in the fabrication of these panels that are considered unacceptable they must bbe made known to all parties prior to the construction proceeding. If the panel is considered totally unacceptable further examples should be constructed until a satisfactory panel is produced tex Offshore ServicesOED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 (blank page) Page 16 0f 38 sr Offshore Services ys SSeS eS eS eeie ee ee en ee en en en en OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GI OUP Page 17 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 5 CONCRETE PRODUCTION 5.1 Material Storage Materials should be stored so that no harm results during thei storage. Cement must be kept dry in silos, of, ifn bags, it should be kept under cover and off the ground. Different cements should never be used together, so wen more than one type is stored in bulk care must be taken when filling the silos to ensure like cements are placed together. This also applies if a PFA mix isto be used and blended on site. Visually there is very little difference between powdered cement and PFA, however should the proportions called for in the mix (Say 70% cement and 30% PFA) become confused there is a major difference in the end product. When cement is stored in bags it is advantageous to colour code them such that they can be used in strict date rotation, as new cement is always better than old. Sacks are usually date coded, but as one sack looks very much like another, and the date may not be readily visible a spray paint colour stip down the side of a stack of bags is easier to spot. Aggregates should be stored and handled so as to avoid segregation and contamination from other aggregates, fucl, mud etc, Each site will impose its own conditions and will have to be considered individually. However, aggregates will usually be stored in open topped and open fronted stock piles on a clean concrete base with partitions between each type. This does tend to lead to moisture content problems from the elements (see 5.2) ancl also may requite the use of temporary covers to both the front and top, with the addition of heaters, when concreting in cold Itis also worth noting that if the piles are not uused completly before replenishment there is a danger of fine material gradually washing down to the bottom of the pile, weather, Admixtures are normally not a major storage problem as they tend to be supplied in small quantities. Liquid additives are usually packed in plastic or steel weather proof drums, whilst powdered types come in small boxes Nevertheless, these should all be stored clear of the ground indoors as some can be affected by heat of light. Storage of water is rarely a problem as itis usually supplied direct. from the mains. However, if water is drawn from a well or stream some form of storage reservoir will be required, as. well as a water tank for the batcher or mixer. 5.2 Moisture Content of Aggregates and other Testing The moisture contained in aggregates can be a significant proportion of the required water content of the imix. It is therefore necessary t© know how much water is being carried into the mix by the aggregates. If the weather is settled and the requirements for storage in section 5.1 have been observed then the moisture content Revision 1 of the aggregates need only be measured once a day However, should the stock piles be apen to the elements and the weather be inclement tests will need to be more frequent. Obviously should a sudden downpour occur the ‘moisture content will dramatically alter, and must be monitored very closely, possibly every batch being checked until the pile has dried out, Newly delivered stocks of aggregate should always be tested prior to inclusion in the mix, Several methods to check this ‘moisture content ate available and will be dealt with later, but the Surveyor must ensure that a satisfactory method is being used. The specification may call for other tests at specific time intervals, these may for example be related to shape, grading and cholride content. 5.3 Concrete Batching Careful use of accurate measuring equipment is essential for the production of good quality concrete. Basically there are two distinct methods of measuring the Constituents, these are by weight or by volume, although in some instances a combination of the two may be adopted, The preferred and fortunately most common method is weight batching, In this method the cement and various agaregates are weighed on large capacity scales prior to loading into the mixer. The water, however, may be added by weight or by volume. Admixtures in the form of liquid Or paste may be measured by either method, whilst solids should again be weigh batched, Extreme care should be exercised when additives are used because, due to their relatively small dosage in mixes they become susceptible to proportionally large errors. Extreme care must be exercised should batching be called for and in any case it should he used for small concrete pours only. Cement tends to have its bulk effected by handling, and consequently if used in a volume batching process, cement should be supplied by 50 ke sacks as a known volume is then being used. Sand is one of the most difficult constituents to measure by volume as when damp it has a tendency to swell, a phenomenon known as "bulking". Consequently volume batching is not desirable and ideally if used is best kept to very small quantities, and ideally to non structural items, 5.4 Concrete Mixers ‘There are several types of mixer used in the civil engineering industry. However, it's anticipated that for the type of work Lloyd's Register will be involved with only ‘two will be of interest to the Surveyor in the field. ‘The first of these will be the “Forced Action” mixer, commonly known as a pan mixer. This is the type usually rated into a batch mixing plant. The second type is "Reversing Drum", and this type is used on truck Y 's Register Offshore Services‘OED — OFFSHORE: “IVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP. Page 18 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 mixers and can readily be seen on almost any road. Pan mixers consist of an horizontally mounted cylindrical pan arranged to rotate about @ vertical axis and in which paddles are arranged to rotate eccentrically to the pan axis In some the pan is kept stationary and the paddles rotate about an eccentric axis which in tum rotates around the pan. Discharge is effected through a central hole in the bottom of the pan, where a door is provided to open and close the discharge hole. A curved blade, which can be raised or lowered into the mix, directs the concrete to the discharge hole and this effects a very clean discharge, ‘The reversing drum on a ready mix truck mixes by virtue of the drum revolving whilst the vehicle is in transit. Itis possible to charge the drum with dry materials and not add the water until close to the discharge point. However, ‘most contraets do not allow this as obviously contral of the water content is difficult to monitor. Normally the concrete will be mixed in the batching plants pan mixer and then discharged into the truck which then transports it to the job face. The revolving drum helps prevent segregation of the mix and also completes the mixing process. Once at the final point of discharge the drum is, reversed and the concrete flows out down a chute either directly to its final destination or to a pump or skip for final placing. It is most important to be aware that the majority of ready mix drivers own or lease their vehicles from the supplier and get paid per delivery. Consequently. the quicker the turn round the higher the pay. One method of ensuring quick discharge is to increase the water content in the mix as this tends to increase the flow. Most inspectors are aware of this situation, but always ensure at least one slump test is taken prior to discharging into the works, An over wet mix will have an extremely high slump and may well require rejection. A slump test should have previously been performed at the batching plant when the mix was made and the result of this witl appear of the delivery ticket. Normally, after travelling (0 site in a revolving drum, the mix will have stiffened, so ifthe slump lest on site shows a larger value than that on the ticket it could well indicate that water has been added en-route. Testing of concrete will be discussed later, however it should be borne in mind that a batch of concrete should not be rejected on the result of one slump test only. Ifthe first test fails, the drum should be re spun for a few minutes and 1 second test carried out, Should this fail then the mix can be rejected and sent off site. The delivery ticket should be clearly marked stating that the load was out of specification, 5.5. Plant Inspection & Approval It will be necessary for Lloyd's Register to inspect and approve the batching plants and equipment proposed for the works. This will apply to both site based plants and remote ready mix facilities. Several contractors will have a Revi nd back-up ready mix plant proposed should it be required during the course of the contract, and this should also be approved by the Surveyor prior to it supplying the contract. For the majority of contracts the plants to be used will be relatively large and permanent. In some cases though it is conceivable that the contractor will set up a small mobile type plant on the site. If this is the case the measuring ‘equipment will need to be set up on a firm level base and in such a way that any hoppers are landed evenly. The equipment should be checked immediately after setting up. and there after at regular intervals, as recommended by the manufacturer. Whether temporary site batching plants or large permanent plants are 0 be used the Surveyor will need to inspect and approve these prior to work starting and possibly at intervals throughout the works. The ‘measuring equipment is very important and should be ‘maintained in good working order. All scales or measuring devices should be regularly checked and, if necessary, re calibrated by an independent testing house, who will then issue certificates of compliance. The Surveyor must satisfy himself that these are all in order and where possible obtain copies as part of his Q.C procedures, Large ready mix suppliers often keep the records and calibration certificates of all their local plants in one central base. It is therefore important to ensure that the certificates supplied do relate to the plant being inspected. On any occasion that plant is moved and reset up it will need re-calibrating and fresh certificates will have to be issued Whilst inspecting the works the Surveyor should satisfy himself that all necessary precautions and procedures are adopted to ensure that not only are the correct proportions of constituents going to be batched, but also the correct ingredients themselves. Ready mix plants will be supplying more than one contract at a time, and frequently these will be using different materials, especially cements Check to ensure that silos are clearly marked with the type of cement they contain, and that the point for filling them is locked. Establish the procedure adopted by the plant for filling these. Ideally only one person should be in charge of filling the silo's, the system of the nearest man available connecting the hose from the bulk carrier to the “most northerly” or "second silo from the left” is not good practice. It’s equally important that the batching system clearly shows which silo cement is being drawn from Again, different cements [ook very similar, and in the wet stage, coneretes also look alike, however they may react very differently to each other not only strength wise but when setting times are considered. Also different cements should never be mixed. 5.6 Testing Fresh Concrete ‘There are several tests that can be carried out on fresh concrete, The size of the contract and availability of a site laboratory will normally determine which of these tests Lloyd's Register Offshore Services a = PSPS See =(OED - OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 19 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Revision will be applied. The tests required will be given in the specification, however Lloyd's Register expect, as a ‘minimum, that for every delivery of concrete to the work face, a slump test will be cartied out. This test checks the workability of a batch and demonstrates the ability of an established mix to remain fairly consistent. It also gives a Buide as to the ability of the mix to be transported, placed, compacted and finished without segregation. ‘The ideal aspect of this testis that with very little equipment it can be carried out in a few minutes immediately adjacent to the point of discharge of the concrete For details of slump test see Appendix C. Offshore ServicesOED ~ OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP, Page 20 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Revision 1 (blank page) Offshore Services‘OED - OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP, Page 21 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Revision 1 6 PLACING, COMPACTING AND CURING CONCRETE 6.1 Preconcreting Inspection Before any concrete is placed in the forms these should be thoroughly inspected to ensure that they are clean and have been adequately treated with release agent. Where forms are deep they should be provided with temporary ‘openings to enable adequate inspection, The inspection will be carried out to ensure that all loose tie wire, sawdust, timber and any foreign matter has been removed. These items are generally cleared out by using a compressed ait blow pipe and simply blowing all rubbish to one end of the forms where it can easily be picked out, This is a relatively easy task to perform on slabs but not quite as straight forward when dealing with beams and walls. ‘To assist this cleaning process it is often good idea for a small section of the forms to be omitted at one end and then re-positioned just prior to concreting. Odd pieces of loose tie wire do not always blow along too easily and the use of a magnet will be beneficial. When dealing with large slab or foundation base areas that can take some time to prepare for concreting it will often be necessary to thoroughly wash these down with a high pressure water jet Cf some sort as they will have accumulated a lot of wind born rubbish and dirt etc that will have been deposited from peoples feet. It is imperative that the forms are given the best possible cleaning prior to concreting as any foreign body that gets into the pour will ultimately be a point of weakness. This final inspection should take place immediately prior to the concrete being placed. Fig. 6.1 shows a typical detail through a wall shutter. N.B. Inspection of reinforcement and prestressing should also be performed as described in Section 7.0 & 8.0. 6.2 Transporting Concrete The number of methods available for transporting conerete ate many and variable, ranging from a hand wheel barrow to concrete pumps. The chosen method will Offshore Services‘OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 22 of 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 Revision 1 Figure 6.1: Typical Detail through Wall Shutter O/A member, Timber or steel stiffened wall shutter Shutter bolt usually with expendable centre section Main reinforcement ——fF Distribution Steel Conerete purpose- made spacer block “U! bar steel spacer to keep steel faces seperate Waterbar wired in place to reinforcement Construction joint (can be straight or joggled as shown) Previous pour 10. Construction Stages Fix reinforcement with U bar spacers. Scabble & clean construction joint. Ensure waterbar (if used) tied up to reinforcement. Fix concrete spacer blocks. Fix shutter on one face. Position shutter bolts & adjust any re-bar necessary. Carry out full inspection. Position 2nd face shutter & bolt up tight. Seal around bolt holes in shutters & where shutter ‘nips’ onto any existing conerete. Place concrete from top or through windows in shutters. Offshore Services ee SF eS SS SSS SS ee eS ee nmdp by bd bd ka bo ls ala OED — OFFSHORE CIVIL & FOUNDATION GROUP Page 23 0f 38 CIVIL ENGINEERING GUIDELINES FOR SURVEYORS February 1999 depend on several factors including the size of the contract, availability of plant and access. Which ever method is used the principles will ultimately remain the same, These Principles ate that the concrete does not become segregated and will not be contaminated by either water or other materials between the time of leaving the mixer and being finally placed in the works. If concrete is to be placed below the working level of the supply a chute shiould be used. Gravity is one of the cheapest, quickest and most efficient means of transport, but there is a strong risk of segregation of the mix and this will be greatly reduced if a chute is used Concrete should generally not be allowed (o free fall more than 1.5 -2.0m, 62.4 Crane & Skip ‘Transporting and placing concrete by skip is possibly the most common method employed. Most larger sites will employ the use of cranes for handling various equipment, reinforcement, shutters ete and consequently utilising this piece of plant for placing concrete can be quite efficient. However, it should be borne in mind that the quantity of concrete placed in a skip may need to be reduced when the crane starts working at extremes of radius. When placing concrete by skip itis important to ensure that the quantities Geposited are sufficient for the immediate area being worked as it is not good practice to try and move large heaps of conerete with vibrators as this can lead to segregation. A big advantage of using skipped concrete on 4 slab is that relatively small quantities are deposited at a ‘time which enables time for good compaction to take place whilst the skip is returning to the supply for re-charging, Placing concrete into wall shutters by skip can however be 1 problem as vertical projecting reinforcement can impede the positioning of the skip. If a skip is used in this ‘operation the concrete should be deposited slowly in small {quantities moving along the wall lin. 6.2.2 Pumping Concrete ‘Transporting and placing concrete by pump is becoming an increasingly more popular method, It is very fast and efficient and does not tie up site cranes which can ‘carry on with other duties, Frequently sites will adopt both pumped and skipped concrete. ‘There needs to be very litle difference between the two with respect to the mix, ‘but normally one must be more aware of the workability when using pumped mixes. When checking the workability of a mix a high slump will normally be ejected, but a low slump, signifying a stiffer and probably stronger mix may be used. However, if this mix is too stiff it may not be suitable for pumping. especially if long distances are to be travelled, Should a pump block due to 4 mix being too stiff it can take a considerable period of Revision time to clear the blockage, and this may result in the concrete already having been placed starting to "go-off" before fresh concrete is placed against it. This results in a “cold-joint” which is unacceptable. However, providing precautions are taken to ensure adequate pumpability and lack of blockages occurring the pump is very efficient and ‘enables concrete to be placed very quickly (30-40M3 per hour) and in ateas that could be inaccessible to a skip, Prior to commencement of placing with a pump it is ‘common to lubricate the pipe line with a neat cement slurry (Cement and water) which will aid the flow of the concrete through the line. The Surveyor should ensure that when this practice is used, the slurry is discharged from the line outside the works and not incorporated within the structure. Caution should also be exercised to ensure that the concrete is not delivered so fast that it does not get ‘adequately vibrated and placed correctly. Generally, if a large slab pour is being undertaken by pump, more vibrators will be required than if the same pour is being carried out by a skip, 6.2.3 Other Methods ‘There are may other methods of transporting concrete, ranging from wheel barrow, barrow and hoist, dumper trucks, railcars (in tunnel work), and of course vibrating truck mixers. Wheeled vehicles can cause segregation of the mix over long hauls, but apart from this, and obvious protection from contamination there are few problems with these methods of placing. One advantage of these methods is that usually small quantities of conerete are being dealt with at any one time so adequate allowance can be made for compaction. 6.3. Vibration & Compaction To enable concrete to reach its maximum strength it ‘must be compacted so that it contains the minimum of unwanted air. With a very wet, workable mix, this is relatively easy, but the excess of water tends to produce Weaker concrete. The dryer mixes tend to produce the more durable and stronger mixes. To aid placing these mixes usually will contain a plasticiser which allows the water content to be reduced whilst maintaining workability These mixes do, however contain a lot of excess air that has to be removed, and this is achieved by use of vibrators. ‘The most common type of vibrator is the internal hand held or poker vibrator. ‘This is a vibrating tube at the end of a flexible drive, usually driven by compressed air, but can also be electrical. These pokers vary in size, usually between 25min - 75mm (1" to 3") in diameter. To be correctly used the poker should be placed vertically in the concrete and held steadily until the air bubbles cease to Offshore Services